Riku Helenius
| Riku Helenius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 1, 1988 Pälkäne, FIN |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb) |
| Position | Goaltender |
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Tampa Bay Lightning Syracuse Crunch (AHL) JYP Södertälje SK |
| NHL Draft | 15th overall, 2006 Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
Riku Helenius (born March 1, 1988) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender. He currently plays for the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Playing career
Helenius was selected 15th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning,[1] partly on the strength of his silver-medal-winning performance for the Finnish national men's hockey team in the 2006 under-18 World Junior Championships. He played for Ilves during the 2006–2007 season but due to a shoulder injury only played four games.
The Seattle Thunderbirds selected Helenius with the 46th overall selection in the 2007 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. Helenius joined the Thunderbirds roster at the start of the 2007–2008 season. In December 2007, Helenius was selected as goalie for the Finnish World Junior Team in the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championships.[2]
On October 17, 2008, Helenius was assigned to the Augusta Lynx of the ECHL. He played first NHL game on January 30, 2009 against the Philadelphia Flyers.[2]
In 2009 he went on to play for Sodertalge SK after playing just 10 game for the Norfolk Admirals.
For the 2011-2012 season he signed with JYP Jyväskylä of the Sm-liiga, where he won the league championship and the Urpo Ylönen trophy for best goaltender.
After a great season in Finland, Steve Yzerman, General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, expressed interest in bringing Helenius back to North America,[citation needed] as he was still a Lightning prospect. On June 13, 2012, Helenius signed a two-year contract with the Lightning.
International play
Played for Finland in:
- 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships (silver medal)
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Finland | W-U18 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 360 | 11 | 1 | 1.83 | |
| Senior Int'l Totals | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
References
- ↑ "All draft choices". Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Club. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Riku Helenius player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
External links
- Riku Helenius's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Riku Helenius's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Preceded by Vladimír Mihálik |
Tampa Bay Lightning first round draft pick 2006 |
Succeeded by Steven Stamkos |