Sami Vatanen

Sami Vatanen
Born June 3, 1991
Jyväskylä, Finland
Height 5 ft 10.4 in (179 cm)
Weight 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams 		Anaheim Ducks
JYP Jyväskylä
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 106th overall, 2009
Anaheim Ducks
Playing career 2009–present
Medal record
Competitor for Finland Finland
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Bronze 2014 Sochi
IIHF World U18 Championships
Bronze 2009 United States

Sami Vatanen (born June 3, 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

He was drafted by Anaheim in the 4th round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In the following season, he achieved a spot in JYP, the defending Finnish champions. He broke a record for most points by a rookie defenseman in both regular season and playoffs.[1][2]

In 2010, Vatanen represented Finland internationally at the junior level (2010 World Junior Championships held in Saskatchewan, Canada)[3] and at the senior level (2010 World Championships held in Germany).[4]

He also was the highest-drafted Finnish player in KHL history, drafted 2nd overall in the 2010 KHL Junior Draft by HC Metallurg Novokuznetsk.

Vatanen made his NHL debut with the Anaheim Ducks in the lockout shortened 2012–13 season on February 1, 2013.

He was selected to the AHL 1st All-Star team, and the AHL all rookie team during the 2012-2013 AHL season despite playing only 62 games in a 76 game season.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Vatanen won a bronze medal when Finland defeated the United States 5–0.[5]

On July 22, 2014, it was announced that the Ducks had re-signed Vatanen to a two-year contract worth a total of $2,525,000.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 JYP SM-l 55 7 23 30 44 14 3 4 7 6
2010–11 JYP SM-l 52 11 20 31 30 3 1 1 2 0
2011–12 JYP SM-l 49 14 28 42 40 4 2 0 2 4
2012–13 Norfolk Admirals AHL 62 9 36 45 44 — — — — —
2012–13 Anaheim Ducks NHL 8 2 0 2 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Anaheim Ducks NHL 48 6 15 21 22 5 0 1 1 0
2013–14 Norfolk Admirals AHL 8 2 5 7 4 5 0 3 3 4
NHL totals 56 8 15 23 22 5 0 1 1 0

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2008 Finland U17 6th 5 2 3 5 8
2008 Finland WJC18 6th 6 0 3 3 4
2009 Finland WJC18 3rd 6 1 1 2 2
2010 Finland WJC 5th 6 2 3 5 0
2010 Finland WC 6th 7 0 0 0 6
2011 Finland WJC 6th 6 0 4 4 4
2014 Finland Oly 3rd 6 0 5 5 0
Junior totals 29 5 14 19 18
Senior totals 13 0 5 5 6

Awards and honours

Finland
Award Year Ref.
Pekka Rautakallio trophy
Awarded to the best defenceman in SM-liiga		 2010–11 [7]
Matti Keinonen trophy
Awarded to the player with the best +/- rating		 2010–11 [7]
Pekka Rautakallio trophy 2011–12 [7]
SM-Liiga championship with JYP Jyväskylä 2011–12 [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Sami Vataselle SM-liigan ennätys". sm-liiga.fi (in Finnish). 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  2. ↑ "Sami Vataselle ennätys myös playoffeissa". sm-liiga.fi (in Finnish). 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  3. ↑ "Roster - Finland". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  4. ↑ "Team Roster - Finland" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  5. ↑ Rosen, Dan. "Selanne's Two-Goal Performance Leads Finland to Bronze Medal in 5-0 Victory over the United States". National Hockey League. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Ducks re-sign defenseman Sami Vatanen". NHL.com. July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Sami Vatanen's SM-liiga trophies". liiga.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  8. ↑ "SM-liiga playoff table 2012". liiga.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2014-02-17.

External links