Latest news with #Liiga
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oilers sign a top young attacker from Finland's top league
This in from the Oilers, news they have signed The forward Viljami Marjala to a two-year entry-level contract. 1. Marjala finished 14th overall in Liiga scoring in Finland. Top scorer Atro Leppanen had 63 points in 60 games. Marjala had 52 in 54, with 44 of the points coming on assists. The Oilers already signed Leppanen, a 26-year-old d-man, in late April. 2. In the summer of 2021, Greg Boysen of the Hockey Writers said of Marjala: 'While Marjala is a strong skater, he does not have game-changing speed by any means. Even though he didn't shoot as much with Quebec as he previously had, he still has a heavy and accurate shot. He prefers to shoot from in close than taking low-percentage shots. His playmaking is what turns heads. He uses his vision and enhanced instincts to create scoring chances for his teammates. Marjala plays a smart and responsible defensive game. He understands his role and positions himself well on the ice. He plays much better than his listed 178 pounds. He battles hard for pucks and uses his body well to establish positioning on defense and protecting the puck when it's in his possession.' But Bruce Curlock, the prospects expert at Oilers Nation, has his doubts about the player: I don't see this much more than an AHL roster spot. This is a very good playmaking forward with decent size, but his skating and change of pace are very slow. Smart no question. However I think he gets overwhelmed by AHL players with size and speed.' 3. Puckpedia reports his contract as follows: 'The Oilers signed 22 y/o UFA F Viljami Marjala to 2 year ELC: Salary 775K Signing Bonus 97.5K GP Bonus 102.5K Minors 85K Cap Hit 872.5K, AAV 975K' 4. Bowman has made a number of signings, scoring winger Quinn Hutson from Boston University, puck-moving d-man Damien Carfagna from Ohio State University: Leppanen, big skilled German forward Josh Samanski, 23, and and top-scoring Czech center David Tomasek, 29, from the Swedish league. The team will need a steady stream of inexpensive players who can work for the Oilers on the third and fourth lines and third d-man pairings. Will any of these players pan out. If one of them does, Bowman will have done his job.
Belfast Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Belfast Giants to open new season with Finnish double-header in Champions League
Adam Keefe's double winners, who earned their place at Europe's top table courtesy of reclaiming the Elite League title in April, will start their season with the visits of Liiga champions KalPa and Tampere-based Ilves in a blockbuster opening two fixtures. KalPa, who won their first Liiga title back in May, will be the Giants' first competitive opponents at the SSE Arena on Thursday August 28 before Ilves arrive into Belfast two days later on Saturday August 30, both games having a 7pm face-off. That is followed by the first of two trips to Switzerland a week later, the draw unkindly giving the Giants three National League teams to face in the League stage of the competition, with games in Lausanne and Zug comprising their double-header road trip in rounds three and four. There will be a French flair to kick things off as Belfast will be at the Vaudoise Aréna to take on Swiss regular season champions Lausanne on Friday September 5 at 5pm BST before a trip to the German side of the country, with their visit to the Brossard Arena in Zug on Sunday September 7 at 1pm BST. As per usual, the tournament takes a break for about a month before returning for two midweek games in October to round out the League stage, the Giants completing their Swiss sojourn with a trip to Bern in round five, clashing at the PostFinance Arena on Wednesday October 8 with a 6.45pm BST face-off. And their schedule will be rounded out a week later on Tuesday October 14 with their final home game, Swedish side Brynäs coming to the SSE Arena for a 7pm face-off. In order to reach the knockout stages, which begin in November, the Giants need to emulate last season's Sheffield Steelers and finish in the top-16 of the 24-team League, which would likely require around eight or nine points – a tall order given the brutal draw the Giants have received. Belfast Giants' Champions League schedule All face-off times BST Thursday August 28: Belfast Giants v KalPa, SSE Arena, 7pm Saturday August 30: Belfast Giants v Ilves, SSE Arena, 7pm Friday September 5: Lausanne HC v Belfast Giants, Vaudoise Aréna, 5pm Sunday September 7: EV Zug v Belfast Giants, Brossard Arena, 1pm Wednesday October 8: SC Bern v Belfast Giants, PostFinance Arena, 6.45pm
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Oiler, Finnish Olympian Returns Home
Finnish forward Teemu Hartikainen, 35, with KalPa, the reigning Liiga champion announced on Friday. KalPa is the club Kuopio-born Hartikainen grew up playing for, but hasn't played there since 2010. 'It feels good to be here,' said Hartikainen. 'We have been able to settle down with our family in peace, and after the summer we won't have to go out into the world anymore. After all, we've been waiting for this for the past few years, to be able to settle down at home with our family again.' Hartikainen was chosen in the sixth round, 163rd overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2010 and 2013, he split three seasons between the Oilers and the AHL's Oklahoma City Barons. In 52 NHL games, he recorded six goals, seven assists and 16 penalty minutes for the Oilers. Hartikainen then spent nine seasons playing in the KHL for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. In 2018-19, he made the KHL First All-Star Team and led the playoffs in points and plus/minus. In 2020-21, he had 64 points in 53 regular-season games, which led all non-Russian players in the league. Hartikainen spent the last three seasons in Switzerland playing for Genève-Servette, where he amassed 136 points in 161 National League regular-season and playoff games. In 2022-23, he helped the team win its first-ever national title and the following season Genève-Servette won the Champions Hockey League. Hartikainen was one of numerous Finns on the Genève-Servette team; most of whom have since returned home. Finnish teammates of Hartikainen in Switzerland included goaltender Antti Raanta, defenseman Sami Vatanen and forwards Valtteri Filppula and Markus Granlund. Confirmed: Sami Vatanen Returns To Hometown Club It had been rumored since early last season and now it's official. Finnish defenseman Sami Vatanen, 33, has signed a two-year contract to play with his hometown club JYP, the Liiga club announced in a press conference on Tuesday. Internationally, Hartikainen represented Finland at three IIHF World Championships and one Winter Olympics, winning gold in each three months apart in 2022. Hartikainen represents the only KalPa player under contract for 2025-16 that has any NHL, Olympic or World Championship experience, but he's nonetheless confident about the club's continued success. 'The club is growing year by year and there is a way of doing things here in the long term,' he said. 'It has been great to see how many of our own young people have grown up here to become Liiga players and under their leadership we are able to win the Finnish championship. It's great to be a part of this.' Photo © Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images Antti Raanta Signs With Hometown Finnish Team Antti Raanta is finally going home. On Monday, Liiga club Lukko, located in Raanta's hometown of Rauma, on Finland's west coast, announced that the 36-year-old goaltender had signed a one-year contract.
Belfast Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Swiss trio, Swedish stunners and Finnish favourites: who are the Belfast Giants' European opponents?
At Wednesday's draw in Stockholm, Giants head coach Adam Keefe did his side no favours as he helped conduct the draw that handed his side home games with Finnish champions KalPa and fellow countrymen Ilves, as well as the visit of Swedish runners-up Brynäs. As if that wasn't hard enough, their road schedule looks even tougher as the Elite League champions will have three games in Switzerland, with visits to Lausanne, Bern and Zug awaiting them after the summer. While not a certainty, the availability of the SSE Arena means it is more than likely that the Giants will open their campaign with two home games, one on either August 28/29 and the second two days later, followed by their first two games in Switzerland as a double-header the week later. But besides the recognisable names in hockey spheres, who are these teams the Giants will face? Here's who they have to look forward to facing… Home KALPA Last season: Liiga champions (Regular season: Third) Head coach: Sami Tervonen Captain: TBA Star player: Teemu Hartikainen One for the future: Ville Ruotsalainen NHL experience: Teemu Hartikainen (52 games) International players: Jesper Mattila (Finland) A growing force in Finnish hockey, KalPa claimed its first Liiga crown in May when it defeated SaiPa in the Final and, as a result, has taken its place in the Champions League for the first time since 2017. The Kuopio-based team already have lethal centreman Jaakko Rissanen under contract for this season but are still amassing most of their roster, with netminder Stefanos Lekkas and top scorer Patrick Curry attracting offers from elsewhere and head coach Petri Karjalainen having moved to Kärpät. However, they have already confirmed a significant signing for their title defence with hometown hero Teemu Hartikainen, formerly of the Edmonton Oilers and a long-time Finnish international, has re-joined the team from Swiss side Genève-Servette. This will be KalPa's first meeting with Elite League opposition but, after pushing Lukko close two years ago, the Giants will back themselves to stun Finnish opposition this time around. BRYNÄS Last season: Swedish Hockey League runners-up (Regular season: First) Head coach: Niklas Gällstedt Captain: Johan Larsson Star player: Jakob Silfverberg One for the future: Michal Svrcek NHL experience: Jakob Silfverberg (820 games), Johan Larsson (488), Oskar Lindblom (337), Christian Djoos (155), Axel Jonsson-Fjällby (99), Victor Söderström (53), Erik Källgren (24), Mattias Norlinder (6), Anton Rödin (3) Brynäs come into this year's tournament having established themselves as one of not just Sweden's but Europe's surprise packages having only been promoted from the Swedish second division, the Allsvenskan, last year and then coming within two games of being crowned Swedish Hockey League champions this year. Niklas Gällstedt's team have had a meteoric rise to the top, signing NHL stars Jakob Silfverberg, Jordan Schroeder, Christian Djoos, Victor Söderström, Erik Källgren and Oskar Lindblom for their first season back in the SHL and being handsomely rewarded by finishing top of the regular season standings and making it to the Final, only to lose to Luleå whom the Giants faced in their first CHL campaign. Of that group, only Schroeder is unsigned for the upcoming season so they are well placed for another championship run, which reflects the challenge the Giants face, although Swedish sides do have a tendency to rest some of their bigger names in the CHL, so how many will pitch up in Belfast is questionable. ILVES Last season: Liiga bronze medallists (Regular season: Second) Captain: TBA Star player: Matias Mäntykivi One for the future: Ondřej Kos NHL experience: Carl Klingberg (12), Kasper Björkqvist (6), Joonas Nättinen (1) The Giants will get to add a new animal to the list of teams they have faced when they take on the 'Lynx' of Finland, with that being the literal translation of Liiga side Ilves. So often the bridesmaid in Finland, Ilves have won the bronze medal in three of the last four seasons and have only recently become a competitor in the CHL, with this their first meeting with an Elite League team. Tommi Niemelä's side have a deadly scoring duo in Matias Mäntykivi and Jens Lööke, but they have lost the third member of their top line in Eemeli Suomi to Växjö Lakers, which blunts their attack somewhat. Keep an eye out for the young duo of Sebastian Soini and Ondřej Kos as well, the teenagers having been drafted by the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues in last year's draft respectively but having been loaned back to Ilves for this season. Away LAUSANNE Last season: National League runners-up (Regular season: First) Head coach: Geoff Ward Captain: Ken Jäger Star player: Austin Czarnik One for the future: Benjamin Bougro NHL experience: Austin Czarnik (205 games), Dominik Kahun (186), Janne Kuokkanen (119), Sami Niku (67), Antti Suomela (51) International players: Ahti Oksanen (Finland), Antoine Keller (France), Dominik Kahun (Germany), Ken Jäger, Damien Riat (both Switzerland) Swiss side Lausanne will be a considerable challenge for the Giants following an impressive season that saw them finish top of the regular season standings in the National League and only just missing out on a first-ever title when they lost to ZSC Lions in the Final. Their strength lies in their netminding and in 22-year-old Kevin Pasche they have an elite talent, with Finnish hero Antti Suomela a lethal scorer at the other end of the ice, while last season they relied on the scoring prowess of Giants centre Scott Conway's cousin, Brendan Perlini, who has since moved on during the off-season. But their summer recruitment has been excellent, bringing in an elite scorer to partner with Suomela in American forward Austin Czarnik, as well as former Finnish international defenceman Sami Niku, while netminder Connor Hughes will provide an outstanding tandem option alongside Pasche. While this will be a first meeting between these two sides, Lausanne have faced Elite League opposition before, winning one and losing one against the Cardiff Devils in 2021. BERN Last season: National League Quarter-Finalists (Regular season: Third) Head coach: Jussi Tapola Captain: Ramon Untersander Star player: Romain Loeffel One for the future: Thierry Schild NHL experience: Anton Lindholm (66 games), Joël Vermin (24), Waltteri Merelä (19), Simon Moser (6), Victor Ejdsell (6), Hardy Häman Aktell (6) International players: Benjamin Baumgartner (Austria), Waltteri Merelä (Finland) A once-dominant force in the National League, winning five of the ten Swiss championships prior to the pandemic, Bern have struggled to replicate that form since the turn of the decade having failed to make it to even the Semi-Finals, let alone lift the trophy. Although they have lost last season's top scorer Austin Czarnik to Lausanne, former Tampa Bay Lightning winger Waltteri Merelä will provide plenty of offense for Jussi Tapola's side, as will Victor Ejdsell, but the stars on the side are from defence where the experienced pair of Romain Loeffel and Ramon Untersander excel. Bern do have a record of being beaten in Europe by Elite League teams, too, having lost 4-2 in Nottingham back in 2017, although they have winning experience as well as they won the rematch with the Panthers in Switzerland and would double up the Cardiff Devils a year later. While the Giants likely won't get the full experience given the Swiss fans do not get excited about the CHL until the knockouts, they are headed to a world-class arena, Bern attracting the second-best average attendance in Europe of 15,821 at the PostFinance-Arena. ZUG Last season: National League Quarter-Finalists (Regular season: Fourth) Head coach: Michael Liniger Captain: Lino Martschini Star player: Lino Martschini One for the future: Nic Balestra NHL experience: Dominik Kubalík (357 games), Raphael Díaz (201), Gabriel Carlsson (81), Grégory Hofmann (24) International players: Daniel Vozenilek (Czechia), Leonardo Genoni, Grégory Hofmann (both Switzerland) Compared to the other three Swiss sides in the competition, Zug do not place their reliance on big name stars but rather a team collective when it comes to success, which they have had plenty of recently. Although in the last three seasons they have been shy on trophies, qualifying for the CHL courtesy of finishing fourth in the National League, before that they were involved in four Finals over the course of five years, winning back-to-back domestic championships in 2021 and 2022. Winger Lino Martschini has evolved into one of the deadliest Swiss forwards in the game and he will be ably assisted by new arrival Dominik Kubalík who has made the move from Ambrì-Piotta, while Czech powerhouse Jan Kovář keeps firing the puck in at the age of 35 and Gabriel Carlsson is a reliable face on defence.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Antti Raanta Signs With Hometown Finnish Team
Antti Raanta is finally going home. On Monday, Liiga club Lukko, located in Raanta's hometown of Rauma, on Finland's west coast, announced that the 36-year-old goaltender had signed a one-year contract. 'There's a little boyish enthusiasm, Raanta smiled in a press conference. 'Of course, I feel a little nervous about returning home, but at the same time I'm really excited and have found some peace – now I know where I'm going and I'll have the opportunity to play in Rauma again.' 'It's a great thing that Antti is coming home,' said Lukko sports director Kalle Sahlsted. ''Ana' has, of course, had a great career so far and now he was quite mature and a return to Lukko was possible. We strongly believe that he will be one of the top players in the league next season.' Sahlstedt continued, 'The best thing about this is that we get a boy from our own village back home.' Raanta had considered signing with Lukko last year summer when he decided to end his NHL career and return to play in Europe. However, he learned that, according to Finnish tax laws, if he signed a professional contract in Finland in 2024, he would be taxed by the Finnish government for all of his income during that calendar year, which included a half-season's NHL salary and proceeds from the sale of his house in North Carolina. Instead, he played in Switzerland for Genève-Servette, where he posted a goals-against average of 2.74, a save percentage of .902 and one shutout in 24 National League games. He also played in five Champions Hockey League games, where he backstopped his team to the semifinals with a goals-against average of 1.80, a save percentage of .944 and two shutouts. Raanta was one of the pan-European competition's five MVP finalists. Antti Raanta Won't Return To Geneva – Finland Next? Antti Raanta's first season back in Europe after ending his NHL career had its ups and downs. Raanta grew up and turned pro with Lukko until 2011. He also played two Liiga seasons for Ässät before going to North America in 2013. Over the next 11 seasons, he played 277 NHL regular-season games and 24 playoff games for the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes. Last season, Lukko finished first in the Liiga standings and was eliminated in the semifinals by SaiPa Lappeenranta. 'We've got a chance to win here,' said Raanta. 'The team here has been built in such a way that we are very close to that ultimate goal and a championship. I have also heard a lot of good things about the entire organization and how things are handled here.' Raanta is one of eight players that Lukko has under contract for next season. Among the others is Canadian defenseman Éric Gélinas, who signed a one-year contract extension in March. Ex-NHL D-Man Will Return To Finnish Team Next Year Canadian defenseman Éric Gélinas, 33, has agreed to a one-year contract extension with Lukko Rauma, the Finnish Liiga club announced on Monday.
