| Sami Vatanen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 3 June 1991, Jyväskylä, Finland |
| Height Weight |
5 ft 10.4 in (1.79 m) 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Right |
| NHL team F. teams |
Anaheim Ducks JYP |
| Ntl. team |  Finland
|
| NHL Draft | 106th overall, 2009 Anaheim Ducks |
| Playing career | 2009–present |
Sami Vatanen (born 3 June 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fourth round, 106th overall, by the Ducks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Vatanen was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In the following season, he earned a spot on defending Finnish champions JYP's roster. He broke a record for most points by a rookie defenseman in both the Finnish SM-liiga regular season and playoffs.[1][2]
Vatanen made his NHL debut with Anaheim in the lockout-shortened 2012–13 NHL season on 1 February 2013. Vatanen was also selected to the AHL First All-Star Team, as well as the AHL All-Rookie Team, during the 2012–13 AHL season, despite playing in just 62 games of the 76-game season.
On 22 July 2014, the Ducks re-signed Vatanen to a two-year, $2.525 million contract extension.[3] He scored 12 goals to go with 25 assists for the Ducks during the 2014–15 NHL season, his first full NHL season.
At the completion of the 2015–16 season, Vatanen amassed a new career high with 38 points in 71 games. As a restricted free agent, Vatanen signed a four-year contract extension on 18 June 2016.[4]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Finland
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
| Bronze | 2014 Sochi | |
| IIHF World U18 Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2009 United States | |
In 2010, Vatanen represented Finland internationally at the junior level (2010 World Junior Championships held in Saskatchewan, Canada)[5] and at the senior level (2010 World Championships held in Germany).[6] At the end of the 2009–10 season, Vatanen also became the highest-drafted Finnish player in Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) history when he was selected second overall in the 2010 KHL Junior Draft by Metallurg Novokuznetsk.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Vatanen won a bronze medal when Finland defeated the United States 5–0.[7]
Represented Finland at the World Cup held in Toronto in September 2016. [8]
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 | Liiga | 55 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 44 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | JYP | Liiga | 52 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | JYP | Liiga | 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 | ||
| 2014–15 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 67 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 36 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 71 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 194 | 29 | 69 | 98 | 78 | 28 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 14 | ||||
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 | 
|
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 | OG |
|
6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WCH | 8th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 29 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 18 | ||||
| Senior totals | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Pekka Rautakallio trophy Awarded to the best defenceman in SM-liiga |
2010–11 | [9] |
| Matti Keinonen trophy Awarded to the player with the best +/- rating |
2010–11 | [9] |
| Pekka Rautakallio trophy | 2011–12 | [9] |
| SM-Liiga championship with JYP Jyväskylä | 2011–12 | [10] |
References
- ↑ "Sami Vataselle SM-liigan ennätys", sm-liiga.fi, 2008-02-19. Retrieved on 2010-05-08. (Finnish)
- ↑ "Sami Vataselle ennätys myös playoffeissa", sm-liiga.fi, 2010-04-15. Retrieved on 2010-05-08. (Finnish)
- ↑ Ducks re-sign defenseman Sami Vatanen (22 July 2014). Retrieved on 22 July 2014.
- ↑ Ducks extend Vatanen with four-year deal. The Sports Network (2016-06-18). Retrieved on 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Roster - Finland. The Sports Network. Retrieved on 2010-05-09.
- ↑ Team Roster - Finland (pdf). International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved on 2010-05-09.
- ↑ Rosen, Dan. Selanne's Two-Goal Performance Leads Finland to Bronze Medal in 5-0 Victory over the United States. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 22 February 2014.
- ↑ https://www.nhl.com/video/ducks-daily---sami-vatanen/t-277443296/c-42086103
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Sami Vatanen's SM-liiga trophies", liiga.fi. Retrieved on 2014-02-17. (Finnish)
- ↑ "SM-liiga playoff table 2012", liiga.fi. Retrieved on 2014-02-17. (Finnish)