Kristian Vesalainen

Kristian Vesalainen
Born (1999-06-01) 1 June 1999
Helsinki, Finland
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Winnipeg Jets
Frölunda HC
HPK
Oulun Kärpät
NHL Draft 24th overall, 2017
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 2015–present

Kristian Vesalainen (born 1 June 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Vesalainen was drafted by the Jets in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Vesalainen originally played as a youth in his native Finland, appearing up to the Junior A level with HIFK before opting to continue his development in Sweden with Frölunda HC on 27 August 2015. Vesalainen made his professional debut at the senior level with Frölunda in the Swedish Hockey League during the 2015–16 season.[1] After an initial loan period to return to Finland during the 2016–17 season with HPK of the Liiga, Vesalainen made his move permanent in agreeing to a one-year deal with HPK on 28 April 2017.[2] In his first year of eligibility, Vesalainen was selected in the first round, 24th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on 23 June 2017.[3]

In the 2017–18 season, despite his age Vesalainen impressively secured a top line role with HPK. With the club out of playoff contention and while leading the HPK in scoring with 19 goals and 39 points, Vesalainen was loaned for the remainder of the season to league leaders Oulun Kärpät on 21 February 2018.[4] Kärpät would eventually win the Liiga championship, with Vesalainen scoring 8 points in 18 playoff games. On 26 August 2018, Vesalainen signed a three-year, $4.476 million entry-level contract with the Jets,[5] which included an out clause that would permit him to play in Europe during the 2018–19 season if he did not make the team's roster during the training camp.[6]

Vesalainen made his NHL debut on 4 October 2018 in a 5–1 win over the St. Louis Blues. He played 8:12 minutes of ice time and earned one assist.[7]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 HIFK Jr. A 171120 10000
2015–16 Frölunda HC J20 371519340 10110
2015–16 Frölunda HC SHL 19 1 1 2 0 5 0 0 0 2
2016–17 Frölunda HC J20 1040414 52130
2016–17 Frölunda HC SHL 26 1 5 6 2 1 0 0 0 0
2016–17 HPK Liiga 9 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
2017–18 HPK Liiga 44 19 20 39 6 — — — — —
2017–18 Kärpät Liiga 5 3 1 4 0 18 4 4 8 14
Liiga totals 582321446 1844814

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Finland U17 4th 6 3 2 5 4
2015 Finland IH18 4th 5 0 0 0 0
2015 Finland U17 5th 5 4 4 8 4
2016 Finland WJC18 1st, gold medalist(s) 7 2 4 6 6
2017 Finland WJC18 2nd, silver medalist(s) 7 6 7 13 8
2017 Finland WJC 9th 6 1 1 2 0
2018 Finland WJC 6th 5 2 4 6 2
Junior totals 41 18 22 40 24

References

  1. ↑ "Kristian Vesalainen player profile" (in Swedish). Swedish Hockey League. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "HPK announce nine new agreements" (in Finnish). HPK. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  3. ↑ "Highly coveted Vesalainen drafted with 24th overall pick". Winnipeg Jets. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "HPK's Palve and Vesalainen continue their seasons elsewhere" (in Finnish). HPK. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "Jets sign Kristian Vesalainen to three-year contract". NHL.com. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Wiebe, Ken (26 August 2018). "Vesalainen inks deal with Jets". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Korac, Louie (5 October 2018). "Jets, Hellebuyck handle Blues, Allen". NHL.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Logan Stanley		 Winnipeg Jets first round draft pick
2017		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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