Urho Vaakanainen

Urho Vaakanainen
Born (1999-01-01) 1 January 1999
Joensuu, Finland
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team  (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Boston Bruins
Providence Bruins (AHL)
Espoo Blues
JYP Jyväskylä
SaiPa
NHL Draft 18th overall, 2017
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2015–present

Urho Vaakanainen (born 1 January 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 18th overall by the Bruins in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Vaakanainen played as a youth in his native Finland with the Espoo Blues. He made his professional debut with the Espoo Blues in the Liiga during the 2015–16 season, contributing with 6 points in 25 games. On 28 April 2016, Vaakanainen signed a one-year deal with hometown club, JYP Jyväskylä.[1]

Vaakanainen earned a regular role within the JYP Jyväskylä blueline in the 2016–17 season, appearing in a career high 41 games, in matching his offensive output with 6 points. He registered 3 assists in 14 post-season games before losing in 7 games in the semi-finals to KalPa.[2] On 5 May 2017, Vaakanainen left JYP Jyväskylä after just one season and signed a one-year contract with his third Liiga club, SaiPa.[3] Vaakanainen's progress was recognised as he was drafted in the first-round, 18th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[4] On 13 June 2018, Vaakanainen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Bruins.[5]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Finland
Men's ice hockey
IIHF U18 Championships
2016 United States
2017 Slovakia

Vaakanainen first represented Finland at the 2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge where Finland finished 5th. He won the gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championships and he then won the silver medal the year after in 2017 at the same tournament.

Personal life

He was born in Joensuu, but grew up in Jyväskylä. His father Harri Vaakanainen played ice hockey in the Finnish 2. Divisioona, which is the fourth highest level in Finland.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Espoo Blues Jr. A 30481234 92020
2015–16 Espoo Blues Jr. A 18211138 20002
2015–16 Espoo Blues Liiga 251568 —————
2016–17 JYP Jyväskylä Jr. A 10000 —————
2016–17 JYP Jyväskylä Liiga 4124612 140332
2016–17 JYP-Akatemia Mestis 301129 —————
2017–18 SaiPa Liiga 43471124 90110
Liiga totals 1097162344 230442

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 Finland U17 5th 6 0 1 1 2
2016 Finland U17 7th 5 0 0 0 6
2016 Finland WJC18 1st, gold medalist(s) 7 1 2 3 6
2016 Finland IH18 6th 4 0 1 1 2
2017 Finland WJC18 2nd, silver medalist(s) 5 3 3 6 2
2017 Finland WJC 9th 6 1 0 1 4
2018 Finland WJC 6th 5 0 1 1 2
Junior totals 38 5 8 13 24

References

  1. ↑ "JYP recruit hometown prospect Vaakanainen" (in Finnish). JYP Jyväskylä. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tilastot – #13 Vaakanainen, Urho". Liiga. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Urho Vaakanainen to SaiPa" (in Finnish). SaiPa. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Bruins select Urho Vaakanainen with 18th overall pick". NESN. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Bruins Sign Urho Vaakanainen To 3-Year Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Harri Vaakanainen player profile". eliteprospects.com. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Trent Frederic		 Boston Bruins first round draft pick
2017		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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