Tommi Santala
Tommi Santala (born June 27, 1979 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish ice hockey forward.
Santala started his pro career in Jokerit in the Finnish SM-liiga in the 1998-99 season. Next season he moved to HPK in search of more responsibility and time on ice, which he got in a breakthrough season, along with a draft in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, as the Atlanta Thrashers' ninth round pick.
After a total of four seasons with HPK, Santala moved to the Thrashers' organisation for the 2003-04 NHL season. Santala divided his time between 50 games in the AHL Chicago Wolves and 33 NHL games. He spent the 2004-05 NHL lockout with the Wolves.
Santala signed a contract with the Thrashers for the 2005-06 NHL season, including a clause that enabled him to return to Europe if he failed to secure a spot on an NHL team. After playing five pre-season games for the Thrashers and scoring only one assist, Santala returned to Europe and signed a two-year contract with Jokerit.
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1998-99 | Jokerit | SM-liiga | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999-00 | Jokerit | SM-liiga | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | HPK | SM-liiga | 38 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 63 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 2000-01 | HPK | SM-liiga | 56 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 90 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | HPK | SM-liiga | 17 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | HPK | SM-liiga | 50 | 13 | 38 | 51 | 92 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 | ||
| 2003-04 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 33 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 50 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 34 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 31 | ||
| 2004-05 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 67 | 8 | 40 | 48 | 83 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 42 | ||
| 2005-06 | Jokerit | SM-liiga | 43 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 80 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 33 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
International play
- Played for Team Finland in the 2003 Ice Hockey World Championships.
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Finland | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |