Mika Lehto

Mika Lehto
Date of birth	April 12, 1979
place of birth	Vammala , Finland
size	180 cm
Weight	82 kg
position	goalkeeper
Catch hand	Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft	1998 , 8th lap, 224th position Pittsburgh Penguins
Career stations
1997-2000	Ässät Pori
2000-2002	JYP Jyväskylä
2002-2010	Tappara Tampere

Mika Lehto (born April 12, 1979 in Vammala ) is a former Finnish ice hockey goalkeeper who played in the SM-liiga for Ässät Pori , JYP Jyväskylä and Tappara Tampere during his active time from 1997 to 2010 .

Career

Mika Lehto began his career as an ice hockey player in the youth department of Ässät Pori , for whose professional team he was active from 1997 to 2000 in the SM-liiga , the highest Finnish league. The goalkeeper then played for his league rivals JYP Jyväskylä for two years before moving to Tappara Tampere in the SM-liiga for the 2002/03 season, with whom he immediately won the Finnish championship . He himself played a major role in this success. In the main round he had an average of 1.79 goals per game and a catch rate of 92.4 percent in his 27 appearances. In the playoffs he was able to reduce his average goal conceded to 1.49 goals per game in his 14 appearances and increase his catch rate to 94.3 percent. In the following seven years he was also regularly on the ice for Tappara Tampere in the SM-liiga, before he ended his career at the age of 31 following the 2009/10 season.

International

For Finland , Lehto took part in the junior division at the U18 European Junior Championship in 1997 and the U20 World Junior Championship in 1999 . At the U18 European Championship in 1997, he and his team won the gold medal. In the senior sector, he was in his country's 2004 squad for the Euro Hockey Tour .

Achievements and Awards

• 1997 gold medal at the U18 European Junior Championship
• 2003 Finnish champion with Tappara Tampere
• 2005 SM-liiga player of the month September

Web links

• Mika Lehto at hockeydb.com (English)
• Mika Lehto at eliteprospects.com (English)