Niko Kapanen

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FinlandFinland  Niko Kapanen Ice hockey player
Niko Kapanen (2013)

Niko Kapanen (2013)
Date of birth April 29, 1978
place of birth Hattula , Finland
size 173 cm
Weight 81 kg
position center
number # 39
Shot hand Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft 1998 , 6th round, 173rd position
Dallas Stars
Career stations
1995-2000 HPK Hämeenlinna
2000-2001 TPS Turku
2001-2006 Dallas Stars
2004-2005 EV train
2006-2007 Atlanta Thrashers
2007-2008 Phoenix Coyotes
2008-2013 Ak Bars Kazan
2013-2014 HC Lev Prague
2014-2016 Jokerit Helsinki
2016-2017 HPK Hämeenlinna

Niko Klaus Petteri Kapanen (born April 29, 1978 in Hattula ) is a former Finnish ice hockey player . In the National Hockey League he played for the Dallas Stars , Atlanta Thrashers and Phoenix Coyotes , in the Continental Hockey League for Ak Bars Kazan , HC Lev Prague and Jokerit Helsinki and for his home club HPK Hämeenlinna in the Liiga . With Kazan he won the Gagarin Cup twice , with TPS Turku 2001 the Finnish championship . In addition, he was active for many years for the Finnish national team , with which won several medals at World Championships and Winter Olympic Games .

Career

Niko Kapanen began his career as a hockey player in 1995 in his hometown at HPK Hämeenlinna , for which he was active in the SM-liiga for a total of five years , and with whom he reached third place in the championship in 1997, 1999 and 2000 . During this time, he was also selected in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft in the sixth round as a total of 173 players by the Dallas Stars . First, however, he played another year in the SM-liiga, in which he was the first time in his career with TPS Turku Finnish champion in the 2000/01 season .

In the summer of 2001, the Dallas Stars ordered the center to North America, where it was regularly on the ice for the stars in the National Hockey League until 2006 . Only during the lockout in the NHL season 2004/05 played Kapanen for the EV train from the Swiss National League A . After returning to the NHL in the 2005/06 season , Kapanen was each active for a season for the Dallas Stars, Atlanta Thrashers and Phoenix Coyotes , before he was signed in 2008 by Ak Bars Kazan from the newly formed Continental Hockey League , with whom he was was able to win the Gagarin Cup in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons .

He spent the 2013/14 season at HC Lev Prague before moving to KHL newcomer Jokerit after the club's withdrawal in July 2014 , where he was team captain for two years.

In 2016 he returned to his hometown club HPK Hämeenlinna before ending his career in 2017.

International

Kapanen in the jersey of the Finnish national team (2009)

For Finland , Kapanen took part in the U20 Junior World Championships in 1997 and 1998 , as well as the A-World Championships in 2000 , 2001 , 2002 , 2004 , 2005 , 2007 , 2008 , 2009 and 2011 . He was also in Finland's squad at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey .

Achievements and Awards

International

Career statistics

Regular season Play-offs
season team league Sp T V Pt SM Sp T V Pt SM
1995/96 HPK Hämeenlinna SM-liiga 7th 1 0 1 0 - - - - -
1996/97 HPK Hämeenlinna SM-liiga 41 6th 9 15th 12 10 4th 5 9 2
1997/98 HPK Hämeenlinna SM-liiga 48 8th 18th 26th 44 - - - - -
1998/99 HPK Hämeenlinna SM-liiga 53 14th 29 43 49 8th 3 4th 7th 4th
1999/00 HPK Hämeenlinna SM-liiga 53 20th 28 48 40 8th 1 9 10 4th
2000/01 TPS Turku SM-liiga 56 11 22nd 33 20th 10 2 1 3 4th
2001/02 Dallas Stars NHL 9 0 1 1 2 - - - - -
2001/02 Utah grizzlies AHL 59 13 28 41 40 5 2 1 3 0
2002/03 Dallas Stars NHL 82 5 29 34 44 12 4th 3 7th 12
2003/04 Dallas Stars NHL 67 1 5 6th 16 1 1 0 1 0
2004/05 EV train NLA 44 9 33 42 24 9 2 5 7th 35
2005/06 Dallas Stars NHL 81 14th 21st 35 36 5 0 1 1 10
2006/07 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 60 4th 9 13 20th - - - - -
2006/07 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 19th 2 7th 9 8th - - - - -
2007/08 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 79 10 18th 28 34 - - - - -
2008/09 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 53 12 17th 29 22nd 21st 1 9 10 16
2009/10 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 54 12 15th 27 44 22nd 8th 9 17th 6th
2010/11 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 53 7th 31 38 24 9 2 2 4th 12
2011/12 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 54 12 27 39 24 12 2 4th 6th 2
2012/13 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 50 10 18th 28 16 18th 4th 4th 8th 2
2013/14 HC Lev Prague KHL 22nd 8th 4th 12 14th 21st 2 9 11 29
2013/14 HC Litoměřice Stadium 1st League 2 0 0 0 2 - - - - -
2014/15 Jokerite KHL 60 9 24 33 55 4th 0 2 2 0
2015/16 Jokerite KHL 53 11 15th 26th 38 4th 1 2 3 8th
2016/17 HPK Hämeenlinna Liiga 49 7th 21st 28 20th 7th 0 5 5 4th
NHL 397 36 90 126 160 18th 5 4th 9 22nd
KHL total 399 81 153 234 247 111 20th 44 64 75
SM-liiga 307 67 126 193 183 43 10 24 34 18th

International

Represented Finland at:

year team event result Sp T V Pt SM +/-
1996 Finland U18 European Championship Silver medal 5 0 0 0 6th +4
1997 Finland U20 World Cup 5th place 6th 4th 4th 8th 0
1998 Finland U20 World Cup gold medal 7th 2 5 7th 2 +3
2000 Finland WM Bronze medal 9 4th 3 7th 4th +9
2001 Finland WM Silver medal 9 3 1 4th 8th +3
2002 Finland WM 4th Place 9 0 4th 4th 10 +2
2004 Finland WM 6th place 7th 3 2 5 14th −1
2004 Finland World cup 2nd place 6th 1 2 3 0
2005 Finland WM 7th place 7th 1 4th 5 8th +1
2006 Finland Olympia Silver medal 8th 2 1 3 2 +1
2007 Finland WM Silver medal 9 0 7th 7th 6th ± 0
2008 Finland WM Bronze medal 9 2 5 7th 0 +3
2009 Finland WM 5th place 7th 7th 3 10 0 +1
2010 Finland Olympia Bronze medal 6th 0 2 2 0 ± 0
2011 Finland WM gold medal 9 2 1 3 2 +3
2012 Finland WM 4th Place 10 1 1 2 2 ± 0
Juniors overall 18th 6th 9 15th 8th
Men overall 105 26th 36 62 56

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kapanen, Niko
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kapanen, Niko Klaus Petteri (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH April 29, 1978
PLACE OF BIRTH Hattula , Finland