Vesa Viitakoski
Date of birth | February 13, 1971 |
place of birth | Lappeenranta , Finland |
size | 189 cm |
Weight | 96 kg |
position | Left wing |
Shot hand | Left |
Draft | |
NHL Entry Draft |
1990 , 2nd lap, 32nd position Calgary Flames |
Career stations | |
1988-1990 | SaiPa Lappeenranta |
1990-1993 | Tappara Tampere |
1993-1996 | Calgary Flames |
1996-1997 | HV 71 Jönköping |
1997-2004 | Ilves Tampere |
2004-2006 | Brynäs IF |
2006-2008 | Ilves Tampere |
2008-2010 | Kärpät Oulu |
Vesa Viitakoski (born February 13, 1971 in Lappeenranta ) is a former Finnish ice hockey player and current coach .
Career
Vesa Viitakoski began his career as a hockey player at SaiPa Lappeenranta , for which he was active in the SM-liiga from 1988 to 1990 . He was then selected in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft in the second round as the 32nd player of the Calgary Flames . Initially, however, the attacker played three more years in Finland at Tappara Tampere . During his time in the National Hockey League , in which he played for Calgary from 1993 to 1996, Viitakoski could not prevail, so that he only completed 23 NHL games, in which he scored six scorer points, including two goals. For the 1996/97 season the Finn returned to Europe, where he signed a contract with HV71 Jönköping from the Swedish Elitserien .
After one season the striker left HV71 again and received a contract in his Finnish homeland with Ilves Tampere , for which he was active until 2004, before he went back to Sweden, where he played for Brynäs IF for two seasons . then he returned to Ilves. Viitakoski has been under contract with Kärpät Oulu since summer 2008 . For the Finns he was on the ice in all four group games of the Champions Hockey League and Viitakoski was runner-up with his team at the end of the season. Following the 2009/10 season , he ended his career at Kärpät.
In the 2011/12 season he worked as assistant coach of the A-Juniors of his former club Ilves Tampere, before he worked in the same position on the professional team the following season. Between 2013 and January 2016 he was an assistant trainer at the HPK . He has been an assistant trainer at EHC Visp since 2017 .
International
For Finland Viitakoski took part in the Junior World Championships in 1990 and 1991 , as well as the A-World Championships in 1992 , 1993 and 2002 , where he was runner-up in 1992 with his team.
Achievements and Awards
- 1990 Best rookie in the SM-liiga
- 1990 SM-liiga all-rookie team
- 2002 Raimo Kilpiö Trophy
- 2002 Aarne Honkavaara Trophy
- 2009 Finnish runner-up with Kärpät Oulu
International
- 1989 bronze medal at the U18 European Junior Championship
- 1992 silver medal at the world championship
Web links
- Vesa Viitakoski at eurohockey.com
- Vesa Viitakoski at eliteprospects.com (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Viitakoski, Vesa |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish ice hockey player and coach |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 13, 1971 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Lappeenranta , Finland |