Janne Pesonen
Janne Tapani Pesonen ( born May 11, 1982 in Suomussalmi ) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who at Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League plays in the position of left winger since June 2012.
Career
Pesonen began his hockey career in the junior program of Hokki Kajaani, near his birthplace Suomussalmi. During the 1998/99 season, the then 16 -year-old prodigy came first in the senior squad of his training clubs in the third highest Finnish league, the Suomi- sarja, in two batches used. For the following season Pesonen moved to the junior system of the SM- liiga clubs Kärpät Oulu, for whom he played the following three seasons in the U18 and U20 junior classes Finland and prepared specifically for his professional career.
After the left winger had already come in the 2001/ 02 season to his first nine professional applications in the squad Oulu and had scored two goals, he joined in the summer of 2002 back to Kajaani, who had by now risen to the Mestis, Finland's second highest division. For his regular club he scored in the game 2002 /03 in 40 matches 36 points and was instrumental in the league and qualifying for the playoffs. For the 2003/04 season the Finn returned to Oulu and then became part of the tribe of the first team squad. In his rookie season, in the same time he was able to celebrate his first championship win with the team, Pesonen collected in the 56 games of the Main Round 30 scorer points, which earned him the Jarmo - Wasama Memorial Trophy for the best League Rookie of the Year. After the season he was finally in the ninth round selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 2004 to 269th position of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim with her last election. In the following season the Finn was not to increase his offensive production in a position further defended Oulu but winning the title last year. The following year 2005/ 06 was personal and the team even worse for him. Once again, his stats deteriorated in the offense and the team could not enter the third championship in a row despite the big favorite position but failed already in the playoff semi-finals and had to settle for third place. It was only in the 2006 /07 found the striker back to its former strength. With 55 scorer points in 56 games, he set a new personal record and led Kärpät Oulu as top scorer in the first place in the table after the main round. In the subsequent playoffs he remained indispensable for his team and was the third time Finnish Champion with Oulu. In addition to the first election to the All- Star team of the SM - liiga, he was also awarded with the Jari Kurri trophy - for the best player of the playoffs. A further increase Pesonen recorded in the 2007/ 08 season, when he won his fourth title in the last five years. He was greeted by 78 points in 56 games with numerous trophies and re- elected to the All- Star team in the league. However, while it ran at the national level well above average for him, Pesonen found little attention internationally and successes were also left out. In January 2008, failed Oulu - as early as 2005 and 2006 when the team was defeated in the finals - again in an attempt to win the European Champions Cup and the Finnish national team, he was at major tournaments also not considered.
Nevertheless Pesonen had become interesting through its services for the North American National Hockey League, making it next to his fellow countryman Ville Leino and the Swede Fabian Brunnström was one of the players most in demand make the NHL teams in Europe in summer 2008. Since the now renamed Anaheim Ducks team that had drafted him, had not brought in the past four years since Pesonen the contract is signed, this was regarded as a free agent and could freely choose among the 30 teams interested. After Leino had opted for an engagement with the Detroit Red Wings and Brunnström at the Dallas Stars, the striker finally signed on July 7, a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Penguins, already equipped with the forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, it could not keep the NHL roster after the preseason because of a possible overrun of the salary cap. Therefore, he was first to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh's farm team in the American Hockey League turned off. After good performances there, he was first summoned on 31 October in the NHL squad and was a day later his league debut. Due to the problem of exceeding the salary cap was the now 26 -year-old, however, sent again a little later in the AHL. Overall, he denied therefore only seven NHL games and played mainly for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Thanks to its 82 points from 70 games, he was elected to the Second All-Star Team in the AHL.
In summer 2009, Pesonen left the Penguins and joined the Russian champions Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League to, with whom he also won the Gagarin Cup in season 2009/10. In August 2011 he received a sample contract with the NHL team the Winnipeg Jets. There, however, he could not prevail in training camp and joined in October 2011 as the reigning Finnish champions HIFK Helsinki. For the HIFK he graduated in the sequence more than 40 games in the SM- liiga, where he collected 29 points scorer, and returned in June 2012 back to Ak Bars Kazan.
Awards and achievements
- 2004 Finnish Champion with Kärpät Oulu
- 2004 Jarmo - Wasama Memorial Trophy
- 2005 Finnish Champion with Kärpät Oulu
- 2007 Finnish Champion with Kärpät Oulu
- 2007 Jari Kurri trophy -
- 2007 SM liiga All- Star Team
- 2008 Finnish Champion with Kärpät Oulu
- 2008 Aarne - Honkavaara Trophy
- 2008 Matti - Keinonen Trophy
- 2008 Veli -Pekka Ketola trophy -
- 2008 SM liiga All- Star Team
- 2009 AHL Second All- Star Team
- 2010 Gagarin Cup win with Ak Bars Kazan
Internationally
- 2011 Gold Medal at the World Championships
Career Stats
( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )