Olli Määttä
Olli Määttä ( born August 22, 1994, Jyväskylä ) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player on the position of the defender. Since September 2013, he plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.
- 2.1 International
- 3.1 International
Career
Määttä began his career in his home town Jyväskylä, where he played in the youth department of the JYP Jyväskylä. He went through many ages of the association and has been used at the age of 15 years for the U18 and U20 selection. Previously, he was able to collect for the U16 team 22 scorer points from 21 games and was the most successful defender of the team.
After he started the 2010/11 season with the U20 selection in the Junior -A -SM- liiga, Määttä signed his first professional contract at the age of 16 years. He then moved to the D team, the farm team of JYP Jyväskylä, in the Mestis. In 23 games in the second highest Finnish league Määttä recorded a plus / minus score of 14, the highest of his team.
In CHL Import Draft 2011, he was selected as the first overall by the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League and then moved to North America. In the season 2011/12 Määttä scored five goals and 27 assists. With 32 points scorer he was thus the most successful rookie defender and was called to the First All - Rookie Team OHL. After the London Knights had already finished the regular season as point- best team, the team prevailed in the playoffs and won the J. Ross Robertson Cup. With 23 points from 19 games Määttä was there top scoring defender of the play-offs.
In 2012 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected in the first round at 22 out of the Pittsburgh Penguins. On September 12, 2012, the defender then signed an entry-level three-year contract with the Penguins.
However Määttä returned to the 2012/13 season back to London and was able to improve its performance in contrast to the previous season again. With 38 points scorer, he closed the season as the top scoring defender again from the Knights. Finally he could with the team defend the OHL title in the play-offs and won as his second J. Ross Robertson Cup. After leaving the adjoining Memorial Cup tournament Määttä denied three play-off games for the farm team of the Penguins, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League.
For NHL season 2013/14 to Määttä was immediately in the squad of the Pittsburgh Penguins establish and played his first NHL game on October 3, 2013 in the season opener against the New Jersey Devils. Five days later, the defender scored his first two assists during the game against the Carolina Hurricanes before the eighth NHL game, he scored his first goal on October 19.
Internationally
Olli Määttä represented Finland for the first time at U16 level and was subsequently nominated for the U18 Junior World Championship 2011 for his first international tournament. His plus / minus score of 4 was the best of the team. In the U20 World Youth Championship in the same year he was by far the youngest player in the squad of the Finns and remained point and impunity in six games.
Was also at the U20 World Junior Championships in 2012 and 2013 Määttä in the squad of the Finns, scoring three points in five games in 2013. At the 2014 Winter Olympics he won the bronze medal with the Finnish national team. He had three goals and five points scorer most successful defender of his team.
Awards and achievements
- 2011 A Finnish Junior Champion with JYP Jyväskylä
- 2012 J. Ross Robertston Cup win with the London Knights
- 2012 OHL First All - Rookie Team
- 2013 J. Ross Robertston Cup win with the London Knights
Internationally
- 2014 bronze medal at the Winter Olympics
Career Stats
Internationally
( 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 )