Mikko Viitanen

Mikko Viitanen ( born February 18, 1982 in Nurmijärvi ) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is since 2008 at JYP Jyväskylä in the SM- liiga under contract.

Career

Mikko Viitanen began his career as a hockey player in the junior department of HPK Hämeenlinna, in which he was active until 1999. Then the defender spent a year at the Chicago Freeze in the North American Junior League North American Hockey League. In the 2000 /01 season he gave for Ahmat Hyvinkää from the Mestis, the Finnish second division, made his debut in professional hockey. There he was able to convince, after which he was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 2001 in the fifth round as the 149th overall player of the Colorado Avalanche, for which he, however, never played. Instead, he stood from 2001 to 2003 at the Espoo Blues of the SM- liiga under contract. During this period, however, he completed only four games in the SM- liiga, while still mainly confined in parallel in the second-rate Mestis used, in which he took for Mikkelin Jukurit and KJT.

From 2003 to 2005 Viitanen played in parallel for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and the Reading Royals of the ECHL. The season 2005/ 06 he spent also in the AHL, but this time with the Lowell Lock Monsters. After his return from North America of the links Sagittarius could hold in the SM- liiga foot and played there first two and a half years for Lukko Rauma, before moving within the league to JYP Jyväskylä during the season 2008/ 09. With JYP 2009 he won at first Finnish championship title. He was able to repeat with his team in the 2011/12 season this success.

Internationally

For Finland Viitanen took part in the U20 World Youth Championship in 2002, where he won the bronze medal with his team. In the senior level, he in 2007 was up from their country in the Euro Hockey Tour.

Awards and achievements

2002 bronze medal at the U20 World Junior Championships
2009 Finnish Champion with JYP Jyväskylä
2012 Finnish Champion with JYP Jyväskylä

SM- liiga stats

(End of season 2011 /12)

2001 NHL Entry Draft 2000–01 Mestis season 2005–06 AHL season 2008–09 SM-liiga season 2011–12 SM-liiga season Finland men's national ice hockey team 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Tuomas Tarkki Miika Lahti Jani Tuppurainen

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