Sami Helenius
Sami Helenius ( born January 22, 1974 in Hyvinkää ) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player and coach who stands since 2010 when HC Keski- Uusimaa in the Suomi- sarja as player-coach under contract.
Career
Sami Helenius began his career as a hockey player in the junior department of Jokerit Helsinki, for the first team, he made his debut in the SM- liiga in the 1992/93 season. In parallel, he came into this season for the Vantaa HT in the then second-rate I divisioona used. Already in the NHL Entry Draft in 1992 the defender was selected in the fifth round as the 102nd overall player of the Calgary Flames, but remained first in the 1993/94 season in the SM- liiga, but changed league internally to Reipas Lahti. From 1994 to 1998 he played for Calgary's farm team, the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League. Only during the 1996/97 season he came to three inserts for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League, for whom he was doing one assist. From 1998 to 2000, the Finn moved several times within North America to the club and played for the Las Vegas Thunder and Chicago Wolves of the International Hockey League, the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League and the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League.
On 12 July 2000 Helenius signed a contract as a free agent with the Dallas Stars, in which he was able to win a regular place in their NHL team. On 10 March 2003, the Finn was released shortly before the end of the Trade Deadline along with a screening round option for the NHL Entry Draft in 2004 in exchange for Lyle Odelein to the Chicago Blackhawks. For the team from Illinois, he stood up to the end of the 2002 /03 in ten games on the ice, where he gave an assist. For the following season, he returned to Finland returns to his home club Jokerit Helsinki, where he was team captain this year. Over the next six years, he had a regular place at Ilves Tampere and his two former clubs Jokerit Helsinki and Lahti Pelicans in the top Finnish league. Since the season 2010/11, the former Finnish international is player-coach at HC Keski- Uusimaa from the third-rate Suomi- sarja.
Internationally
For Finland, Helenius took at junior level at the European Junior Championships in 1992 and the Junior World Championship in 1993 in part. In the senior level, he stood in his country's squad at the World Cup in 2003, and in 2004 and 2007 in the Euro Hockey Tour.
Awards and achievements
- 2003 Spengler Cup All-Star Team
Statistics
(End of season 2009/10)