Tony Virta
Tony Virta ( born June 28, 1972 in Hämeenlinna ) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey player who played in the course of his career, including for the HPK Hämeenlinna, Helsinki Jokerit and TPS Turku in the SM- liiga and the Frankfurt Lions in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Since end of his career he worked as a youth coach at HPK Hämeenlinna.
- 2.1 International
Career
Tony Virta began his career as a hockey player in 1990 in his hometown at HPK Hämeenlinna, for those in the SM- liiga, he was active the next six years and with whom he was in 1991 for third parties and 1993 runner-up. Then the attacker joined the German Hockey League, where he stood for the Frankfurt Lions in the 1996/97 season on the ice. After only one year Virta returned to Finland, where he received a contract with TPS Turku. With the Finns it was in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001, three times in a row champion and reached 2000 in the European Hockey League in third place. Due to his achievements Virta in 2001 awarded the Lasse Oksanen trophy - best player of the regular season. He was then selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 2001 in the fourth round as a total of 103 players from the Minnesota Wild, for which he completed eight games in the 2001/ 02 season, in which he scored five points scorer, including two goals. However, the majority of the playing time he spent at their farm team, the Houston Aeros, so that he even returned from the American Hockey League, for whom he played the following season only during the season to Europe, where until the end of the season he 2002 / 03 was active for Södertälje SK of the Swedish Elitserien.
In the years 2003 to 2005 Virta was one for each season at his former club HPK Hämeenlinna in the SM- liiga, and the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League A under contract. Virta Then moved to Jokerit Helsinki, with which he was runner-up in Finland in 2007, before he signed in the summer of 2008 one more time a contract with his hometown club and was appointed to the Team Captain.
In January 2010, Virta was taken by the Swedish second division club Leksand IF under contract, in which he ended his career at the end of the season. Since then, he is hired as coach of the U20 Junior HPK.
Internationally
For Virta Finland took part in the U20 World Youth Championship in 1992, and the A World Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2003 in part.
Awards and achievements
- 2001 Finnish Champion with TPS Turku
- Lasse Oksanen trophy - 2001
- 2007 Finnish runner with Jokerit Helsinki
Internationally
- 2000 bronze medal at the World Championships
- 2001 Silver medal at the World Championships