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Urho Vaakanainen

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Urho Vaakanainen
Vaakanainen with the Boston Bruins in 2017
Born (1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 25)
Joensuu, Finland
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 New York Rangers
Espoo Blues
JYP Jyväskylä
SaiPa
Boston Bruins
Anaheim Ducks
NHL draft 18th overall, 2017
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2015–present

Urho Vaakanainen (born 1 January 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 18th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2017 NHL entry draft. He also played for the Anaheim Ducks.

Playing career

[edit]

Vaakanainen played as a youth in his native Finland with the Espoo Blues. He made his professional debut with the Espoo Blues in the Liiga during the 2015–16 season, contributing six points in 25 games. On 28 April 2016, Vaakanainen signed a one-year deal with hometown club, JYP Jyväskylä.[1] Vaakanainen earned a regular role within the JYP Jyväskylä blueline in the 2016–17 season, appearing in a career high 41 games, in matching his offensive output with 6 points. He registered three assists in 14 post-season games before losing in seven games in the semi-finals to KalPa.[2] On 5 May 2017, Vaakanainen left JYP Jyväskylä after just one season and signed a one-year contract with his third Liiga club, SaiPa.[3] Vaakanainen's progress was recognised by the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) as he was drafted in the first round, 18th overall, of the 2017 NHL entry draft.[4]

On 13 June 2018, Vaakanainen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Bruins.[5] He was assigned to Boston's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins, to start the 2018–19 season. On 20 October, Vaakanainen was called up for the first time by Boston[6] and made his NHL debut that night in a 2–1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.[7] He played in two games with Boston, going scoreless before suffering a concussion after being elbowed by Mark Borowiecki of the Ottawa Senators in the second game. Borowiecki received a one-game suspension for the play.[8] He was assigned to Providence and finished the regular season with 30 games played in the AHL, scoring four goals and ten points. Providence made the 2019 Calder Cup playoffs and Vaakanainen appeared in four playoff games, going scoreless.[9] In 2019–20, he began the season with Providence before being recalled by Boston on 11 November.[10] He made his NHL season debut on 12 November in a 5–4 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers, replacing the injured Torey Krug in the lineup.[10][11] He appeared in five games with Boston, going scoreless and 54 games with Providence, adding five goals and 18 points,[9] before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

For the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 NHL season, Vaakanainen was loaned to his former team SaiPa of Liiga.[13] He played in two games with SaiPa, scoring one goal before returning to North America.[9] Once the NHL season began in 2021, a series of injuries depleted the Bruins' defence corps and Vaakanainen found himself on the Bruins' top defence pair alongside Charlie McAvoy.[14] He registered his first NHL point in his season debut on 21 February in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe 7–3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. He assisted on David Pastrňák's second period goal.[15] However, as the only member of the Bruins capable of being sent to Providence without passing through waivers[14] he split the season between the NHL and AHL. He appeared in nine games with Boston, tallying two assists, and 11 games with Providence, scoring one goal and three points.[9]

Vaakanainen began the 2021–22 season in Providence but was recalled in January 2022 due to injuries and pandemic-related absences. He was paired with Derek Forbort initially, but also saw time with McAvoy after he returned from injured and fellow call-up Tyler Lewington. He played strong in all roles and coach Bruce Cassidy claimed that he was forcing "difficult decisions when everyone gets healthy."[16] He played in 23 games with Providence, scoring one goal and eight points and 15 games for Boston, registering four assists.[9] On 19 March 2022, Vaakanainen was involved in a trade by the Bruins that sent him along with John Moore and multiple draft selections to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Hampus Lindholm and Kodie Curran.[17]

Vaakanainen made his Ducks debut on 29 March in a 3–2 loss to the Dallas Stars.[18] He registered his first point for the Ducks assisting on Kevin Shattenkirk's game-tying goal in the next game on 31 March, also against Dallas.[19] He played the season out on the Ducks blueline, registering two assists through 14 games.[9] On 23 July, Vaakanainen as a restricted free agent was re-signed by the Ducks to a two-year, $1.7 million contract extension.[20] During pre-season for the 2022–23 season, Vaakanainen was hospitalised after he crashed into the end boards in an exhibition game against the San Jose Sharks on 30 September.[21] Missing the first 22 games of the season, Vaakanainen returned to the Ducks after a one-game conditioning stint with their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. He made just 23 appearances with the Ducks, posting 2 assists, before suffering a season ending injury on 28 January 2023. He was later announced to have had surgery on a torn labrum in his hip on 4 March 2023, with an expected recovery time of six months.[22]

Healthy again, Vaakanainen spent the first couple of games of the 2023–24 season a healthy scratch. However, an injury to Jamie Drysdale saw his playing time increase, slotting in alongside Radko Gudas.[23] He scored his first NHL goal on 25 January 2024 in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars.[24] He previously had three possible goals called back, one with Boston and two with Anaheim.[23] He finished the season playing in 68 games, scoring the one goal and 14 points.[9] In the offseason he signed a one-year contract extension with the Ducks on 1 July.[25] He appeared in five games with the Ducks in the 2024–25 season, registering one assist.[9] He suffered an injury in a game versus the Vegas Golden Knights on 13 November and was placed on injured reserve on 4 December.[26]

On 6 December 2024, Vaakanainen was traded to the New York Rangers, alongside a fourth-round pick in 2025, in exchange for defenceman Jacob Trouba.[27]

International play

[edit]
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Canada
IIHF U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 United States
Silver medal – second place 2017 Slovakia

Vaakanainen represented the Finnish under-18 national team in the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championships with whom he won gold medals and then finished in second place in 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships. He then played for the Finnish under-20 national team in 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where they finished ninth and sixth respectively. Vaakanainen would finally win gold in the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, his third time in the tournament as Team Finland was victorious against Team USA in the gold medal round.[28]

Personal life

[edit]

Vaakanainen was born in Joensuu. His father Harri Vaakanainen played ice hockey in the Finnish 2. Divisioona, which is the fourth highest level in Finland.[29]

Career statistics

[edit]

Regular season and playoffs

[edit]
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Espoo Blues Jr. A 30 4 8 12 34 9 2 0 2 0
2015–16 Espoo Blues Jr. A 18 2 11 13 8 2 0 0 0 2
2015–16 Espoo Blues Liiga 25 1 5 6 8 — — — — —
2016–17 JYP Jyväskylä Jr. A 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2016–17 JYP Jyväskylä Liiga 41 2 4 6 12 14 0 3 3 2
2016–17 JYP-Akatemia Mestis 3 0 1 1 29 — — — — —
2017–18 SaiPa Liiga 43 4 7 11 24 9 0 1 1 0
2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 30 4 10 14 10 4 0 0 0 2
2018–19 Boston Bruins NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Providence Bruins AHL 54 5 9 14 18 — — — — —
2019–20 Boston Bruins NHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2020–21 SaiPa Liiga 2 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Boston Bruins NHL 9 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Providence Bruins AHL 11 1 2 3 6 — — — — —
2021–22 Providence Bruins AHL 23 1 7 8 20 — — — — —
2021–22 Boston Bruins NHL 15 0 4 4 4 — — — — —
2021–22 Anaheim Ducks NHL 14 0 2 2 6 — — — — —
2022–23 San Diego Gulls AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2022–23 Anaheim Ducks NHL 23 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
2023–24 Anaheim Ducks NHL 68 1 13 14 26 — — — — —
2024–25 Anaheim Ducks NHL 5 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
Liiga totals 111 8 16 24 46 23 0 4 4 2
NHL totals 141 1 24 25 40 — — — — —

International

[edit]
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Finland U17 4th 6 0 1 1 2
2015 Finland U17 5th 5 0 0 0 6
2016 Finland U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 1 2 3 6
2016 Finland IH18 6th 4 0 1 1 2
2017 Finland U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 3 3 6 2
2017 Finland WJC 9th 6 1 0 1 4
2018 Finland WJC 6th 5 0 1 1 2
2019 Finland WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 4 4 6
Junior totals 45 5 12 17 30

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "JYP recruit hometown prospect Vaakanainen" (in Finnish). JYP Jyväskylä. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.[dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Tilastot – #13 Vaakanainen, Urho". Liiga. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Urho Vaakanainen SaiPaan" [Urho Vaakanainen to SaiPa] (in Finnish). SaiPa. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  4. ^ "NHL Draft 2017 Results: Bruins Select Urho Vaakanainen With No. 18 Pick". NESN. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Bruins Sign Urho Vaakanainen To 3-Year Entry-Level Contract". Boston Bruins. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018 – via NHL.com.
  6. ^ "Bruins Recall Urho Vaakanainen on an Emergency Basis". Boston Bruins. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018 – via NHL.com. Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, October 20, that the team has recalled Urho Vaakanainen from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on an emergency basis.
  7. ^ Russo, Eric (21 November 2018). "Vaakanainen Debuts in Bruins OT Loss to Vancouver". Boston Bruins. Retrieved 27 November 2018 – via NHL.com.
  8. ^ Haggerty, Joe (24 October 2018). "Senators' Mark Borowiecki suspended for concussion hit on Bruins' Urho Vaakanainen". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h "Urho Vaakanainen". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Ice Chips: Bruins recall Vaakanainen, Mrazek starts for Canes". TSN. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Florida Panthers 5 – 4 Boston Bruins". NHL.com. National Hockey League. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  12. ^ "AHL cancels rest of regular season, playoffs due to COVID-19 pandemic". Sportsnet. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Urho Vaakanainen lainasopimuksella SaiPaan" [Urho Vaakanainen on loan to SaiPa] (in Finnish). SaiPa. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  14. ^ a b Shinzawa, Fluto (25 February 2021). "Who is Urho Vaakanainen? What the Boston Bruins expect from the young defenseman". The Athletic. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  15. ^ Rosen, Dan (22 February 2021). "Pastrnak gets hat trick, Bruins top Flyers in NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  16. ^ Rosenthal, Tim (15 January 2022). "3 takeaways from the Bruins' overtime win over the Predators". Boston.com. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  17. ^ Hartwell, Darren (19 March 2022). "Bruins land top-four defenseman in blockbuster trade with Ducks". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  18. ^ Arritt, Dan (30 March 2022). "Stars rally in third to gain in wild card, hand Ducks 10th straight loss". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  19. ^ Arritt, Dan (1 April 2022). "Stars retake second wild card with OT win against Ducks". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Ducks sign Vaakanainen to two-year contract extension". Anaheim Ducks. 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via NHL.com.
  21. ^ "Vaakanainen released from hospital". NHL.com. National Hockey League. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Vaakanainen of Ducks out for season after hip surgery". NHL.com. National Hockey League. 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  23. ^ a b Lee, Derek (3 February 2024). "Ducks' Vaakanainen making the most of good health". The Hockey News. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  24. ^ Weller, Matt (25 January 2024). "Recap: Vaakanainen Scores First NHL Goal in OT Loss to Stars". Anaheim Ducks. Retrieved 29 November 2024 – via NHL.com.
  25. ^ "Ducks Sign Leason, Vaakanainen to One-Year Contracts". Anaheim Ducks. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024 – via NHL.com.
  26. ^ "Ducks' Urho Vaakanainen: Placed on injured reserve". CBS Sports. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  27. ^ Rosen, Dan (6 December 2024). "Trouba traded to Ducks by Rangers for Vaakanainen". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  28. ^ Boston Bruins [@NHLBruins] (5 January 2019). "Congrats to #NHLBruins prospect @UVaakanainen on capturing the gold medal with Finland at the 2019 #WorldJuniors!" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 January 2019 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ "Harri Vaakanainen player profile". eliteprospects.com. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Boston Bruins first round draft pick
2017 		Succeeded by
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