Jarkko Immonen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jarkko Immonen |
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Immonen with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2006
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| Born | April 19, 1982 Rantasalmi, Finland |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Liiga team Former teams |
Jukurit Ässät JYP Jyväskylä New York Rangers Ak Bars Kazan Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod EV Zug |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 254th overall, 2002 Toronto Maple Leafs |
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| Playing career | 1998–2024 | ||
Jarkko Immonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey player. He was born on April 19, 1982. Jarkko played as a forward and had a long career in different leagues. He is known for winning championships and medals with the Finnish national team. He retired from playing hockey in 2024.
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Jarkko's Hockey Journey
Jarkko Immonen started his hockey career in Finland's second-highest league, Mestis, in the 2000–01 season. The next year, he moved up to the top Finnish league, Liiga, playing for Ässät. In 2002, he joined JYP Jyväskylä and stayed there for three years.
Drafted by the NHL
In 2002, Jarkko was chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 254th player picked overall. This was a big step towards playing in the NHL.
Time in North America
On March 3, 2004, Jarkko was traded to the New York Rangers. He made his NHL debut with the Rangers during the 2005–06 season. He played 20 games in the NHL over two years. Most of his time in North America was spent in the American Hockey League (AHL). He played for the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he scored 54 goals and had 75 assists in 141 games.
Returning to Europe
After his time in North America, Jarkko returned to Finland in 2007. He rejoined JYP and helped them win the Finnish championship in 2009. Soon after, he moved to Russia to play for Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He won a championship with Kazan in his first year there.
After four years with Ak Bars, Jarkko moved to another KHL team, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, for the 2014–15 season. On March 30, 2015, he signed a two-year contract with EV Zug in Switzerland's top league, the NLA.
Back to Finland and Retirement
After his contract in Switzerland ended, Jarkko returned to his original club, JYP, in Finland. He played there for three more seasons. On April 14, 2021, he signed a one-year contract with Jukurit, another team in the Liiga.
Jarkko Immonen officially announced his retirement from professional hockey on May 5, 2024. He shared this news on his Instagram page.
Playing for Finland
Jarkko Immonen also had a very successful career playing for the Finnish national team.
- He won a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
- He won a gold medal at the 2011 IIHF World Championship. In that tournament, he was the top scorer with 9 goals and 12 points in 9 games. He was also named to the tournament's All-Star team.
- He won another bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
- He also earned a silver medal at the 2014 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
- Earlier in his career, he won a bronze medal at the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Images for kids
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Immonen with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2006
