Sami Lepistö facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sami Lepistö |
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| Born | 17 October 1984 Espoo, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| NL team Former teams |
SCL Tigers Jokerit Washington Capitals Phoenix Coyotes Columbus Blue Jackets Chicago Blackhawks Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Lev Prague Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg Salavat Yulaev Ufa Luleå HF |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 66th overall, 2004 Washington Capitals |
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| Playing career | 2003–2023 | ||
Sami Lepistö (born on October 17, 1984) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He played as a defenceman, which is a player who helps protect their team's goal. Sami is the son of Jussi Lepistö, who was also a famous ice hockey defenceman. Sami was chosen by the Washington Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 66th player picked overall.
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Sami Lepistö's Hockey Journey
Sami Lepistö had a long and successful career playing ice hockey. He played for many different teams in several leagues around the world. Let's look at some of the highlights of his career.
Playing for Jokerit in Finland
Sami started his professional hockey journey with Jokerit in the Finnish SM-liiga. In his first season, 2003–04, he scored 3 goals and had 7 points in 53 games. He also played for the Finnish junior national team in the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. There, he scored 4 goals and had 8 points in 7 games.
In the 2004–05 season, Sami's scoring improved. He got 7 goals and 25 points in 55 games for Jokerit. He also played well in the playoffs, scoring 1 goal and 8 points in 12 games. He continued to improve in the 2005–06 season, scoring 8 goals and 29 points. In 2007, Sami signed a contract with the Washington Capitals to play in the NHL.
Time in the NHL
Sami Lepistö began his time in North America playing for the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League (AHL). In the 2007–08 season, he scored 4 goals and had 45 points in 55 games. He also played his first NHL game with the Washington Capitals on February 16, 2008. He played 7 games with the Capitals that season, getting one assist.
In the 2008–09 season, Sami mostly played for the Hershey Bears again. He scored 4 goals and had 42 points in 70 games. He also played 7 games with the Capitals, where he earned 4 assists. In 2009, Sami was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes.
Playing for the Phoenix Coyotes
Sami played the entire 2009–10 season with the Phoenix Coyotes. He scored 1 goal and had 11 points in 66 games. He helped the team reach the playoffs that year. In 7 playoff games, he scored one goal. Sami also represented Finland at the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he had one assist. He continued with the Coyotes for the 2010–11 season, scoring 4 goals and 11 points in 51 games.
Later in the 2010–11 season, Sami was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. After that, on July 15, 2011, he signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Playing in the KHL
After his time in the NHL, Sami Lepistö moved to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). This is a major ice hockey league in Europe and Asia.
Teams in the KHL
On June 4, 2012, Sami signed a contract to play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL. In January 2013, he was traded to Lev Prague. After that, he signed a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. He then played for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. During the 2016 playoffs, he was one of the top-scoring defencemen, with 13 points.
After two seasons with Ufa, Sami returned to his original club, Jokerit, in 2017. By then, Jokerit was also playing in the KHL.
Later Career and Retirement
For the 2021–22 season, Sami Lepistö joined Luleå HF in the Swedish Hockey League. After that, he played for SCL Tigers in the Swiss National League during the 2022–23 season.
Sami had planned to play for HIFK in the Finnish Liiga for the 2023–24 season. However, he had to stop playing hockey before the season started. Doctors found a heart condition that made it too risky for him to continue playing contact sports. This meant he had to retire from his professional hockey career.
Sami Lepistö's Awards and Honours
Sami Lepistö earned several awards and honours during his career.
- Calder Cup champion: He won the Calder Cup in 2009 with the Hershey Bears. This is the championship trophy for the AHL.
- WJC Best Defenceman: He was named the best defenceman at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
- WJC All-Star Team: He was also chosen for the All-Star Team at the 2004 World Junior Championships.
Sami also won several medals playing for the Finnish national team:
- Bronze Medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics
- Bronze Medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics
- Gold Medal at the 2011 World Championships
- Bronze Medal at the 2008 World Championships
- Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships
