Tommi Santala facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tommi Santala |
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Santala with the Chicago Wolves in 2005
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| Born | 27 June 1979 Helsinki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| Liiga team Former teams |
HIFK EHC Kloten Jokerit HPK Atlanta Thrashers Vancouver Canucks |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 245th overall, 1999 Atlanta Thrashers |
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| Playing career | 1998–present | ||
Tommi Santala is a professional ice hockey player from Finland. He was born on June 27, 1979, in Helsinki. He plays as a centre, which is a key attacking position in ice hockey. Santala has played for many different teams during his career. These include teams in Finland, North America, and Switzerland. He is currently playing for HIFK in the Liiga, which is Finland's top ice hockey league.
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Tommi Santala's Hockey Journey
Tommi Santala began his professional hockey career in Finland. He started playing for Jokerit in the SM-liiga during the 1998–99 season. After playing four seasons with another Finnish team, HPK, he moved to North America.
Playing in the NHL and AHL
In the 2003–04 season, Santala joined the Atlanta Thrashers organization. He split his time between two leagues. He played 50 games for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. He also played 33 games for the Thrashers in the NHL, which is the top league in North America.
During the 2004–05 season, there was a lockout in the NHL. Santala played the entire season with the Chicago Wolves. He had a great year, getting 40 assists and 48 points in 67 games. He helped the Wolves win the Western Conference championship in the AHL playoffs.
After the lockout, Santala returned to Finland to play for Jokerit again. In 2006, the Thrashers traded him to the Vancouver Canucks. He played 30 games for the Canucks in the 2006–07 season. Unfortunately, a knee injury made him miss most of that season. In 2007, he signed with Jokerit once more as a free agent.
Playing in Switzerland and Russia
After one more season with Jokerit, Santala decided to play in Switzerland. He joined the Kloten Flyers for the 2008–09 season. He played with the Kloten Flyers for many years. In December 2016, he left the team to play in the KHL in Russia. He signed a deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
However, Santala was not happy with his experience in the KHL. He returned to EHC Kloten (formerly Kloten Flyers) for the 2017–18 season. He signed a one-year contract with them.
Representing Finland
Tommi Santala has proudly played for Team Finland many times. He played in the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships when he was younger. In that tournament, he scored two points in six games.
He also represented Finland at the World Ice Hockey Championships several times. These included the championships in 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2010. In 2006, Finland won the Bronze medal, and Santala played one game for the team. He had a bigger role for Finland in the 2002 Karlja Cup. Finland won the Gold in that tournament, and Santala was recognized as a Second Team All-Star.
Key Career Moves
Here are some important moments in Tommi Santala's career:
- June 26, 1999 — He was chosen by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 9th round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 245th player picked overall.
- June 14, 2006 — He was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks also received a 5th round draft pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In return, the Thrashers received a conditional draft pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
