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 was born on June 27, 1979, in Helsinki, Finland. He is a professional ice hockey player from Finland. Currently, he plays for HIFK in the Liiga, which is Finland's top hockey league.
Playing Career: Tommi Santala's Hockey Journey
Tommi Santala began his professional hockey career with the team Jokerit in Finland's top league, the SM-liiga, during the 1998–99 season. After playing four seasons with another team called HPK, he moved to North America.
In the 2003–04 season, Santala joined the Atlanta Thrashers organization. He split his time playing for two different leagues. He played 50 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Chicago Wolves. He also played 33 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), which is the highest level of professional hockey in North America.
During the 2004–05 season, the NHL had a lockout, meaning no games were played. Santala spent this time with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. He was a strong player, getting 40 assists and 48 points in 67 games. An assist is when a player helps set up a goal for a teammate.
In the playoffs that year, he helped the Chicago Wolves win the Robert W. Clarke Trophy. This trophy is given to the champions of the AHL Western Conference. The Wolves made it to the Calder Cup finals, but they lost to the Philadelphia Phantoms.
After the NHL lockout ended, Santala returned to play for Jokerit in Finland. He played there for one year. Then, the Atlanta Thrashers traded him to the Vancouver Canucks. Santala played 30 games for the Canucks during the 2006–07 season. Unfortunately, he got a knee injury in December 2006. This injury made him miss most of that season.
On September 5, 2007, Santala signed with Jokerit again as a free agent. A free agent is a player who is not under contract with any team and can sign with any team they choose.
After one more season with Jokerit, Santala decided to play in Switzerland. He signed with the Kloten Flyers for the 2008–09 season. He played for this team for many years. In December 2016, he left the Kloten Flyers to join the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He signed a deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
However, Tommi Santala was not happy with his experience in the KHL. So, he returned to his former team, EHC Kloten, in Switzerland. He signed a one-year deal to play for them during the 2017–18 season.
International Play: Representing Finland
Tommi Santala has also played for Team Finland in international competitions. He played in the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In this tournament, he scored two points in six games.
He also represented Finland at the World Ice Hockey Championships several times. These championships are a big tournament where countries compete against each other. He played in the World Championships in 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2010.
In 2006, he played only one game for the Finnish team. That year, Finland won the Bronze medal. Santala had a much bigger role for Finland in the 2002 Karlja Cup. Finland won the Gold medal in that tournament. Santala was even named a Second Team All-Star, which means he was one of the best players in the tournament.
Transactions: How Tommi Santala Joined Teams
- June 26, 1999 — Tommi Santala was chosen by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 9th round of the NHL 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.
