Lauri Tukonen
Encyclopedia
Lauri Tukonen is a Finnish
professional ice hockey
player. Tukonen plays for the Lukko Rauma of the Finnish SM-liiga
. Tukonen has played in North America for the Los Angeles Kings
organization. Tukonen is a former member of Espoo Blues
of the SM-liiga.
as their first pick, 11th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft
. He started his pro career with the Blues in the Finnish SM-liiga
. During the 2003–04 season, he was the youngest player in the league, at 17 years old.
He then played for the Manchester Monarchs
in AHL, earning a promotion when he was recalled to the Los Angeles Kings
on February 21, 2007, and played his first NHL game a day later against the Vancouver Canucks
. He was sent back to Manchester on February 23 and was then recalled again on February 17, 2008, where he was later sent back on February 21. In March 2008 he became an alternate captain of the Monarchs.
On July 21, 2008, he was traded to the Dallas Stars
in exchange for Richard Clune
. He played in his native Finland during the start of the 2008–09 season with Ilves Tampere. Five months later on November 30, 2008, he was traded by the Stars to the Tampa Bay Lightning
for Andrew Hutchinson
. He currently plays for Rauman Lukko of the SM-liiga.
.
His performance at the 2004 World U18 Championships
bolstered his draft prospects, when he tied for first in scoring with 11 points and tied for first in assists with 6 assists. He led Team Finland in scoring, along with teammates Lauri Korpikoski
and Petteri Nokelainen
, also with 11 points each.
Tukonen scored the game-winner to collect another bronze at the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
, where he placed third on the tournament top scorers' list, second in assists, and second in plus-minus rating.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. Tukonen plays for the Lukko Rauma of the Finnish SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
. Tukonen has played in North America for the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
organization. Tukonen is a former member of Espoo Blues
Espoo Blues
The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division...
of the SM-liiga.
Playing career
Lauri Tukonen was selected by the Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
as their first pick, 11th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft
2004 NHL Entry Draft
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout which canceled all the games scheduled for the 2004–05 NHL season.- Selections by round :Listed...
. He started his pro career with the Blues in the Finnish SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
. During the 2003–04 season, he was the youngest player in the league, at 17 years old.
He then played for the Manchester Monarchs
Manchester Monarchs
The Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:...
in AHL, earning a promotion when he was recalled to the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
on February 21, 2007, and played his first NHL game a day later against the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
. He was sent back to Manchester on February 23 and was then recalled again on February 17, 2008, where he was later sent back on February 21. In March 2008 he became an alternate captain of the Monarchs.
On July 21, 2008, he was traded to the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
in exchange for Richard Clune
Richard Clune
Richard Clune is a professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.-Junior career:...
. He played in his native Finland during the start of the 2008–09 season with Ilves Tampere. Five months later on November 30, 2008, he was traded by the Stars to the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
for Andrew Hutchinson
Andrew Hutchinson
Andrew Hutchinson is a professional ice hockey defenseman, who is currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
. He currently plays for Rauman Lukko of the SM-liiga.
Awards
- Bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2004 and 2006.
- Named to the World Junior Championships Media All-Star Team in 2006.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Espoo Blues Espoo Blues The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division... |
SM-l SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
35 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Espoo Blues | SM-l | 43 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 2005–06 AHL season The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals.... |
Manchester Monarchs Manchester Monarchs The Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
62 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 2006–07 AHL season The 2006–07 AHL season was the 71st season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup, defeating the defending champions, the Hershey Bears in the finals.... |
Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 61 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Los Angeles Kings Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 2007–08 AHL season The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:... |
Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 62 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Ilves Tampere | SM-l | 21 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Lukko Rauma | SM-l | 14 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Lukko Rauma | SM-l | 54 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AHL totals | 185 | 36 | 67 | 103 | 74 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||||
International play
Tukonen has represented Finland at several World Junior Hockey Championship tournaments, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 26, 2003 and January 5, 2004 in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, Finland...
.
His performance at the 2004 World U18 Championships
2004 IIHF World U18 Championships
-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-Fifth place game:-Bronze medal game:-Gold medal game:-Final standings: and are relegated to Division I for the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championships.-Scoring leaders:-Goaltending leaders:...
bolstered his draft prospects, when he tied for first in scoring with 11 points and tied for first in assists with 6 assists. He led Team Finland in scoring, along with teammates Lauri Korpikoski
Lauri Korpikoski
Lauri Korpikoski is a Finnish professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
and Petteri Nokelainen
Petteri Nokelainen
Petteri Nokelainen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
, also with 11 points each.
Tukonen scored the game-winner to collect another bronze at the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were held in Vancouver, Kelowna, and Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. The championships began on December 26, 2005, and finished on January 5, 2006. Games were played at GM Place and the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, the Interior Savings Centre in...
, where he placed third on the tournament top scorers' list, second in assists, and second in plus-minus rating.
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Finland | U18 WJC | 6 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 |
| 2004 | Finland | U20 WJC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2005 | Finland | U20 WJC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2006 | Finland | U20 WJC | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| Under-20 WJC totals | 20 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 14 | ||