NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana --- Prior to the Big Game kicking off tonight, we were able to catch the SHL's Commissioner Kari Kekkonen for a conversation about the league and all of the exciting news surrounding it.
"Yeah, things are looking pretty good right now. We're pretty happy about it [in Head Office]. We'll see what happens, but we are excited about the future over here."
When asked about the swirling rumors regarding potential expansion, the Commissioner had this to offer:
"Expansion is something we always have our eye on. It's something that doesn't just materialize overnight, it requires considerable planning and preparation. So, yeah, we are looking at it. But at the same time, we aren't guaranteeing anything. We haven't made any sort of announcement within the league management structure, or notified any teams of our intention to do so. We feel from our perspective [in Head Office] that -- that we are trending in the right direction. But we'll see. We won't promise anyone anything. Just know that regardless of where the future takes us, we're going to make sure that we have done our due diligence and are ready to take on any challenges head on."
When pressed again on where we could see expansion teams land, or by how many teams the league might consider expanding by, the Commissioner re-iterated that nothing was imminent, yet he made a point to comment on "setting new records" based on the league's metrics for measuring growth.
"Look, we're here on a football Sunday and everyone is focused on the Big Game. And despite all of that, we're still in the midst of growing our game. We're reaching new heights. By the time this game is done, we might have had more than 500 players check in with the league office this week. That's a really exciting number to think about. But we have to keep ourselves from getting wrapped up in all the hype and emotion. We have to keep a level head and just focus on making smart decisions for the long term health and well being of our group [in the Simulation Hockey League]."
Once again, the retired manager was prodded for specifics:
"We have nothing to share with you at this time, from an official league perspective. We will let you know when that changes."
KARI KEKKONEN | D | RETIRED
NAME: Kari Kekkonen
BIRTHPLACE: Oulu, Finland
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 185 lbs
NUMBER: 33
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SMJHL CAREER STATS
S19 KEL: GP: 40, G: 10, A: 26, P: 36, +/-: 16, H: 42
SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S19 KEL: GP: 6, G: 0, A: 6, P: 6, +/-: 0, H: 6
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KAAPO KEKKONEN | C | RETIRED
NAME: Kaapo Kekkonen
BIRTHPLACE: Helsinki, Finland
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 210 lbs
NUMBER: 19
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SHL CAREER STATS
S25 LAP: GP: 50, G: 2, A: 3, P: 5, +/-: -4, H: 75
S26 LAP: GP: 50, G: 4, A: 5, P: 9, +/-: -13, H: 94
S27 LAP: GP: 50, G: 6, A: 9, P: 15, +/-: -2, H: 35
S28 LAP: GP: 50, G: 7, A: 10, P: 17, +/-: -2, H: 96
S29 LAP: GP: 50, G: 13, A: 21, P: 34, +/-: -15, H: 85
S30 LAP: GP: 50, G: 23, A: 22, P: 45, +/-: 4, H: 130
S31 LAP: GP: 50, G: 20, A: 18, P: 38, +/-: 5, H: 162
S32 LAP: GP: 50, G: 18, A: 28, P: 46, +/-: 27, H: 183
S33 LAP: GP: 50, G: 17, A: 22, P: 39, +/-: 20, H: 210
S34 LAP: GP: 50, G: 12, A: 25, P: 37, +/-: -2, H: 131
S35 LAP: GP: 50, G: 10, A: 22, P: 32, +/-: -3, H: 115
S36 LAP: GP: 50, G: 11, A: 20, P: 31, +/-: 10, H: 138
S37 LAP: GP: 36, G: 9, A: 17, P: 26, +/-: -1, H: 72
S37 WKP: GP: 14, G: 1, A: 0, P: 1, +/-: -4, H: 19
TOT : GP: 650, G: 153, A: 222, P: 375, +/-: 20, H: 1545
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SHL PLAYOFF STATS
S25 LAP: DNQ
S26 LAP: DNQ
S27 LAP: DNQ
S28 LAP: DNQ
S29 LAP: DNQ
S30 LAP: DNQ
S31 LAP: DNQ
S32 LAP: GP: 5, G: 1, A: 3, P: 4, +/-: -2, H: 15
S33 LAP: GP: 12, G: 2, A: 3, P: 5, +/-: 0, H: 38
S34 LAP: GP: 7, G: 1, A: 3, P: 4, +/-: 3, H: 23
S35 LAP: GP: 5, G: 1, A: 1, P: 2, +/-: -4, H: 4
S36 LAP: DNQ
S37 WKP: GP: 12, G: 0, A: 2, P: 2, +/-: -2, H: 35
TOT : GP: 41, G: 5, A: 12, P: 17, +/-: -5, H: 115
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TATU MÄKELÄ | D | RETIRED
NAME: Tatu Mäkelä
BIRTHPLACE: Tampere, Finland
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 180 lbs
NUMBER: 65
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SHL CAREER STATS
S40 BUF: GP: 50, G: 5, A: 17, P: 22, +/-: -28, H: 14, SB: 86
S41 BUF: GP: 50, G: 10, A: 21, P: 31, +/-: -3, H: 9, SB: 78
S42 BUF: GP: 50, G: 9, A: 21, P: 30, +/-: 2, H: 13, SB: 65
S43 BUF: GP: 50, G: 6, A: 24, P: 30, +/-: 1, H: 8, SB: 51
S44 BUF: GP: 50, G: 6, A: 28, P: 34, +/-: -6, H: 10, SB: 63
S45 BUF: GP: 50, G: 4, A: 37, P: 41, +/-: 10, H: 130, SB: 71
S46 BUF: GP: 50, G: 6, A: 36, P: 42, +/-: 25, H: 139, SB: 73
S47 BUF: GP: 50, G: 5, A: 23, P: 28, +/-: -4, H: 137, SB: 76
S48 BUF: GP: 50, G: 7, A: 25, P: 32, +/-: 9, H: 151, SB: 70
S49 BUF: GP: 50, G: 6, A: 22, P: 28, +/-: 5, H: 159, SB: 66
S50 BUF: GP: 50, G: 6, A: 20, P: 26, +/-: 14, H: 152, SB: 72
S51 BUF: GP: 50, G: 3, A: 23, P: 26, +/-: 8, H: 143, SB: 50
S52 BUF: GP: 50, G: 9, A: 21, P: 30, +/-: -3, H: 141, SB: 71
S53 BUF: GP: 50, G: 5, A: 14, P: 19, +/-: 23, H: 50, SB: 98
TOT : GP: 700, G: 87, A: 332, P: 419, +/-: 53, H: 1256, SB: 990
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SHL PLAYOFF STATS
S40 BUF: DNQ
S41 BUF: GP: 7, G: 3, A: 2, P: 5, +/-: -3, H: 0, SB: 10
S42 BUF: GP: 5, G: 0, A: 1, P: 1, +/-: -9, H: 2, SB: 10
S43 BUF: GP: 9, G: 0, A: 5, P: 5, +/-: -1, H: 1, SB: 8
S44 BUF: DNQ
S45 BUF: DNQ
S46 BUF: GP: 17, G: 0, A: 12, P: 12, +/-: 11, H: 59, SB: 28
S47 BUF: GP: 13, G: 0, A: 5, P: 5, +/-: 2, H: 32, SB: 18
S48 BUF: GP: 22, G: 2, A: 10, P: 12, +/-: 2, H: 64, SB: 32
S49 BUF: GP: 5, G: 0, A: 5, P: 5, +/-: 5, H: 15, SB: 8
S50 BUF: GP: 6, G: 0, A: 5, P: 5, +/-: -2, H: 18, SB: 12
S51 BUF: GP: 8, G: 2, A: 5, P: 7, +/-: -3, H: 15, SB: 11
S52 BUF: GP: 15, G: 4, A: 5, P: 9, +/-: 4, H: 47, SB: 26
S53 BUF: GP: 4, G: 0, A: 0, P: 0, +/-: 0, H: 6, SB: 13
TOT : GP: 111, G: 11, A: 55, P: 66, +/-: 6, H: 159, SB: 176
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KOLJA KEKKONEN | D | RETIRED
NAME: Kolja Kekkonen
BIRTHPLACE: Lappeenranta, Finland
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 225 lbs
NUMBER: 8
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SMJHL CAREER STATS
S53 DET: GP: 3, G: 0, A: 1, P: 1, +/-: -1, H: 2, SB: 0
S54 DET: GP: 50, G: 2, A: 8, P: 10, +/-: -6, H: 15, SB: 37
S55 DET: GP: 50, G: 4, A: 12, P: 16, +/-: -24, H: 32, SB: 24
S56 DET: GP: 50, G: 4, A: 17, P: 21, +/-: -20, H: 52, SB: 71
S57 ANA: GP: 66, G: 6, A: 20, P: 26, +/-: 14, H: 52, SB: 70
TOT : GP: 219, G: 16, A: 58, P: 74, +/-: -37, H: 153, SB: 202
SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S53 DET: DNP
S54 DET: GP: 7, G: 0, A: 0, P: 0, +/-: 0, H: 2, SB: 3
S55 DET: GP: 4, G: 0, A: 1, P: 1, +/-: -2, H: 3, SB: 0
S56 DET: GP: 5, G: 2, A: 2, P: 4, +/-: 0, H: 3, SB: 7
S57 ANA: GP: 21, G: 2, A: 13, P: 15, +/-: 5, H: 13, SB: 34
TOT : GP: 37, G: 4, A: 16, P: 20, +/-: 3, H: 22, SB: 44
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KEKW KEKKONEN | C | RETIRED
NAME: Karl-Erik-Karl2-Wojtek Kekkonen
BIRTHPLACE: Lohja, Finland
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 220 lbs
NUMBER: 69
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SHL CAREER STATS
S61 BUF: GP: 66, G: 10, A: 28, P: 38, +/-: 21, H: 59, SH: 134
S62 BUF: GP: 66, G: 19, A: 36, P: 55, +/-: 9, H: 84, SH: 194
S63 BUF: GP: 66, G: 17, A: 14, P: 31, +/-: -13, H: 91, SH: 148
S64 BUF: GP: 66, G: 16, A: 51, P: 67, +/-: 36, H: 82, SH: 212
S65 BUF: GP: 66, G: 25, A: 41, P: 66, +/-: 33, H: 136, SH: 230
S66 BUF: GP: 66, G: 38, A: 43, P: 81, +/-: 18, H: 64, SH: 222
S67 BUF: GP: 66, G: 40, A: 45, P: 85, +/-: -6, H: 76, SH: 224
S68 BUF: GP: 66, G: 47, A: 46, P: 93, +/-: 45, H: 51, SH: 326
S69 BUF: GP: 66, G: 35, A: 31, P: 66, +/-: 22, H: 43, SH: 269
S70 BUF: GP: 66, G: 33, A: 48, P: 81, +/-: 18, H: 66, SH: 297
S71 BUF: GP: 66, G: 36, A: 41, P: 77, +/-: 37, H: 55, SH: 257
S72 BUF: GP: 66, G: 25, A: 35, P: 60, +/-: -1, H: 58, SH: 281
S73 BUF: GP: 66, G: 31, A: 41, P: 72, +/-: 23, H: 48, SH: 305
S74 BUF/WPG: GP: 66, G: 17, A: 47, P: 64, +/-: 33, H: 101, SH: 164
TOT : GP: 924, G: 389, A: 547, P: 936, +/-: 275, H: 1014, SH: 3263
SHL PLAYOFF STATS
S61 BUF: GP: 9, G: 2, A: 6, P: 8, +/-: 4, H: 11, SH: 24
S62 BUF: GP: 9, G: 3, A: 1, P: 4, +/-: 2, H: 5, SH: 25
S63 BUF: GP: 12, G: 1, A: 2, P: 3, +/-: -1, H: 32, SH: 33
S64 BUF: GP: 11, G: 2, A: 2, P: 4, +/-: -6, H: 12, SH: 41
S65 BUF: GP: 18, G: 4, A: 7, P: 11, +/-: 8, H: 34, SH: 62
S66 BUF: GP: 16, G: 11, A: 9, P: 20, +/-: 3, H: 13, SH: 49
S67 BUF: GP: 4, G: 2, A: 2, P: 4, +/-: -3, H: 3, SH: 20
S68 BUF: GP: 17, G: 6, A: 8, P: 14, +/-: -4, H: 11, SH: 75
S69 BUF: GP: 4, G: 1, A: 0, P: 1, +/-: -5, H: 2, SH: 13
S70 BUF: GP: 7, G: 1, A: 3, P: 4, +/-: -8, H: 2, SH: 25
S71 BUF: GP: 21, G: 12, A: 9, P: 21, +/-: 6, H: 24, SH: 97
S72 BUF: GP: 5, G: 0, A: 2, P: 2, +/-: -4, H: 7, SH: 25
S73 BUF: GP: 6, G: 3, A: 0, P: 3, +/-: -3, H: 11, SH: 33
S74 WPG: GP: 22, G: 3, A: 4, P: 7, +/-: -2, H: 15, SH: 37
TOT : GP: 161, G: 51, A: 55, P: 106, +/-: -11, H: 182, SH: 559
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KAL ÅKAR KEKKONEN | D | SEATTLE ARGONAUTS
NAME: Kal Åkar Kekkonen
BIRTHPLACE: The Wilderness, Gielinor
HEIGHT: 6'6"
WEIGHT: 240 lbs
NUMBER: 75
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SMJHL CAREER STATS
S74 DET: GP: 66, G: 6, A: 14, P: 20, +/-: 3, SH: 83, H: 76, SB: 29
S75 DET: GP: 66, G: 8, A: 22, P: 30, +/-: 31, SH: 129, H: 123, SB: 114
S76 DET: GP: 66, G: 17, A: 21, P: 38, +/-: -10, SH: 193, H: 74, SB: 130
SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS
S74 DET: GP: 17, G: 3, A: 7, P: 10, +/-: 8, SH: 18, H: 16, SB: 5
S75 DET: GP: 14, G: 5, A: 6, P: 11, +/-: 2, SH: 40, H: 26, SB: 27
S76 DET: GP: 4, G: 1, A: 2, P: 3, +/-: -2, SH: 8, H: 8, SB: 8
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sve7en SHL GM
Littleton Award Winner
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Sigs by @
Carpy48 , @
Nokazoa and me
#10 Jani Mänty || Center || Finland || Hamilton Steelhawks
Great Falls Grizzlies Alumni
Hometown: Sonkajärvi, Finland
Height: 6ft 5in || Weight:222 lbs
----SMJHL Regular Season Stats----
5 Seasons | Total - 271 GP | 94 G | 118 A | 212 P | -48 | 385 HIT | 208 SB
4 Seasons | GFG - 264 GP | 92 G | 117 A | 209 P | -47 | 371 HIT | 200 SB
1 Season | ANC - 7 GP | 2 G | 1 A | 3 P | -1 | 14 HIT | 8 SB
----Career moments----
Elected as Captain of Great Falls Grizzlies for Season 75
Season 74 WJC Gold with Team Norden
Elected as Alternate Captain of Great Falls Grizzlies for Season 74
Season 73 WJC Bronze with Team Finland
Season 71 WJC Bronze with Team Finland
Drafted in 73th SHL draft #9 overall by Hamilton Steelhawks
Drafted in 72th SMJHL draft #2 overall by Great Falls Grizzlies
Joined Anchorage Armada as DFA for end of S71
#52 Björn Leppänen || Defence || Finland || Retired
Peak TPE 2225
Texas Renegades Alumni
Vancouver Whalers Alumni
Hometown: Parainen, Finland
Height: 5ft 11in || Weight:183 lbs
----SHL Regular Season Stats----
17 Sesons | TEX - 1026 GP | 147 G | 358 A | 505 P | +169 | 1684 HIT | 1348 SB
----SHL Playoff Stats----
12 Seasons | TEX - 123 GP | 10 G | 53 A | 63 P | +45 | 234 HIT | 168 SB
----SMJHL Regular Season Stats----
2 Seasons | VAN - 100 GP | 4 G | 19 A | 23 P | -21 | 171 HIT | 99 SB
----SMJHL Playoff Stats----
2 Seasons | VAN - 15GP | 1 G | 5 A | 6 P | +2 | 28 HIT | 14 SB
----IIHF Stats----
15 Seasons | FIN - 189 GP | 27 G | 50 A | 77 P | -21 | 364 HIT | 222 SB
----Career moments----
Season 64 IIHF Gold
Season 62 IIHF Gold
Season 62 Challenge Cup
Season 61 IIHF Bronze
Season 60 IIHF Best Defenceman
Season 59 Anton Razov Nominee
Season 59 Challenge Cup
Elected as Alternate Captain of Vancouver Whalers for Season 50
Drafted in 50th SHL draft #31 overall by Texas Renegades
Drafted in 49th SMJHL draft #27 overall by Vancouver Whalers
----Viljami Leppänen || Texas Renegades----
370-122-20 (S56-S63)
Season 62 Challenge Cup
Season 61 Joe McKeil Nominee
Season 61 Cole Reinhart Trophy
Season 59 Challenge Cup
Season 58 Joe McKeil Nominee
Season 58 Presidents Trophy
Season 56 Joe McKeil Award
Season 55 Joe McKeil Nominee
GM for Texas Renegades from S56 to S63
Intermid GM for Texas Renegades, most of the S55
Co-GM for Texas Renegades from S54 to S55
GM for Team Finland for S50 WJC
Co-GM for Team Finland for S49 WJC
:eyes:
Jae-ik Barron || C || S73 || Atlanta Inferno
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Birthplace: Seongnam, South Korea
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 201 lbs
Number: 27
Nationality: Canadian / South Korean
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Transactions:
(S72) Drafted 4th overall by the Great Falls Grizzlies
(S73) Drafted 13th overall by the Atlanta Inferno
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SMJHL Regular Season Statistics:
S72-S74 (GFG) - 198 GP | 35 G | 99 A | 134 P | -38 | 84 PIM | 254 HIT | 115 SB | 19:24 TOI
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SMJHL Playoff Statistics:
S72-S74 (GFG) - 19 GP | 6 G | 9 A | 15 P | +1 | 10 PIM | 22 HIT | 12 SB | 20:13 TOI
Adam Barron || D || S50 || Retired
Player Type: Two-Way Defenseman
Birthplace: Bonavista, NL, Canada
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 195 lbs
Number: 27
Peak TPE: 2318
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SHL Regular Season Statistics:
S52-68 : 1042 GP | 174 G | 466 A | 640 P | +278 | 427 PIM | 1103 HIT | 1743 SB | xx TOI
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SHL Playoff Statistics:
10 Post-seasons - 94 GP | 26 G | 37 A | 63 P | +5 | 32 PIM | 117 HIT | 159 SB | xx TOI
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SMJHL Regular Season Statistics:
S49-S51 (HFX) - 150 GP | 12 G | 59 A | 71 P | -8 | 92 PIM | 143 HIT | 157 SB | 19:27 TOI
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SMJHL Playoff Statistics:
S49-S51 (HFX) - 18 GP | 3 G | 10 A | 13 P | +8 | 10 PIM | 11 HIT | 23 SB | 22:40 TOI
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Transactions:
(S49) Drafted 18th overall by the Halifax Raiders
(S50) Drafted 1st overall by the Winnipeg Jets
(S57) Traded to the Toronto North Stars
(S63) Traded to the Baltimore Platoon
(S66) Signed with the Atlanta Inferno
(S67) Signed with the San Francisco Pride
(S68) Retired during the Off-season
------------------------------------------------------------
Awards & Accomplishments:
SHL Hall of Fame Inductee
SHL Challenge Cup: winner (S66)
SHL Anton Razov Trophy: nominated (S58)
SHL Ron Mexico Trophy: nominated (S58)
SHL Scott Stevens Trophy: winner (S58)
SHL Aidan Richan Trophy: nominated (S58)
SHL Bojo Biscuit: nominated (S61)
SHL Turd Ferguson: winner (S68)
IIHF Hall of Fame inductee
IIHF: gold (S54, S56, S57, S58), silver (S61, S62), bronze (S55, S63, S64)
IIHF Best Defenseman: winner (S58, S61)
WJC: gold (S51), silver (S50)
|
Player (index) |
|
Player (portal) |
aleks SHL GM
chigan worl manager
shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut up man
Aleksandr Iskandrov || C || Hamilton Steelhawks || Vancouver Whalers || 806 TPE
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SMJHL Career Stats
S64: GP: 66 G: 6 A: 17 P: 23
S65: GP: 66 G: 11 A: 35 P: 46
S66: GP: 66 G: 37 A: 51 P: 88
S67: GP: 66 G: 35 A: 52 P: 87
TOTAL: GP: 264 G: 89 A: 155 P: 244
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SMJHL Playoff Stats
S64: GP: 12 G: 2 A: 4 P: 6
S65: GP: 4 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2
S66: GP: 11 G: 3 A: 8 P: 11
S67: GP: 5 G: 3 A: 2 P: 5
TOTAL: GP: 32 G: 8 A: 16 P: 24
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SMJHL Achievements
S67 Wollker Division Champion
S66 Jared Hanson Trophy (Regular Season Points Leader)
S66 Raymond Lindsay Trophy - Award Given to the Most Outstanding Player as Voted by the Players
S66 Ideen Fallah Trophy - Award Given to the Most Outstanding Player as Voted by the Awards Committee
S66 All Star Team
S67 All Star Team
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WJC stats
S64 ICE: GP: 12 G: 3 A: 4 P: 7
S65 RCL: GP: 12 G: 1 A: 3 P: 4
S66 RCL: GP: 12 G: 6 A: 3 P: 9
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IIHF stats
S67 RUS: GP: 12 G: 1 A: 0 P: 1
S68 JPN: GP: 12 G: 2 A: 1 P: 3
S69 JPN: GP: 12 G: 2 A: 3 P: 5
S70 JPN: GP: 12 G: 4 A: 1 P: 5
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IIHF Playoff stats
S67 RUS: GP: 3 G: 0 A: 0 P: 0
S69 JPN: GP: 1 G: 0 A: 1 P: 5
S70 JPN: GP: 3 G: 4 A: 1 P: 5
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IIHF Achievements
S70 JPN: Bronze Medal (General Manager and Player)
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SHL Statistics
S68 HAM: GP: 66 G: 23 A: 30 P: 53
S69 HAM: GP: 66 G: 20 A: 30 P: 50
S70 HAM: GP: 66 G: 35 A: 46 P: 81
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SHL Achievements
Enlightened Centrist || C || Colorado Raptors
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SMJHL Career Stats
S79: GP: 0 G: 0 A: 0 P: 0
Muerto Registered
S15, S16, S24, S34, S38 Challenge Cup Champion
Lime Simmer
ahoy ladies