European Avs (5.)
On the occasion of the NHL Global Series, we bring you a series of articles about the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL in Europe and European players.In this miniseries, we take a look at all 59 European players, who have suited up for the Colorado Avalanche at least once, either during the regular season, or during the playoffs. The following stats were taken mainly from AvalancheDB.com and have been updated after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. The players are ranked in descending order based on the number of points they recorded during their tenure in Denver.
41. Janne Laukkanen - 3 games, 1 point (1 goal, 0 assist)
Drafted by Quebec, he played three games for the Avalanche during their inaugural season. He was then traded to Ottawa, where he spent five seasons. He also later played for Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. He’s currently a manager in the Finnish league.
42. Anders Myrvold - 4 games, 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist)
The first Norwegian to don an Avalanche jersey. He was drafted back when the team was still playing in Quebec. He spent the majority of his career in Europe, twice attempting an NHL comeback, playing for Boston, the New York Islanders and Detroit. It always sooner or later resulted in an AHL demotion. He played in Norway since 2004. He also appeared in one game in the Norwegian league, despite already being 42 years old.
43. Per Ledin - 3 games, 0 points
The though Swede is included in the same category of Europeans, who played his only NHL games in Colorado. He played the last three games of the 2008-09 season in Denver. He spent the remainder of his tenure there in the AHL, openly criticizing the team’s management following his departure. He played the last season in Switzerland.
44. Mikhail Kuleshov - 3 games, 0 points
Colorado drafted him in 1999 25th overall. After three games for the first team and three seasons in the AHL, his career went downhill. He then played in the Russian and Belarussian league, also playing in the second-tier league in Belarus. He retired under unclear circumstances as a 25-year-old in 2006.
45. Jaroslav Obsut - 3 games, 0 points
The Slovak defenseman played 10 years in various North American leagues. He played three games for Colorado and four for St. Louis, which were the last games of his NHL career. He’s played in Europe since 2004, currently playing for Slovan Bratislava of the KHL.
46. Yuri Babenko - 3 games, 0 points
He was a second-round pick of the Avs. After three games and three seasons in the AHL, like Kuleshov, he returned to Europe, where he played in the Russian league and later in the KHL from 2002 until 2016. He was the captain of Dynamo Moscow during the last three seasons of his career. He won the KHL twice.
47. Darius Kasparaitis - 11 games, 0 points
The Lithuanian-born defenseman became well-known for his though style of play since beginning his NHL career in 1992. He played for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh being traded to Colorado, where he played 11 games. He finished his NHL career as an alternate captain of the New York Rangers. Between 2007 and 2010, he played in the Russian league and the KHL. He took a three-year hiatus from hockey, resuming his career in his native Lithuania, where he played the last four season, but only played sporadically at the age of 45.
48. Anton Lindholm - 12 games, 0 points
Colorado choose the Swedish hockey product in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He earned his spot on the roster after playing for the team’s AHL affiliate last year. He’s currently a permanent fixture on the team’s roster and ranks among one of the more pleasant surprises of this season.
49. Sami Helenius - 33 games, 0 points
Since 1994, he played mostly in the AHL. He had brief stints in the NHL with Calgary and Tampa Bay. He played a number of games for Colorado during the 1999-2000 season, suiting up for a total of 33 games without recording a point. He played the following three years in Dallas and briefly in Chicago. Between 2003 and 2010, he played in Finland, serving as captain during one season before retiring.
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Eurolanche.com, Worldwide, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
07/11/2017 - 14:00
