Big Finnish blueliner already used to playing for a team called the Blues
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Monday the club has signed their fourth round pick (104th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, defenseman Jani Hakanpää.
Terms of the NHL contract were not disclosed, but Hakanpää also recently signed a one-year extension of his SM-Liiga contract with Blues Espoo. Unless he makes the NHL roster this year, which is a long shot as he is a right defenseman, Hakanpää will be loaned to Blues Espoo for the 2012-13 season.
In 41 games with Blues Espoo this season, Hakanpää put up five goals and seven assists for 12 points, to go with a plus-6 mark and 30 minutes in penalty time. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in late February, and did not appear in any playoff games for the Finnish Blues, but did skate for Finland in the World Junior Championships last Christmas. In seven games for the fourth-place Finns, Hakanpää tallied a goal and two assists, with a plus-3 and six penalty minutes. His goal was a power-play tally and the game winner in the first period of Finland's 10-1 thrashing of Denmark on Dec. 30.
The 6' 5, 218-pound Hakanpää is a native of Kirkkonummi, Finland, which is located approximately 30 km west of Helsinki near the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Espoo, where Hakanpää has played the last two seasons, is located midway between Kirkkonummi and Helsinki.
LINK to article at stlblues.com.