Pekka Lampinen
06-05-2004, 08:27 AM
Prospect statistics
If a player's total number of games in a season is under 45 games, you may want to check the organization's junior A team as well.
2005-06:
SM-Liiga
Skaters by team
Blues (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78&kausi=0) (Tero Määttä, Mikko Lehtonen)
HIFK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=1&stats=58) (Teemu Laakso, Hannu Pikkarainen, Kim Hirschovits, Arttu Luttinen, Lennart Petrell, Pasi Salonen)
HPK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=2&stats=76) (Risto Korhonen, Janis Sprukts)
Ilves (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=3&stats=61) (Juha Alén, Teemu Jääskeläinen, Juho Mielonen, Marko Anttila, Henrik Juntunen, Toni Koivisto, Perttu Lindgren)
Jokerit (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=4&stats=59) (Mikko Kalteva, Kevin Kantee, Sami Lepistö, Jesse Niinimäki)
JYP (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=5&stats=69) (Jyri Marttinen, Ossi Louhivaara, Tuomas Mikkonen, Arsi Piispanen, Valtteri Tenkanen)
KalPa (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=6&stats=68)
Kärpät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=7&stats=70) (Topi Jaakola, Oskari Korpikari, Lasse Kukkonen, Tommi Leinonen, Juhamatti Aaltonen, Janne Pesonen)
Lukko (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=8&stats=63) (Tuukka Mäkelä, Miikka Tuomainen)
Pelicans (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=9&stats=75) (Marcus Paulsson)
SaiPa (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=10&stats=67) (Olli Malmivaara, Jussi Timonen, Jarkko A. Immonen, Janne Kolehmainen)
Tappara (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=11&stats=60) (Ville Mäntymaa, Petri Kontiola, Teemu Laine, Sami Venäläinen)
TPS (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=12&stats=62) (Markus Seikola, Andreas Jämtin, Lauri Korpikoski, Tuukka Pulliainen, Daniel Widing)
Ässät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=13&stats=73#) (Matt Nickerson, Niko Vainio)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics:
Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0&kausi=0)
Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=1)
Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5)
Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0&kausi=0)
Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Choose team (http://193.229.88.86/cgi-bin/06_kausi/jaakiekko/rt_div_teams_stats.pl?LANG=FI&LID=5&GID=11&TYPE=8&BIND=0&SHOW=1)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, types of penalties, total PIM)
(games dressed, games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, GAA, SV%)
Jr A
Choose team (http://193.229.88.86/cgi-bin/06_kausi/jaakiekko/rt_div_teams_stats.pl?LANG=FI&LID=1&GID=1&TYPE=8&BIND=0&SHOW=1)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, types of penalties, total PIM)
(games dressed, games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, GAA, SV%)
National teams
No stat totals available.
National team A (pro) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/a-maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U20 (born in '86 or later) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u20_u19_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U18 ('88) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u18_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U17 ('89) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u17_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U16 ('90) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u16_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
2004-05:
SM-Liiga
Skaters by team (players not with the organization in question in 2005-06 listed)
Blues (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78) (Jarkko A. Immonen, Lauri Tukonen)
HIFK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=1&stats=58) (Joonas Vihko)
HPK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=2&stats=76) (Tuukka Mäkelä, Jani Rita, Oliver Setzinger)
Ilves (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=3&stats=61) (Tommi Jäminki, Jesse Niinimäki)
Jokerit (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=4&stats=59) (Valtteri Filppula, Tomi Mäki)
JYP (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=5&stats=69) (Jarkko Immonen)
Kärpät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=6&stats=70) (Jussi Jokinen, Henrik Juntunen)
Lukko (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=7&stats=63) (Janne Niskala, Toni Koivisto)
Pelicans (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=8&stats=75) (Daniel Widing)
SaiPa (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=9&stats=67) (Petteri Nokelainen)
Tappara (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=10&stats=60)
TPS (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=11&stats=62)
Ässät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=12&stats=73) (Juha-Pekka Ketola)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics:
Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0&kausi=0)
Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=1)
Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5)
Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0&kausi=0)
Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1331&tilasto=joukkueet)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1331&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
Jr A
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1344&tilasto=joukkueet)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1344&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
National teams
No stat totals available.
National team A (pro) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/a-maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U20 (born in '85 or later) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u20_u19_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U18 ('87) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u18_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U17 ('88) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u17_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U16 ('89) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u16_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
2003-04:
SM-Liiga
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics: Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?sarja=1124&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0&otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja), Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=1), Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5), Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0), Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0), Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0), Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1195&tilasto=joukkueet)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1195&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
Jr A
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1186&tilasto=joukkueet)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1186&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
National teams
No stat totals available.
National team A (pro) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/a-maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U20 (born in '84 or later) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u20_u19_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U18 ('86) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u18_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U17 ('87) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u17_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U16 ('88) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u16_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
2002-03:
SM-Liiga
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics: Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0), Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=0), Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5), Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0), Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0), Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0), Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=954&tilasto=joukkueet&laaja=1)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=954&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
Jr A
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=957&tilasto=joukkueet&laaja=1)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=957&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
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A prospect's way to North America
Military service must be completed at some point. It is possible to pursue an NHL career before it, but most people don't find that pleasant nor convenient. The service lasts for 180, 270 or 360 days depending on the branch (or 390 days for civil service). You can often have the shortest option if you really want, but the best flexible schedule for athletes is 270 days long. During the service, the player can play in all of the team's games and most of the time attend practice sessions too. Recovery and the training rhythm are a problem though, and usually that will affect performance in games. The player may also attend international tournaments and such, and in the worst case his service will only be prolonged by as many days as the personal leave lasted.
Those players who intend to finish the high school equivalent usually graduate in the spring two years after the age group's first draft year. Vocational studies usually take one year less.
Transfer rules
In 2006, anyone can be signed in the offseason regardless of contract status until the 15th of June. The NHL pays the tranfer fee. For now it's a little unclear whether UFA's have a different transfer deadline and if the deadlines can be bypassed with a penalty fee. Some players, mostly foreigners, may have a contract that prohibits a move to the NHL while until it expires.
The number of players who could move to the CHL or the NCAA each year is several times greater than the number of those willing to do so. Also considering that players don't tend to announce their intentions in public (and the media don't care), there is basically no information available on the subject from this side of the pond. A few Finns a year leave for the CHL, most of them for their draft year. Some of these career moves have been successful, some haven't. As for the NCAA, only players with at most a pinch of SM-Liiga experience move there, most of whom have no short-term SM-Liiga potential.
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League structure in Finland
Finnish leagues form a simple system of tiers, outside of which there is no official competition. While the number of teams and regional divisions vary, the best teams of a certain tier always face the worst teams of the higher tier in a relegation series, whose winners will play in the higher tier and losers in the lower tier in the following season. There is one notable exception: The elite league is closed "in order to maintain economic stability". Its teams won't be relegated and the second tier's teams can't be promoted. As far as I remember, there are seven tiers. The first tier is called SM-Liiga, the second tier is called Mestis and the third tier is called Suomi-sarja.
The age limits for junior leagues are as follows: In 2004-05 players born in '86 or after may play in Junior A (five '85 born players allowed on a team), '88 or after in Junior B and '90 or after in Junior C. These age groups have a tier system similar to that of adults, but no league is closed. Junior leagues D to H of younger players are divided into regional groups and teams don't compete for a national championship.
All junior teams belong to an organization that usually have a men's team on some tier; the other way around, all organizations in SM-Liiga and Mestis have junior teams. As long as they are young enough, the players may move between the organization's teams without any limits, with the exception of playoffs, for which they must have ten regular season games on that level.
Now an introduction of the three leagues in which basically all drafted prospects play.
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SM-Liiga
The Finnish elite league, a closed league that consists of 14 teams. Six teams make the playoffs after a 56-game regular season, joined by the two winners of best-of-three series for teams ranked 7-10. The quarterfinals are best of seven as of 2003, the semifinals and finals are best of five. Also, there's a single bronze game for those who lose the semifinals. The league slowly turned professional over the 80s and early 90s, establishing its position as one of the very best in Europe when TPS and Jokerit brought the European championship to Finland in four consecutive years from '94 to '97. That is also when the salaries grew large enough to compete with rival leagues. Nowadays the teams' total payrolls range roughly from one to two and a half million dollars. In comparison, SM-Liiga is equal to the AHL in terms of quality thanks to the lesser number of teams, if you allow jumping to conclusions.
As for the characteristics of the game, offense and defense bias are rather balanced. In the rules the width of the rink ranges from 79 feet to 91 feet and in practice almost as much. Rinks are often set to match the home team's strategy, even though they stay pretty much the same between seasons. Skating rules supreme over other tactical doctrines, which has helped to pave the way for dump & chase in the recent years. The shot counts are rather high, in 2001-02 a team fired 30.1 shots per game on average. Clutch & grab has become a major plague and the league struggles to promote clean hits.
NHL prospects can have a hard time in this league. At the age of 17 players barely ever play regular shifts and 18 years old regular players are rare as well, but the WJC team can be built pretty much out of SM-Liiga players. Few active (non-sleeper) prospects become star players before coming over to North America.
The official website is at www.sm-liiga.fi . You can follow the games in progress in the main page. The games are usually played at 11:30 am ECT on weekdays and 9:00 am on Saturdays.
Mestis
8 out of 11 teams play best of five playoffs, the last two go to a relegation series. The second tier league is not a professional league, but they do have players aiming for professionality. The league has undergone many reforms over the years and tends to change constantly in SM-Liiga's wake. Some of the teams have cooperation with SM-Liiga teams, but the farm system isn't as straightforward as between the NHL and AHL, Mestis teams only rent out some of their players and offer icetime for the affiliate's youngsters.
When SM-Liiga was closed in 2000, Mestis took a step towards being a farm league. Now most of the players are under 27 years old, but junior players are no more common than in SM-Liiga. Predicting NHL chances on the grounds of success in Mestis is all but impossible: Many of the top players can't make SM-Liiga while a few have made the NHL in just a couple of years after playing there.
The quality of the game is hard to project, but one of the weaker NCAA divisions with a dull edge (no NHL ready players) would seem like a good comparison. The few international games that have been played offer promising results: the Mestis all-star team, which is now officially Finland's national team B, beat the country's WJC squad prior to the tournament and the Mestis champion Jukurit had amazing success in the Continental Cup against many countries' top teams. They beat e.g. the champions of Britain and Norway on their way to the final four, where they gave a real challenge to the Swiss and Slovakian top league champions.
Mestis would provide many prospects with an opportunity to play offensive game against challenging opponents instead of playing occasional checking line minutes in SM-Liiga, but unfortunately very few players have seized it.
Jr A SM-Liiga
14 teams, 8 make the playoffs. In 2005-06 the organizations are exactly the same as in SM-Liiga. Players by the age 19 form the bulk of the teams, but those who are one year younger are almost as common. The following summer's NHL draft candidates play against good competition at this level, while those who turn 17 during the season are quite rare. SM-Liiga visitors and NHL prospects are not always or even usually the best players at this level. For example, the league's scoring record's owner was surpassed by five of his teammates in the race for SM-Liiga roster spots in 2001-02 and it was no surprise. At this point the best players have transferred to SM-Liiga organizations and it shows, Mestis organizations' junior teams are vastly inferior.
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FAQ
Q: Are there any sites about Finnish hockey in English?
A: Nope.
Q: Is there a Fin->Eng auto translator on the web?
A: I don't know of a good (the least bad) one. Any suggestions?
Q: If I have further questions on the subject, should I post them on this thread?
A: Yessirree. Please don't ask about individual players or such subjects here, though.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hockey map of Finland (with Lapland cruelly cut off)
If a player's total number of games in a season is under 45 games, you may want to check the organization's junior A team as well.
2005-06:
SM-Liiga
Skaters by team
Blues (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78&kausi=0) (Tero Määttä, Mikko Lehtonen)
HIFK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=1&stats=58) (Teemu Laakso, Hannu Pikkarainen, Kim Hirschovits, Arttu Luttinen, Lennart Petrell, Pasi Salonen)
HPK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=2&stats=76) (Risto Korhonen, Janis Sprukts)
Ilves (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=3&stats=61) (Juha Alén, Teemu Jääskeläinen, Juho Mielonen, Marko Anttila, Henrik Juntunen, Toni Koivisto, Perttu Lindgren)
Jokerit (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=4&stats=59) (Mikko Kalteva, Kevin Kantee, Sami Lepistö, Jesse Niinimäki)
JYP (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=5&stats=69) (Jyri Marttinen, Ossi Louhivaara, Tuomas Mikkonen, Arsi Piispanen, Valtteri Tenkanen)
KalPa (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=6&stats=68)
Kärpät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=7&stats=70) (Topi Jaakola, Oskari Korpikari, Lasse Kukkonen, Tommi Leinonen, Juhamatti Aaltonen, Janne Pesonen)
Lukko (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=8&stats=63) (Tuukka Mäkelä, Miikka Tuomainen)
Pelicans (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=9&stats=75) (Marcus Paulsson)
SaiPa (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=10&stats=67) (Olli Malmivaara, Jussi Timonen, Jarkko A. Immonen, Janne Kolehmainen)
Tappara (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=11&stats=60) (Ville Mäntymaa, Petri Kontiola, Teemu Laine, Sami Venäläinen)
TPS (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=12&stats=62) (Markus Seikola, Andreas Jämtin, Lauri Korpikoski, Tuukka Pulliainen, Daniel Widing)
Ässät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=13&stats=73#) (Matt Nickerson, Niko Vainio)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics:
Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0&kausi=0)
Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=1)
Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5)
Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0&kausi=0)
Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2005%2D2006+runkosarja&sarja=1465&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Choose team (http://193.229.88.86/cgi-bin/06_kausi/jaakiekko/rt_div_teams_stats.pl?LANG=FI&LID=5&GID=11&TYPE=8&BIND=0&SHOW=1)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, types of penalties, total PIM)
(games dressed, games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, GAA, SV%)
Jr A
Choose team (http://193.229.88.86/cgi-bin/06_kausi/jaakiekko/rt_div_teams_stats.pl?LANG=FI&LID=1&GID=1&TYPE=8&BIND=0&SHOW=1)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, types of penalties, total PIM)
(games dressed, games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, GAA, SV%)
National teams
No stat totals available.
National team A (pro) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/a-maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U20 (born in '86 or later) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u20_u19_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U18 ('88) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u18_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U17 ('89) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u17_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
U16 ('90) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u16_maajoukkue/kausi_2005-2006/)
2004-05:
SM-Liiga
Skaters by team (players not with the organization in question in 2005-06 listed)
Blues (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78) (Jarkko A. Immonen, Lauri Tukonen)
HIFK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=1&stats=58) (Joonas Vihko)
HPK (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=2&stats=76) (Tuukka Mäkelä, Jani Rita, Oliver Setzinger)
Ilves (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=3&stats=61) (Tommi Jäminki, Jesse Niinimäki)
Jokerit (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=4&stats=59) (Valtteri Filppula, Tomi Mäki)
JYP (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=5&stats=69) (Jarkko Immonen)
Kärpät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=6&stats=70) (Jussi Jokinen, Henrik Juntunen)
Lukko (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=7&stats=63) (Janne Niskala, Toni Koivisto)
Pelicans (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=8&stats=75) (Daniel Widing)
SaiPa (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=9&stats=67) (Petteri Nokelainen)
Tappara (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=10&stats=60)
TPS (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=11&stats=62)
Ässät (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=12&stats=73) (Juha-Pekka Ketola)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics:
Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0&kausi=0)
Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=1)
Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5)
Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0&kausi=0)
Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0&kausi=0)
Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2004%2D2005+runkosarja&sarja=1303&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1331&tilasto=joukkueet)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1331&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
Jr A
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1344&tilasto=joukkueet)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1344&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
National teams
No stat totals available.
National team A (pro) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/a-maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U20 (born in '85 or later) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u20_u19_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U18 ('87) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u18_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U17 ('88) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u17_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
U16 ('89) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u16_maajoukkue/kausi_2004-2005/)
2003-04:
SM-Liiga
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics: Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?sarja=1124&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0&otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja), Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=1), Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5), Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0), Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0), Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0), Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=Kausi+2003%2D2004+runkosarja&sarja=1124&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1195&tilasto=joukkueet)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1195&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
Jr A
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1186&tilasto=joukkueet)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=1186&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
National teams
No stat totals available.
National team A (pro) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/a-maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U20 (born in '84 or later) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u20_u19_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U18 ('86) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u18_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U17 ('87) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u17_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
U16 ('88) (http://www.finhockey.fi/maajoukkueet/u16_maajoukkue/kausi_2003-2004/)
2002-03:
SM-Liiga
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=0&group=1&parm=0&stats=78)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=16&parm=1)
(games played, minutes played, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, wins, ties, losses, GAA, SV%)
Other SM-Liiga statistics: Standings (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=0&group=0&parm=0), Point leader table (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=0), Points on power play (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=5), Penalties (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=12&parm=0), Plus/minus (best) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=10&parm=0), Plus/minus (worst) (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=11&parm=0), Shots (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/tilasto.asp?otsake1=SM%2Dliigan+runkosarja+Kausi+2 002%2D2003&sarja=938&maingroup=1&group=7&parm=15)
Mestis
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=954&tilasto=joukkueet&laaja=1)
(games played, goals, assists, points, +, -, +/-, PIM, shots, SH%)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=954&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
Jr A
Skaters, choose team (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=957&tilasto=joukkueet&laaja=1)
Goalies (http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_tulospalvelu_stat.asp?TID=957&tilasto=mv&rajaus=0)
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A prospect's way to North America
Military service must be completed at some point. It is possible to pursue an NHL career before it, but most people don't find that pleasant nor convenient. The service lasts for 180, 270 or 360 days depending on the branch (or 390 days for civil service). You can often have the shortest option if you really want, but the best flexible schedule for athletes is 270 days long. During the service, the player can play in all of the team's games and most of the time attend practice sessions too. Recovery and the training rhythm are a problem though, and usually that will affect performance in games. The player may also attend international tournaments and such, and in the worst case his service will only be prolonged by as many days as the personal leave lasted.
Those players who intend to finish the high school equivalent usually graduate in the spring two years after the age group's first draft year. Vocational studies usually take one year less.
Transfer rules
In 2006, anyone can be signed in the offseason regardless of contract status until the 15th of June. The NHL pays the tranfer fee. For now it's a little unclear whether UFA's have a different transfer deadline and if the deadlines can be bypassed with a penalty fee. Some players, mostly foreigners, may have a contract that prohibits a move to the NHL while until it expires.
The number of players who could move to the CHL or the NCAA each year is several times greater than the number of those willing to do so. Also considering that players don't tend to announce their intentions in public (and the media don't care), there is basically no information available on the subject from this side of the pond. A few Finns a year leave for the CHL, most of them for their draft year. Some of these career moves have been successful, some haven't. As for the NCAA, only players with at most a pinch of SM-Liiga experience move there, most of whom have no short-term SM-Liiga potential.
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League structure in Finland
Finnish leagues form a simple system of tiers, outside of which there is no official competition. While the number of teams and regional divisions vary, the best teams of a certain tier always face the worst teams of the higher tier in a relegation series, whose winners will play in the higher tier and losers in the lower tier in the following season. There is one notable exception: The elite league is closed "in order to maintain economic stability". Its teams won't be relegated and the second tier's teams can't be promoted. As far as I remember, there are seven tiers. The first tier is called SM-Liiga, the second tier is called Mestis and the third tier is called Suomi-sarja.
The age limits for junior leagues are as follows: In 2004-05 players born in '86 or after may play in Junior A (five '85 born players allowed on a team), '88 or after in Junior B and '90 or after in Junior C. These age groups have a tier system similar to that of adults, but no league is closed. Junior leagues D to H of younger players are divided into regional groups and teams don't compete for a national championship.
All junior teams belong to an organization that usually have a men's team on some tier; the other way around, all organizations in SM-Liiga and Mestis have junior teams. As long as they are young enough, the players may move between the organization's teams without any limits, with the exception of playoffs, for which they must have ten regular season games on that level.
Now an introduction of the three leagues in which basically all drafted prospects play.
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SM-Liiga
The Finnish elite league, a closed league that consists of 14 teams. Six teams make the playoffs after a 56-game regular season, joined by the two winners of best-of-three series for teams ranked 7-10. The quarterfinals are best of seven as of 2003, the semifinals and finals are best of five. Also, there's a single bronze game for those who lose the semifinals. The league slowly turned professional over the 80s and early 90s, establishing its position as one of the very best in Europe when TPS and Jokerit brought the European championship to Finland in four consecutive years from '94 to '97. That is also when the salaries grew large enough to compete with rival leagues. Nowadays the teams' total payrolls range roughly from one to two and a half million dollars. In comparison, SM-Liiga is equal to the AHL in terms of quality thanks to the lesser number of teams, if you allow jumping to conclusions.
As for the characteristics of the game, offense and defense bias are rather balanced. In the rules the width of the rink ranges from 79 feet to 91 feet and in practice almost as much. Rinks are often set to match the home team's strategy, even though they stay pretty much the same between seasons. Skating rules supreme over other tactical doctrines, which has helped to pave the way for dump & chase in the recent years. The shot counts are rather high, in 2001-02 a team fired 30.1 shots per game on average. Clutch & grab has become a major plague and the league struggles to promote clean hits.
NHL prospects can have a hard time in this league. At the age of 17 players barely ever play regular shifts and 18 years old regular players are rare as well, but the WJC team can be built pretty much out of SM-Liiga players. Few active (non-sleeper) prospects become star players before coming over to North America.
The official website is at www.sm-liiga.fi . You can follow the games in progress in the main page. The games are usually played at 11:30 am ECT on weekdays and 9:00 am on Saturdays.
Mestis
8 out of 11 teams play best of five playoffs, the last two go to a relegation series. The second tier league is not a professional league, but they do have players aiming for professionality. The league has undergone many reforms over the years and tends to change constantly in SM-Liiga's wake. Some of the teams have cooperation with SM-Liiga teams, but the farm system isn't as straightforward as between the NHL and AHL, Mestis teams only rent out some of their players and offer icetime for the affiliate's youngsters.
When SM-Liiga was closed in 2000, Mestis took a step towards being a farm league. Now most of the players are under 27 years old, but junior players are no more common than in SM-Liiga. Predicting NHL chances on the grounds of success in Mestis is all but impossible: Many of the top players can't make SM-Liiga while a few have made the NHL in just a couple of years after playing there.
The quality of the game is hard to project, but one of the weaker NCAA divisions with a dull edge (no NHL ready players) would seem like a good comparison. The few international games that have been played offer promising results: the Mestis all-star team, which is now officially Finland's national team B, beat the country's WJC squad prior to the tournament and the Mestis champion Jukurit had amazing success in the Continental Cup against many countries' top teams. They beat e.g. the champions of Britain and Norway on their way to the final four, where they gave a real challenge to the Swiss and Slovakian top league champions.
Mestis would provide many prospects with an opportunity to play offensive game against challenging opponents instead of playing occasional checking line minutes in SM-Liiga, but unfortunately very few players have seized it.
Jr A SM-Liiga
14 teams, 8 make the playoffs. In 2005-06 the organizations are exactly the same as in SM-Liiga. Players by the age 19 form the bulk of the teams, but those who are one year younger are almost as common. The following summer's NHL draft candidates play against good competition at this level, while those who turn 17 during the season are quite rare. SM-Liiga visitors and NHL prospects are not always or even usually the best players at this level. For example, the league's scoring record's owner was surpassed by five of his teammates in the race for SM-Liiga roster spots in 2001-02 and it was no surprise. At this point the best players have transferred to SM-Liiga organizations and it shows, Mestis organizations' junior teams are vastly inferior.
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FAQ
Q: Are there any sites about Finnish hockey in English?
A: Nope.
Q: Is there a Fin->Eng auto translator on the web?
A: I don't know of a good (the least bad) one. Any suggestions?
Q: If I have further questions on the subject, should I post them on this thread?
A: Yessirree. Please don't ask about individual players or such subjects here, though.
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Hockey map of Finland (with Lapland cruelly cut off)