Artturi Lehkonen (born 4 July 1995) is a Finnish professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
player for the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). Lehkonen was selected by the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in the second round (55th overall) of the
2013 NHL Entry Draft
The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Al ...
, where he spent the first six seasons of his NHL career. Known as a defensively-minded forward, Lehkonen famously scored series-winning overtime goals in two consecutive
Stanley Cup semi-finals against the
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...
(2021) and
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
(2022). He won the
Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
, scoring the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in game six.
Internationally, Lehkonen has competed for the Finnish men's national team, winning medals at the
U18 and
U20 world championships.
Playing career
Lehkonen was born in
Piikkiö, but grew up in
Turku
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...
. He played for
TuTo and
TPS as a youngster and logged his first minutes in Finland's top-flight
Liiga
The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding lea ...
for TPS during the 2011–12 season. He then joined fellow Liiga outfit
KalPa
Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Olvi Areena.
Team history
Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club relocated to Kuop ...
prior to the 2012–13 campaign.
On 28 March 2014, Lehkonen opted to leave
KalPa
Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Olvi Areena.
Team history
Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club relocated to Kuop ...
of the Finnish
Liiga
The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding lea ...
and further his development in the
Swedish Hockey League (SHL), in signing a two-year contract with
Frölunda HC. In his second year in Sweden, the 2015–16 season, he made 49 SHL appearances, tallying 16 goals and 17 assists in the regular season plus 16 games in postseason play with a league-best eleven goals and eight assists en route to claiming the title. The 19 points tallied beat
Daniel Alfredsson
Daniel Alfredsson (; born 11 December 1972) is a Swedish-Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He spent 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), primarily with the Ottawa Senators. He also briefly played for the Detroit Red Win ...
2004–05 playoffs performance (18pts) to establish a new team record for most points in a single playoff year. He was also influential in winning the
Champions Hockey League
The Champions Hockey League is a European first-level ice hockey tournament. Launched in the 2014–15 season by 26 clubs, 6 leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the tournament features top teams across Europe.
Backgrou ...
that season, chipping in with twelve points (five goals, seven assists) in 13 outings.
Montreal Canadiens
Lehkonen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) on 8 May 2016. In his debut season with the team, he scored 18 goals across 73 games, with an additional 10 assists. He would manage 12 goals and 9 assists the following season. On 3 October 2018, Lehkonen scored the Canadiens' first goal of the
2018–19 season in a 3–2 overtime loss to the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
. He would have a career-best 31 points in the final year of his entry-level contract. On 11 July 2019, the Canadiens re-signed Lehkonen to a two-year, $4.8 million contract extension.
Lehkonen managed only 7 goals and 6 assists during the
pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season. The Canadiens qualified to the
2021 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on May 15, 2021, and concluded on July 7, 2021, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second consecutive and third overall St ...
in the final wildcard spot, and embarked on an unexpectedly deep run, defeating the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
and the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...
in the first two rounds. On 24 June 2021, Lehkonen scored the series-clinching overtime goal in game 6 of the
Stanley Cup Semifinals against the
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...
, allowing the Canadiens to advance to the
Stanley Cup Final for the first time since
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
. Dubbed "the biggest goal for the Canadiens in nearly 30 years," it became a frequent topic of discussion around Lehkonen.
Following the team's loss to the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
in the Finals, the Canadiens re-signed Lehkonen to a one-year, $2.3 million contract extension.
Following the Finals appearance, the
2021–22 season saw the Canadiens perform historically poorly, resulting in the sacking of longtime general manager
Marc Bergevin. At a time when most of the team's roster was judged to be underperforming, Lehkonen's strong defensive play attracted praise, and began to generate speculation that he would be traded as part of a team rebuild. Lehkonen when asked joked "he couldn't understand most of the trade talk in Montreal. He doesn't speak French."
[
]
Colorado Avalanche
On March 21, 2022, Lehkonen was traded by the Canadiens to the Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
in exchange for Justin Barron
Justin Barron (born November 15, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 25th overall by the Colorado Avalanche during the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Playin ...
and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. His debut with the Avalanche was delayed due to visa issues, but he featured in 16 regular season games for the team, tallying a further 6 goals and 3 assists to set new career highs in goals (19) and points (38). The Avalanche finished second in the NHL, and met the Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on May 2, 2022, one day after the 2021–22 NHL regular season, and concluded on June 26, 2022, with the Colorado Avalanche winnin ...
. After sweeping the Predators in four games, the Avalanche went on to beat the St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
in six games in the second round, moving on to the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
. Lehkonen's strong performance with the team through the playoffs attracted praise as one of the best deadline additions of the postseason. In Game 4 of the series, Lehkonen scored the series-clinching goal in overtime to win the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, or simply the Campbell Bowl, is a team award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL). Named after Clarence Campbell, who served as president of the NHL from to , it has been awarded for different accomplishme ...
and send his team to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive year. He became the first player to achieve this feat since Gordie Drillon of the Maple Leafs in 1938 and 1939. Lehkonen scored the series-winning goal in Game 6 of the Cup Finals, noting "I've been on both sides, on the losing side and now on the winning side. It feels great."
International play
Lehkonen made his debut with Finland's men's national team during the 2015–16 Euro Hockey Tour
The 2015–16 Euro Hockey Tour is the 20th season of Euro Hockey Tour. It started on 5 November 2015 and lasted until 30 April 2016. It consisted of Karjala Cup, Channel One Cup and Euro Hockey Tour Games. Sweden won the tournament.
Total standi ...
.
Personal life
Lehkonen's father is Ismo Lehkonen, a former professional hockey player and coach. Ismo has worked for Yle
Yleisradio Oy ( Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, found ...
as a hockey commentator, notably being present in Amalie Arena
Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tampa Bay Lightni ...
in 2022 to cover his son's victory in the Stanley Cup Finals.[
Lehkonen is a supporter of Arsenal F.C.]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lehkonen, Artturi
1995 births
Living people
Colorado Avalanche players
Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in Canada
Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden
Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Finnish ice hockey left wingers
Frölunda HC players
KalPa players
Montreal Canadiens draft picks
Montreal Canadiens players
Stanley Cup champions
Sportspeople from Turku
HC TPS players