Jesse Joensuu (born October 5, 1987) is a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
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 hock ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
who currently plays for
Ässät Ässät or Ässä may refer to:
* HC Ässät Pori Oy, Finnish sports club
** Porin Ässät (men's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (women's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (men's football)
** PATA (esports)
*, Finnish band from Oulu
*S Group, Finnish Con ...
in the
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 leagu ...
. Joensuu is the captain of Ässät for the 2022–23 season.
Playing career
Joensuu was selected 60th overall in the second round of the
2006 NHL Entry Draft
The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 24, 2006.
The draft order for the first 14 picks was decided during a lottery held on April 20, 2006. The draft was ...
by the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
. Joensuu played parts of five seasons with hometown team
Ässät Ässät or Ässä may refer to:
* HC Ässät Pori Oy, Finnish sports club
** Porin Ässät (men's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (women's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (men's football)
** PATA (esports)
*, Finnish band from Oulu
*S Group, Finnish Con ...
of the
SM-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 leagu ...
, starting off as a 16-year-old in 2003–04. This made him the youngest player in the history of the Finnish professional ice-hockey league.
His best season came in 2007–08, when he had 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points, leading the team in scoring. After his season in Finland, Joensuu played one game with the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...
, the Islanders'
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
affiliate. In the
2008–09 season Jesse played primarily with the Sound Tigers finishing fifth on Bridgeport in scoring with 39 points. On March 2, 2009, Joensuu made his NHL debut, and scored his first NHL goal, as member of the Islanders in a 4-2 victory over 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 ...
.
Joensuu began the
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season in the AHL. He played 16 games for the Islanders top affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, before being recalled to the NHL on November 19, 2010. He made his season debut with the Islanders on November 20 in a home game in a losing cause against the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
.
On July 1, 2011, Joensuu left the Islanders organization as a restricted free agent and signed a two-year deal with
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
club
HV71
HV71 (), often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the first tier of Swedish ice hockey. The team played in the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League s ...
of the
Elitserien
Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan.
Elitserien leagues at present:
* Elitserien (badmint ...
. With the intention of developing his offense as a power forward Joensuu scored 29 points in 50 games during the
2011–12 season.
Joensuu, with a clause for release from HV71 to the NHL, opted a return to the Islanders on a one-year deal on June 15, 2012. With the impending
2012–13 NHL lockout
The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barga ...
taking affect, Joensuu signed a contract for the duration of the dispute with hometown team Ässät on September 18, 2012.
On July 5, 2013, Joensuu signed as a free agent to a two-year contract to return to the NHL with 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 ...
. During the final season of his contract in
2014–15 season, and unable to secure a position on the checking lines of the struggling Oilers, Joensuu was loaned to
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
club,
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English language, English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. ...
on December 12, 2014, for the remainder of the campaign.
On April 23, 2015 it was announced by
Jokerit
Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...
that Joensuu had signed a two-year free agent deal with the club competing in the KHL.
Following seven seasons in the
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...
with
Jokerit
Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...
, Joensuu as a free agent opted to return to his original club, Ässät of the Liiga, on 8 April 2022.
Personal life
Jesse Joensuu is the son of Finnish
association football manager
In association football, the manager is the person who runs a football club or a national team. They have wide-ranging responsibilities, including selecting the team, choosing the tactics, recruiting and transferring players, negotiating pl ...
Jouni Joensuu.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joensuu, Jesse
1987 births
Ässät players
Bridgeport Sound Tigers players
Edmonton Oilers players
Finnish ice hockey left wingers
HV71 players
Jokerit players
Living people
New York Islanders draft picks
New York Islanders players
Sportspeople from Pori
SC Bern players