Hannu Pikkarainen (born October 13, 1983) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played for the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
| Hannu Pikkarainen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
October 13, 1983 Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 189 lb (86 kg; 13 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| team Former teams |
Free Agent HIFK Hartford Wolf Pack Modo Hockey Dinamo Minsk Skellefteå AIK TPS KHL Medveščak Zagreb Leksands IF Schwenninger Wild Wings Iserlohn Roosters | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2002–present | ||
Playing career edit
Pikkarainen is a product of Helsinki-based club HIFK and made his professional debut with the club in the SM-liiga during the 2002–03 season. He left HIFK to play in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack during the 2006-07 season.[1] Pikkarainen saw action in seven AHL contests and played in eleven games for ECHL's Charlotte Checkers[2] that year before returning to HIFK the following season. After another two years with HIFK, he embarked on a journeyman career including stints in the Swedish Hockey League with Modo Hockey, Skellefteå AIK, Leksands IF,[3] two stints in the Kontinental Hockey League with HC Dynamo Minsk and Medvescak Zagreb[4] and a stop at TPS in the Finnish Liiga, before joining back HIFK.
On May 29, 2015, Pikkarainen concluded his third stint with HIFK and signed a one-year deal with German club Schwenninger Wild Wings.[5] When his contract was up, he agreed to terms with fellow DEL side Iserlohn Roosters inking a deal for the 2016–17 season.[6] In 41 games with the Roosters, Pikkarainen contributed with 2 goals and 18 points as Iserlohn finished out of playoff contention. On March 3, 2017, it was announced that his contract would not be renewed.[7]
Criminal convictions edit
In 2022 Pikkarainen was convicted of aggravated rape and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment.[8]
References edit
- ^ "The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League | Pikkarainen, Westlund Return From Hartford To Checkers". www.echl.com. Retrieved May 21, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "ECHL ◊ mobile | HOME". www.echl.com. Retrieved May 21, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "SAIK recruit defenseman Pikkarainen". Skellefteå AIK (in Swedish). July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Bears fortify their defence with Finn Hannu Pikkarainen". www.medvescak.com. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- ^ "Fin for Schwenninger". Schwenninger Wild Wings. May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
- ^ "Iserlohn Roosters secure two signings". Iserlohn Roosters (in German). May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- ^ "Roosters make initial personnel decisions". Iserlohn Roosters (in German). March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ^ https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/79d9046c-a49b-41c5-9166-7cb02d291edb
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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