Teemu Kivihalme (born June 17, 1995) is an American-Finnish professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing with Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish SHL. He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round, 140th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
| Teemu Kivihalme | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | June 17, 1995 Cloquet, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defenseman | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| Liiga team Former teams | HC TPS Oulun Kärpät | ||
| NHL draft | 140th overall, 2013 Nashville Predators | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Playing career
editKivihalme played junior hockey with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL) when he was selected in the fifth round, 140th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. Committing to a collegiate career with Colorado College, Kivihalme played three seasons with the Tigers from 2014 to 2017, totalling 36 points in 107 NCAA games.
Un-signed from the Predators, Kivihalme returned to his Finnish roots, in beginning his professional career with Oulun Kärpät of the Finnish Liiga. In the 2017–18 season, Kivihalme quickly established himself as a regular on the blueline for the contending Kärpät. He scored 4 goals and 20 points in 44 games, and appeared in each post-season contest in helping capture the Liiga championship.
In 60 games during the 2018–19 season, Kivihalme built upon his rookie year in recording 9 goals and 21 assists for 30 points, which ranked ninth among Liiga defencemen in scoring. He contributed with 9 points in 16 playoff games in helping Oulu return to the Liiga Championship finals.
On May 7, 2019, Kivihalme gained NHL interest and was signed to a one-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.[1]
On August 8, 2022, Kivihalme signed a one-year contract with HC TPS of the Finnish Liiga for the following 22-23 season.[2]
Personal life
editKivihalme was born in the United States to a Finnish father, Janne Kivihalme, and an American mother, Shanda Christie, and is a dual citizen of Finland and the US. His father played collegiate hockey with the University of Wisconsin–Superior.[3][4]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Burnsville High | USHS | 25 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Burnsville High | USHS | 25 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Burnsville High | USHS | 25 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Fargo Force | USHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Fargo Force | USHL | 47 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Colorado College | NCHC | 35 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Colorado College | NCHC | 36 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Colorado College | NCHC | 36 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 44 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||
| 2018–19 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 60 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 18 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 55 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 20 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 32 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 104 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 36 | 34 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 26 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | United States | IH18 | 7th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Awards & honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Liiga | ||
| Kanada-malja (Oulun Kärpät) | 2018 | |
References
edit- ^ "Maple Leafs sign Teemu Kivihalme to entry-level contract". Toronto Maple Leafs. 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
- ^ "Teemu Kivihalme TPS:n puolustukseen". HC TPS. 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
- ^ Sager, Neate (June 12, 2013). "NHL draft tracker: Teemu Kivihalme, Burnsville Blaze". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Tammilehto, Teemu (July 1, 2013). "Kaksitoista suomalaista sai NHL-varauksen – Ikonen jäi ilman varausta". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved November 18, 2018.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
