| Position: | Goaltender |
| Catches: | Left |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 2 |
| Weight Lb: | 187 |
| Played For: | SM-liiga |
| League: | KHL |
| Birth Date: | February 6, 1981 |
| Birth Place: | Jyväskylä, Finland |
| Ntl Team: | FIN |
| Draft: | 27th overall |
| Draft Year: | 1999 |
| Draft Team: | New Jersey Devils |
| Ari Ahonen | |
| Career Start: | 1998 |
| Career End: | 2018 |
Ari Ahonen (born February 6, 1981) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the first round, 27th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Ahonen is the only goaltender in SM-liiga history to have represented all three teams in the greater Helsinki area: HIFK, Jokerit and Blues.
After playing three seasons in Finland's SM-liiga, representing JYP and HIFK, Ahonen joined the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate, the Albany River Rats. After five seasons with the River Rats, Ahonen returned to Finland in 2006 to represent Blues, but when he found himself serving as backup to Bernd Brückler, Ahonen signed with Jokerit when no less than three of their goaltenders were injured. With Jokerit Ahonen have won silver medals in 2007.
During the 2011–12 season Ahonen signed a two-year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Ahonen later continued in the KHL, joining Kazakhstan based, Barys Astana, for the 2013–14 season.[1]
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | JYP | SM-l | 5 | |||||||||
| 1999–00 | HIFK | SM-l | 38 | |||||||||
| 2000–01 | HIFK | SM-l | 37 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 2101 | 97 | 2 | 2.77 | .920 | |
| 2001–02 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 36 | 6 | 22 | 6 | 2106 | 106 | 0 | 3.02 | .914 | |
| 2002–03 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 38 | 13 | 20 | 3 | 2171 | 110 | 1 | 3.04 | .898 | |
| 2003–04 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 50 | 13 | 30 | 6 | 3012 | 150 | 2 | 2.99 | .902 | |
| 2004–05 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 38 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 2195 | 114 | 4 | 3.12 | .910 | |
| 2005–06 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 949 | 63 | 0 | 3.98 | .892 | |
| 2006–07 | Espoo Blues | SM-l | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 308.17 | 13 | 0 | 2.53 | .922 | |
| 2006–07 | Jokerit | SM-l | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 1152.17 | 51 | 1 | 2.67 | .914 | |
| 2007–08 | Frölunda HC | SHL | 47 | 20 | 18 | 9 | 2737:27 | 116 | 4 | 2.47 | .896 | |
| 2008–09 | Frölunda HC | SEL | 14 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 503 | 24 | 1 | 2.86 | .885 | |
| 2009–10 | KalPa | SM-l | 43 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 2479:04 | 94 | 6 | 2.28 | .903 | |
| 2010–11 | KalPa | SM-l | 51 | 23 | 15 | 11 | 2986 | 106 | 5 | 2.13 | .916 | |
| 2011–12 | KalPa | SM-l | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1092:09 | 27 | 2 | 1.48 | .945 | |
| 2011–12 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 28 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 1581 | 57 | 3 | 2.16 | .929 | |
| 2012–13 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 40 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 2386 | 81 | 4 | 2.04 | .924 | |
| 2013–14 | Barys Astana | KHL | 36 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2085 | 88 | 2 | 2.53 | .914 | |
| 2014–15 | Admiral Vladivostok | KHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 254 | 21 | 0 | 4.96 | .838 | |
| 2015–16 | Ässät | SM-I | 21 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1123 | 49 | 1 | 2.62 | .906 | |
| 2016–17 | Ässät | SM-I | 18 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1005 | 41 | 1 | 2.45 | .910 | |
| 2017–18 | Herning Blue Fox | Metal | 32 | 1831 | 2.33 | .911 | ||||||