Julius Nättinen Explained

Julius Nättinen
Birth Date:14 January 1997
Birth Place:Jyväskylä, Finland
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:192
Position:Forward
Shoots:Left
League:NL
Team:HC Ajoie
Former Teams:JYP Jyväskylä
HC Ambrì-Piotta
Växjö Lakers
HIFK
Draft:59th overall
Draft Team:Anaheim Ducks
Draft Year:2015
Career Start:2013

Julius Nättinen (born 14 January 1997) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with HIFK of the Liiga. He was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, 59th overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Nättinen played as a youth in his native Finland and made his Liiga debut playing a solitary game with JYP Jyväskylä during the 2013–14 season.[1]

On 16 July 2015, Nättinen was signed to a three-year entry-level contract by the Anaheim Ducks.[2] He left Finland after the draft to continue his development playing major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after he was selected by the Barrie Colts, 51st overall in the CHL Import Draft in 2015.

After his rookie season in the OHL with the Colts in the 2015–16 season and having scored 71 points in just 52 games, Nättinen was traded to the Windsor Spitfires on 26 June 2016.[3]

In his first North American professional season, Nättinen was assigned to the Ducks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, for the duration of the 2017–18 season. Unable to find his scoring touch, Nättinen produced just 4 goals in 55 games. Following the Ducks' 2018 training camp, Nättinen was among the first round of cuts and rather than return to the AHL, opted for a mutual release from his contract with the Ducks on 24 September 2018.[4]

Following the termination of his NHL contract, Nättinen returned to his original Liiga club, JYP Jyväskylä, securing a three-year contract on 25 September 2018.[5] Nättinen led Liiga with 33 goals scored in the 2019–20 season.[6]

On July 3, 2020, Nättinen signed a one-year contract with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL).[7] He was forced to sit out the first two weeks of the regular season in early October with a groin strain.[8] Nättinen then went on to score 12 goals in his first 10 regular season games. He finished his lone season in Switzerland with 17 goals and 25 points through 32 games.

On 20 May 2021, Nättinen moved to Sweden as a free agent, agreeing to a one-year contract with reigning champions Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[9]

After a lone season with Växjö, Nättinen left at the conclusion of his contract with returned to the Finnish Liiga in agreeing to a two-year contract with HIFK on 10 May 2022.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
5 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 2
2014–15 JYP-Akatemia Mestis 39 11 18 29 8 6 0 0 0 2
JYP Liiga 9 0 3 3 0
JYP 4 0 0 0 0
52 22 49 71 18 12 2 6 8 0
OHL 51 13 25 38 16 7 1 3 4 4
Windsor Spitfires 4 2 2 4 6
55 4 8 12 10
JYP Liiga 41 10 13 23 6 2 0 0 0 2
JYP CHL 2 0 0 0 0
JYP Liiga 54 33 22 55 22
32 17 8 25 4
2020-21 HC Ambrì-Piotta 2 1 1 2 0
33 8 12 20 0 4 1 0 1 0
Växjö Lakers CHL 5 1 0 1 0
Liiga 38 12 20 32 8 12 2 4 6 0
HIFK 3 1 1 2 0
HIFK Liiga 60 23 20 43 0 7 2 3 5 2
Liiga totals203 78 78 156 38 21 4 7 11 4
AHL totals55 4 8 12 10 - - - - -
NL totals32 17 8 25 4 - - - - -
SHL totals33 8 12 20 0 4 1 0 1 0

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2013FinlandU177th51010
2014FinlandIH185th41670
2015FinlandU1872242
2016FinlandWJC71232
2017FinlandWJC9th60112
Junior totals 29511166

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2013–14 JYP player statistics . Eliteprospects.com . 1 April 2014 . 1 April 2014.
  2. Web site: Ducks sign second round draft pick Nattinen to entry-level contract . . 16 July 2015 . 16 July 2015.
  3. Web site: Spitfires acquire Nattinen from Colts . . 26 June 2016 . 26 June 2016.
  4. Web site: Ducks announce roster moves . . 24 September 2018 . 24 September 2018 . Chris Johnston.
  5. Web site: Julius Nattinen returns to JYP . . 25 September 2018 . 25 September 2018 . Finnish.
  6. Web site: 2019-2020 Regular Season Player Stats. Elite Prospects. 2020-06-24.
  7. Web site: Julius Nättinen nuovo straniero biancoblù . hcap.ch . 3 July 2020 . 4 July 2020 . Italian.
  8. Web site: Another two weeks of absence for HCAP's Julius Nättinen . swisshockeynews.ch . 5 October 2020 . 5 October 2020.
  9. Web site: . 20 May 2021 . 20 May 2021 . Swedish . Lakers agree to terms with Nättinen.
  10. Web site: Julius Nattinen moves to HIFK . . 10 May 2022 . 10 May 2022 . Finnish.