Toni Koivisto Explained

Position:Left wing
Shoots:Left
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:191
Birth Date:1982 11, df=yes
Birth Place:Ylitornio, Finland
Career Start:1999
Career End:2021
Draft:200th overall
Draft Year:2001
Draft Team:Florida Panthers
Played For:Lukko
Ilves
Kärpät
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Frölunda HC
Luleå HF

Toni Koivisto (born 5 November 1982 in Ylitornio) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. His career spanned 21 seasons and was played in top leagues in Finland, Sweden, and Russia.

Playing career

A native of Ylitornio, in Finnish Lapland, Koivisto moved to Rauma as a teenager in 1998 to play for Lukko, as northern Finland lacked an SM-liiga team at that time. After one year spent with the Lukko junior-A team, Koivisto debuted in the SM-liiga in the 1999–2000 season, although he still split his time between the adult and the junior teams. In 2000, Koivisto appeared in the U18 World Championships and won the gold medal with Team Finland. He also represented Finland in the 2001 and 2002 World Junior Championships, coming home with silver and bronze, respectively.

After six mediocre seasons with Lukko, Koivisto moved to Tampere to play for Ilves. In his first season there he reached for the first time the 30 points mark, and the 40 points mark in the two following seasons.

In 2008, Koivisto returned to the north to play for Oulun Kärpät, the closest major club to Ylitornio, which had been promoted to SM-liiga in his absence. In Oulu, Koivisto rose to stardom, scoring 62 points in 58 games during both of his two seasons with Kärpät.

Koivisto signed a two-year contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on 26 May 2009.[1] In his first season with Metallurg in 2009–10, Koivisto struggled offensively scoring only 19 points in 51 games, he forwent his final year and signed a new two-year contract with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Elitserien (SEL) on 20 May 2010.[2]

After scoring only 1 goal in the 2011–12 season's first 17 games, Frölunda and Koivisto decided to split apart on 31 October 2011. He subsequently signed a one-season contract with Luleå HF of the same league (Elitserien) on 6 November 2011, expiring after the end of the 2011–12 season.[3] [4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
1998–99LukkoFIN U18865112
1998–99LukkoFIN U20245278
1999–2000LukkoFIN U1831128
1999–2000LukkoFIN U2029211233882130
1999–2000LukkoSM-liiga121012
2000–01LukkoFIN U201691524610000
2000–01LukkoSM-liiga47516620000
2000–01UJKMestis20000
2001–02LukkoFIN U20673102
2001–02LukkoSM-liiga52410148
2002–03LukkoSM-liiga56761316
2003–04LukkoSM-liiga5448125740000
2004–05LukkoSM-liiga561710271691232
2005–06IlvesSM-liiga561913322810000
2006–07IlvesSM-liiga562120411674480
2007–08IlvesSM-liiga451426401250002
2008–09KärpätSM-liiga58233962121465112
2009–10Metallurg MagnitogorskKHL51118191681122
2010–11Frölunda HCSEL541492312
2011–12Frölunda HCSEL171016
2011–12Luleå HFSEL359817052350
2012–13Luleå HFSEL5010162612152350
2013–14LukkoLiiga5915132822102352
2014–15LukkoLiiga5815173261455108
2015–16LukkoLiiga581729461251342
2016–17LukkoLiiga5411273822
2017–18LukkoLiiga601219311620000
2018–19LukkoLiiga581811291671234
2019–20LukkoLiiga56917266
2020–21LukkoLiiga49871514101120
Liiga totals9442202734932879021254622
SEL totals156343367302046100

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
2000FinlandWJC1870330
2001FinlandWJC70110
2002FinlandWJC73472
Junior totals2138112

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Finnish offensive star for Magnitogorsk . hockeysverige.se . Pettersson . Robert . 2009-05-26 . 2010-04-25 . Swedish.
  2. Web site: Mäenpää, Koivisto, Wallén och Hedman klara . frolundaindians.com . . Gyllander . Peter . 2010-05-20 . 2010-05-20 . Swedish.
  3. Web site: Frölunda och Koivisto överens . frolundaindians.com . . Gyllander . Peter . Swedish . 2011-10-31 . 2011-11-06.
  4. Web site: Luleå Hockey värvar finskt . luleahockey.se . . Hedlund . Robert . Swedish . 2011-11-06 . 2011-11-06.