Mika Skyttä

Mika Skyttä
Born	April 25, 1973 (1973-04-25) (age 38) Varkaus, Finland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Forward
Shot	Right
Playing career	1992–2007

Mika Skyttä (born April 25, 1973 in Varkaus, Finland is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey player. Skyttä began his career as a junior player with Tappara, one of the major Finnish ice hockey organisations. He played in the Jr. A SM-Liiga, the highest standard of junior hockey in Finland and in his first season, helped Tappara into the post season with 7 points in 15 regular season games. His form would improve when the post-season arrived, and Skytta managed 10 points in 14 playoff games.

Despite this, Skyttä would move clubs and would begin to play regular hockey, again at junior level with Jokipojat, also in the A-Liiga. He would again show his point scoring prowess, totalling 39 points in just 36 games. It would be the same season that he would make his debut at senior standard, featuring in just one game at I Divisioona level. Skyttä would feature more prominently at senior level the season after, 1994/95 although Joensuu were now icing at II Divisioona level. Again Skyttä would prove his quality in the post season, helping Joensuu back to the division above with 21 points in 16 games.

This form ensured his place as a regular first team player for the 1995/96 season, and Skyttä would score 40 points in 44 regular season I Divisioona level. His form was noticed by SaiPa, a team icing in the SM-liiga, the highest standard of hockey in Finland. Skyttä would start slowly for his new team, and despite icing in 50 games in the 1996/97 season scored just 3 points. Despite this he would be re-signed for the season after, and again would prove to be a regular player, icing in 43 games and helping SaiPa into the post-season.

Skyttä would be a popular player in Lappeenranta and would stay with SaiPa for a total of seven seasons. He would prove to be a reliable player, rarely missing games. Skyttä's consistency led to him becoming a firm favourite with the fans, and he would be an honest, if not spectacular point scorer. After his lengthy stay in Lappeenranta, Skyttä would move for the beginning of the 2003/04 season to play for HPK, also in the SM-Liiga. Skyttä would only stay for 18 games though before a mid-season move followed, this time to the Manchester Phoenix of the EIHL, where he would play alongside fellow Finn Petteri Lotila.

It would be Skyttä's first season playing hockey outside his native Finland, but despite this he flourished and managed to score 20 points in 37 regular season games, as well as 2 points in 6 play off contests. Unfortunately for Skyttä, the Manchester organisation temporarily suspended playing activity in the summer of 2004, due to ongoing financial difficulties stemming from the high costs encountered from hiring the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester.

Skyttä would hastily return home, and on arriving back in Finland would re-sign for SaiPa. He would go on to make over 100 appearances in his second spell over a two season period, scoring 24 points in that time. Skyttä would make an emotional departure from Kisapuisto at the end of the 2005/06 season though. He would play his final professional season with Herlev IC, a Danish team icing in the Danish Elitserien. He would sign off with one of his best seasons in terms of point production, and would finish with 25 points in 32 games before retiring from playing professional standard ice hockey.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1992-93	Tappara	Jr. A SM-Liiga		15	2	5	7	0		14	6	4	10	4
1993-94	Jokipojat	Jr. A SM-Liiga		36	15	24	39	14		-	-	-	-	-
1993-94	Jokipojat	I Divisioona		1	0	0	0	0		5	3	1	4	2
1994-95	Jokipojat	II Divisioona		8	5	5	10	2		16	10	11	21	6
1995-96	Jokipojat	I Divisioona		44	16	24	40	32		6	1	3	4	2
1996-97	SaiPa	SM-liiga		50	3	0	3	14		-	-	-	-	-
1997-98	SaiPa	SM-liiga		43	1	5	6	16		3	0	0	0	0
1998-99	SaiPa	SM-liiga		52	9	8	17	18		7	0	2	2	10
1999-00	SaiPa	SM-liiga		52	10	5	15	42		-	-	-	-	-
2000-01	SaiPa	SM-liiga		56	17	13	30	32		-	-	-	-	-
2001-02	SaiPa	SM-liiga		56	12	11	23	26		-	-	-	-	-
2002-03	SaiPa	SM-liiga		48	4	10	14	12		-	-	-	-	-
2003-04	HPK	SM-liiga		18	0	2	2	10		-	-	-	-	-
2003-04	Manchester Phoenix	EIHL		37	9	11	20	16		6	0	2	2	10
2004-05	SaiPa	SM-liiga		56	4	11	15	24		-	-	-	-	-
2005-06	SaiPa	SM-liiga		51	3	6	9	28		8	0	0	0	2
2006-07	Herlev IC	Danish Elitserien		32	9	16	25	36		-	-	-	-	-

External links

• Mika Skyttä's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Mika Skyttä – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Mika Skyttä Personal Profile, Manchester Phoenix Official Website.

Persondata
Name	Skytta, Mika
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 25, 1973
Place of birth	Varkaus, Finland
Date of death
Place of death