- Lasse Kukkonen
Infobox Ice Hockey Player
image_size = 200px
team =Philadelphia Flyers
former_teams =Chicago Blackhawks
league = NHL
position = Defence
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 187
nationality = FIN
birth_date = birth date and age|1981|9|18
birth_place =Oulu , FIN
draft = 151st overall
draft_year = 2003
draft_team =Chicago Blackhawks
career_start = 2004Lasse Kukkonen (born
September 18 ,1981 inOulu ,Finland ) is a Finnish professionalice hockey defenceman. He plays for thePhiladelphia Flyers in theNational Hockey League (NHL).Playing career
He was drafted by the
Chicago Blackhawks as their fifth-round pick, #151 overall, in the2003 NHL Entry Draft .Kukkonen played 10 NHL games in the
2003–04 NHL season , after which he returned to his hometownKärpät in theSM-liiga . Kukkonen won the SM-liiga gold medal withKärpät in 2005. OnFebruary 26 ,2007 Kukkonen was dealt to thePhiladelphia Flyers along with a 3rd round draft pick in a three-way deal with theChicago Blackhawks andDetroit Red Wings . With the Flyers, Kukkonen was put on a defensive pairing withJoni Pitkänen , also a native of Oulu. The two were also a pairing for 4 years in Finland. On May 17, 2007 he signed a 2-year contract with the Flyers.He was named to the Finnish Olympic team at the
2006 Winter Olympics after defencemanSami Salo was injured, and played in both the semifinal match versusRussia and thegold medal match versusSweden .Awards
*2005–06
Pekka Rautakallio trophy Career statistics
International play
Kukkonen has played for Finland in the following competitions:
* 2006 Winter Olympics (silver medal)
External links
*
* [http://www.nhlfinns.com/players.aspx?pid=112 Lasse Kukkonen] on nhlfinns.com
* [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=278997 Article on NHL.com] NHL.com article on Kärpät Oulu and TPS Turku. Retrieved 7–7–06.
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