Lauri Korpikoski

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size =
position = Left Wing
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 195
team = New York Rangers
league = NHL
prospect_team =
prospect_league =
nationality = FIN
birth_date = birth date and age|1986|7|28
birth_place = Turku, Finland
career_start = 2006
draft = 19th overall
draft_year = 2004
draft_team = New York Rangers
nickname =

Lauri Korpikoski (born July 28, 1986 in Turku, Finland) is a Finnish ice hockey player for the New York Rangers.

He was drafted in the first round, 19th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Korpikoski played for the TPS junior team in the SM-liiga before moving up to the main team for the 2004–05 season. He played 2 seasons there before joining the Hartford Wolf Pack after his 2005–06 season. He played 5 regular season games and 11 playoff games.In the 2006–07 AHL season, Korpikoski had 11 goals and 38 points for the Wolf Pack.
In the 2007–08 AHL season, his second year with the Wolf Pack, he bested his previous year's totals, scoring 23 goals and having 50 points. He also had 2 points in 5 playoff games.
Following the Wolf Pack's quick exit from the AHL Playoffs, Korpikoski was named to the Rangers "taxi squad." He dressed for game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, on May 4, 2008. 2:03 into the third period, Lauri scored his first NHL goal on his second NHL shot. The goal brought the Rangers to within 1 goal of tying (which they did) but they eventually lost in overtime. The loss eliminated the team from the playoffs.

After scoring points in every preseason game in which he played, Korpikoski survived cuts to make the Rangers' 23-man roster for the start of the 2008–09 season. He was the only Rangers rookie to make the team.

Career statistics

External links

*hockeydb|78675
*TSN-NHL-profile|4651