Alex Lintuniemi

Alex Lintuniemi (born 23 September 1995) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing with BK Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, 60th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Alex Lintuniemi
Luntuniemi with the Manchester Monarchs in 2016
Born (1995-09-23) 23 September 1995
Helsinki, Finland
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 231 lb (105 kg; 16 st 7 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
ELH team
Former teams		 BK Mladá Boleslav
Manchester Monarchs
Ontario Reign
Charlotte Checkers
Lahti Pelicans
JYP Jyväskylä
Barys Nur-Sultan
NHL Draft 60th overall, 2014
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

Lintuniemi played as a youth in his native Finland within the junior programs of HIFK and Jokerit before he was selected 2 overall in the 2013 CHL Import Draft by the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

After his first season of major junior hockey in North America, posting 21 points in 68 games from the blueline, Lintuniemi was selected in the second round, 60th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings.

In the 2014–15 season, Lintuniemi continued his development with the 67's establishing junior highs of 7 goals and 36 points in 58 games. After a first-round exit in the post-season, Lintuniemi was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on 8 April 2015.[2] He was immediately assigned to join AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, appearing in 4 regular season games for 1 assist. Lintuniemi remained on the roster through the post-season, practising with the club as they claimed the Calder Cup in their final season in the AHL.[3]

Embarking on his first full professional season in 2015–16 season, Lintuniemi endured a wrist surgery limiting him to just 38 games in remaining with the Manchester Monarchs through their inaugural season in the ECHL. In his second season within the Kings organization, Lintuniemi was elevated to the AHL with the Ontario Reign, posting 10 points in 41 games during the 2016–17 campaign.

In the following 2017–18 season, Lintuniemi established new career highs with 4 goals and 24 points in 64 regular season games with the Reign. As a restricted free agent he was signed to a one-year, two-way extension with the Kings on 19 July 2018.[4] Lintuniemi continued his tenure with the Reign, providing a two-way game while besting his previous season totals with 23 assists and 25 points from 67 games, in his third year on Ontario's blueline.

As an impending restricted free agent, Lintuniemi was not tendered a qualifying offer, releasing him as a free agent from the Los Angeles Kings. On 9 July 2019, he was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.[5]

After attending his first training camp with the Hurricanes, he was assigned to begin the 2019–20 season, with AHL affiliate and defending Calder Cup champions, the Charlotte Checkers.[6] Unable to emerge from the depth on the blueline with the Checkers, Lintuniemi was limited to just 4 games through the first month of the season. With limited NHL prospects, Lintuniemi was placed on unconditional waivers by the Hurricanes in order to mutually terminate his contract on 7 November 2019.[7]

As a free agent, Lintuniemi opted to return to Finland, agreeing to a contract for the remainder of the 2019–20 season with the Lahti Pelicans of the Liiga on 9 November 2019.[8] Lintuniemi made 24 appearances with the Pelicans, posting 6 points, before agreeing to a switch to join fellow Liiga club, JYP Jyväskylä on a multi-year contract, on 3 February 2020.[9]

In the following 2020–21 season, Lintuniemi registered just 1 goal and 4 points through 11 games before opting to leave JYP and the Liiga. He was subsequently signed for the remainder of the season with Kazakhstani based club, Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL, on 8 December 2020.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 Jokerit Jr. A 3 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2012–13 Jokerit Jr. A 38 4 10 14 76 — — — — —
2012–13 Kiekko-Vantaa Mestis 11 1 2 3 6 — — — — —
2013–14 Ottawa 67's OHL 68 4 17 21 26 — — — — —
2014–15 Ottawa 67's OHL 58 7 29 36 22 6 1 2 3 2
2014–15 Manchester Monarchs AHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2015–16 Manchester Monarchs ECHL 38 1 17 18 8 5 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Ontario Reign AHL 41 2 8 10 6 5 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Ontario Reign AHL 64 4 20 24 30 4 0 2 2 0
2018–19 Ontario Reign AHL 67 2 23 25 22 — — — — —
2019–20 Charlotte Checkers AHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 24 2 4 6 28 — — — — —
2019–20 JYP Jyväskylä Liiga 9 0 0 0 8 — — — — —
2020–21 JYP Jyväskylä Liiga 11 1 3 4 6 — — — — —
2020–21 Barys Nur-Sultan KHL 23 0 3 3 8 6 0 1 1 4
2021–22 BK Mladá Boleslav ELH 33 4 2 6 4 14 1 3 4 0
2021–22 HC Slavia Praha Czech.1 1 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
Liiga totals 44 3 7 10 42 — — — — —
KHL totals 23 0 3 3 8 6 0 1 1 4

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 Finland IH18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 4 0 1 1 4
2013 Finland U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 2 2 8
2015 Finland WJC 7th 5 0 0 0 2
Junior totals 16 0 3 3 14

References
  1. "2015 Top 25 Under 25, #21: Alex Lintuniemi". SB Nation. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  2. "Alex Lintuniemi signs three-year contract". Los Angeles Kings. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  3. "Manchester Monarchs, Kings AHL affiliate, win 2015 Calder Cup". NBC Sports. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  4. "Alex Lintuniemi signs one-year, two-way contract with LA Kings". Los Angeles Kings. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  5. "Canes sign Lintuniemi to one-year, two-way contract". Carolina Hurricanes. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  6. "Canes trim training camp roster by 7". Carolina Hurricanes. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  7. "Canes place Lintuniemi on unconditional waivers". Charlotte Checkers. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  8. "Alex Lintuniemi joins the Pelicans" (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  9. "Alex Lintuniemi will join JYP" (in Finnish). JYP Jyväskylä. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  10. "Alex Lintuniemi at Barys until end of season" (in Russian). Barys Nur-Sultan. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
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