Yohann Auvitu

Yohann Auvitu (born July 27, 1989) is a French professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently a free agent.

Yohann Auvitu
Auvitu with HIFK in 2015
Born (1989-07-27) July 27, 1989
Ivry-sur-Seine, France
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NL team
Former teams		 free agent
Mont-Blanc
JYP Jyväskylä
HIFK
New Jersey Devils
Edmonton Oilers
HC Sochi
Luleå HF
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Genève-Servette HC
National team  France
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2006–present

Playing career
Auvitu preparing for face-off with JYP Jyväskylä at the 2011–12 season.

Auvitu left his native France in 2008 to continue his development with JYP Jyväskylä of Finland. He logged his first minutes in Finland's top-flight Liiga during the 2010–11 season. In 2012, he claimed the Finnish championship with JYP as well as the 2013–14 edition of the European Trophy. Auvitu left JYP to sign with fellow Liiga side HIFK prior to the 2014–15 campaign. After reaching the finals with HIFK, he won the 2015–16 Pekka Rautakallio trophy as the best defenceman in the Finnish Liiga. He was the first French player to win a Liiga player award.[1] Auvitu also competed in the Champions Hockey League with HIFK.[2]

Auvitu signed a one-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League on May 27, 2016.[3] He made his NHL debut in the 2016–17 season opener on October 13, 2016 against the Florida Panthers where he got his first NHL point with an assist.[4] On November 11, 2016, Auvitu scored his first NHL goal.[5] He appeared in 25 games with the Devils before splitting the year in the AHL with affiliate, the Albany Devils.

Leaving as a free agent from the Devils in the off-season, Auvitu agreed to a one-year, one-way deal with the Edmonton Oilers on July 10, 2017.[6] Auvitu remained with the Oilers throughout the 2017–18 season, used in a depth role Auvitu registered 3 goals and 9 points in 33 games. He played as a forward for the first time in his career in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, on January 7, 2018.

On July 2, 2018, Auvitu left the NHL as a free agent in signing a two-year contract with Russian club, HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[7] In the 2018–19 season, Auvitu began in a top four defensive role on the blueline for Sochi. He registered 2 goals and 6 points in 25 games with Sochi before opting to mutually terminate his contract with the club on January 15, 2019.[8] On January 13, 2020, he signed with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[9] On January 13, 2021, Auvitu was signed by his former team, HIFK of the Finnish Liiga.[10][11]

For the 2022–23 season, Auvitu was signed to a one-year contract by Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL on August 4, 2022.[12] He featured in 20 regular season games with Nizhnekamsk, registering 3 points before opting to leave the club 27 November 2022. As a free agent leading into 2023, Auvitu later secured an initial one-month contract to join Swiss club, Genève-Servette HC of the NL, on 2 January 2023.[13]

International play

Auvitu has participated in multiple editions of the IIHF World Championship beginning with the 2010 IIHF World Championship tournament as a member of the France National men's ice hockey team.[14]

Personal life

Auvitu married Ilariia Gorelova in 2014. The couple met at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences in central Finland.[15] The couple gave birth to their daughter, Liya Auvitu in March 2016 in Helsinki, Finland.

He is fluent in five languages – French, English, Finnish, Russian and German.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Viry FRA U18 9 2 4 6 4 6 3 5 8 2
2005–06 Mont-Blanc FRA U18 3 10 4 14 0 — — — — —
2005–06 Mont-Blanc II FRA.2 U18 3 4 1 5 2 — — — — —
2006–07 Mont-Blanc FRA U22 11 5 7 12 18 — — — — —
2006–07 Mont-Blanc FRA 23 8 2 10 4 2 0 0 0 0
2007–08 Mont-Blanc FRA U22 15 12 14 26 0 2 5 0 5 0
2007–08 Mont-Blanc FRA 20 5 5 10 8 6 0 3 3 2
2008–09 JYP Jr. A 39 12 14 26 6 — — — — —
2009–10 JYP Jr. A 2 1 2 3 2 — — — — —
2009–10 D Team Mestis 44 9 6 15 12 12 2 1 3 6
2010–11 D Team Mestis 34 10 11 21 34 8 4 2 6 4
2010–11 JYP SM-l 7 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2011–12 JYP SM-l 33 1 1 2 8 11 1 0 1 6
2011–12 JYP-Akatemia Mestis 9 2 4 6 6 — — — — —
2012–13 JYP SM-l 44 3 9 12 18 10 1 1 2 8
2012–13 JYP-Akatemia Mestis 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
2013–14 JYP Liiga 29 1 5 6 8 6 2 1 3 2
2013–14 JYP-Akatemia Mestis 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2014–15 HIFK Liiga 55 8 8 16 10 8 3 2 5 2
2015–16 HIFK Liiga 48 6 15 21 6 18 6 7 13 14
2016–17 New Jersey Devils NHL 25 2 2 4 2 — — — — —
2016–17 Albany Devils AHL 29 5 8 13 2 — — — — —
2017–18 Edmonton Oilers NHL 33 3 6 9 8 — — — — —
2018–19 HC Sochi KHL 25 2 4 6 8 — — — — —
2019–20 Luleå HF SHL 18 0 4 4 2 — — — — —
2020–21 HIFK Liiga 5 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2021–22 HIFK Liiga 46 6 19 25 4 7 3 3 6 2
2022–23 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk KHL 20 1 2 3 8 — — — — —
Liiga totals 267 26 58 84 54 60 16 15 31 34
NHL totals 58 5 8 13 10 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2006 France WJC18 D1 18th 5 2 4 6 2
2007 France WJC18 D1 22nd 5 2 3 5 4
2007 France WJC D1 17th 5 1 0 1 2
2008 France WJC D1 19th 5 0 1 1 2
2009 France WJC D1 15th 5 3 7 10 0
2010 France WC 14th 6 0 2 2 4
2011 France WC 12th 6 0 1 1 2
2012 France WC 9th 6 2 2 4 0
2013 France OGQ NQ 3 0 2 2 0
2013 France WC 13th 7 0 0 0 2
2014 France WC 8th 8 0 2 2 2
2015 France WC 12th 7 0 3 3 0
2016 France WC 14th 7 0 3 3 2
2017 France WC 9th 7 2 5 7 2
2018 France WC 12th 4 0 1 1 0
2022 France WC 12th 7 0 2 2 2
Junior totals 25 8 15 23 10
Senior totals 68 4 23 27 16

References
  1. "Liigakauden parhaat palkittu - HIFK vei pelipaikkojen parhaat, Laine yksimielisesti paras tulokas" (in Finnish). Jatkoaika.com. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  2. "Statistics | Champions Hockey League". www.championshockeyleague.net. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  3. "Devils sign defenseman Yohann Auvitu". NHL.com. May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  4. "Devils fall to Panthers in OT in season opener". NJ.com. October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  5. "Andy Greene lifts Devils over Sabres with penalty shot goal in overtime". NY Daily News. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  6. "Oilers sign Auvitu". NHL.com. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  7. "Yohann Auvitu is a Sochi player" (in Russian). HC Sochi. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  8. "Yohann Auvitu leaves Sochi" (in Russian). HC Sochi. January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  9. Hedlund, Robert (January 13, 2020). "Klart med backförstärkning". Luleå Hockey (in Swedish). Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. Salin, Kim (January 13, 2021). "TIEDOTE: Yohann Auvitu palaa HIFK:hon!". HIFK (in Finnish). Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. Miettinen, Heikki (January 15, 2021). "HIFK:n puolustaja Yohann Auvitu rakastui vaimonsa kanssa Stadiin: "On paljon helmpompaa harjoitella Helsingissä kuin Pariisissa"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  12. ""Нефтехимик" подписал контракт с Йоанном Овитю". hcnh.ru (in Russian). August 4, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  13. "Yohann Auvitu joins the Eagles" (in French). Genève-Servette HC. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  14. IIHF (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Moydart Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-9867964-0-1.
  15. Seravalli, Frank (October 28, 2016). "The unlikely emergence of Yohann Auvitu". TSN.ca. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  16. Pinchevsky, Tal (November 1, 2016). "Meet the World's Most Interesting Hockey Player". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
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