Jani Lajunen
Encyclopedia
Jani Lajunen is a Finnish
professional ice hockey
forward who is currently playing for Milwaukee Admirals
in the AHL
. He was selected by the Nashville Predators
in the 7th round (201st overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
.
Having made his debut in SM-liiga
in 2008, he made quick progress and became one of the key players with Espoo Blues
.
He was selected to the Finnish national team for the 2011 IIHF World Championship. At the age of 20 he scored his first national team goal against Norway in the quarterfinals at his second game of the tournament. Lajunen also scored a goal in the semifinals against Russia. Team Finland
went all the way to the final game and swept Sweden 6–1, winning Finland's second IIHF World Championship gold medal to date.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
forward who is currently playing for Milwaukee Admirals
Milwaukee Admirals
The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:...
in the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
. He was selected by the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 7th round (201st overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
2008 NHL Entry Draft
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on June 20–21, 2008...
.
Having made his debut in SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
in 2008, he made quick progress and became one of the key players with Espoo Blues
Espoo Blues
The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division...
.
He was selected to the Finnish national team for the 2011 IIHF World Championship. At the age of 20 he scored his first national team goal against Norway in the quarterfinals at his second game of the tournament. Lajunen also scored a goal in the semifinals against Russia. Team Finland
Finnish national men's ice hockey team
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, or Leijonat / Lejonen , as it is called in Finland, is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association...
went all the way to the final game and swept Sweden 6–1, winning Finland's second IIHF World Championship gold medal to date.