Trent Daavettila
Encyclopedia
Trent Daavettila is an American 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...

 player who currently plays for the Kalamazoo Wings
Kalamazoo Wings
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Eastern Conference, North Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium....

 of the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

. After beginning his college hockey career with Finlandia University
Finlandia University
Finlandia University is a university in Hancock, Michigan, United States, and the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi College, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.-History:...

, he transferred to Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...

, but failed to gain a place on their team. He remained at Michigan Tech and played for an upper-level men's amateur team while earning a civil engineering degree. Daavettila tried out for numerous minor league hockey teams after graduating from college, but was not accepted by any. Months later, however, he was signed to a professional tryout contract by the Kalamazoo Wings
Kalamazoo Wings
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Eastern Conference, North Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium....

. Daavettila remained with the team, and two seasons later he tied for the team scoring lead and was named a second-team all-star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...

 by the ECHL. Through the 2010–11 season, he has also played in 16 American Hockey League
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...

 games.

Early life

Daavettila was born on September 3, 1984. He grew up in Howell, Michigan
Howell, Michigan
Howell is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 9,489. It is the county seat of Livingston County and is located mostly within Howell Township, but is politically independent from Howell Township...

, as the second oldest in a family of eleven children. His first exposure to ice hockey was in his backyard, where his family had constructed a rink. Through crowded pick-up game
Pick-up game
In sports, a pick-up game is a game that has been spontaneously started by a group of players. Unlike exhibition games and regular games, players are generally invited to show up beforehand, but there is no sense of obligation or commitment to play. Pick-up games usually lack officials and...

s, Daavettila learned to stickhandle. "You'd always want to stickhandle your way down. It was never cool to score from far out", he said.

Playing career

Daavettila graduated from Howell High School in 2002 and enrolled at Finlandia University
Finlandia University
Finlandia University is a university in Hancock, Michigan, United States, and the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi College, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.-History:...

 in Hancock, Michigan. He played in ten games for Finlandia's varsity hockey team, a member of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference...

 in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and scored three goals and ten assists before moving on. Daavettila transferred to Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...

, just across Portage Lake from Finlandia, and attempted to join the Division I Michigan Tech Huskies
Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey
The Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college ice hockey program that represents Michigan Technological University. The Huskies are a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association...

 hockey team as a walk-on, but failed to do so. He continued to study civil engineering at Michigan Tech while playing for the Portage Lake Pioneers, a high-level men's amateur team playing in the Great Lakes Hockey League
Great Lakes Hockey League
The Great Lakes Hockey League is an elite amateur adult men’s full contact ice hockey league that is affiliated with USA Hockey. Players must be at least 18 years of age and most have previous college, Junior or semi-pro hockey experience. There are currently ten teams in the league in two...

. During his five years with the Pioneers, Daavettila scored at a rate of more than a point per game and in 2005 he won a national championship with them.

Daavettila graduated from Michigan Tech in 2008 and tried out for the Flint Generals
Flint Generals
The Flint Generals were a professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan.They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint, Michigan....

 of the International Hockey League (IHL). He appeared in two games for the Generals at the end of the season (for only about three shifts
Line (ice hockey)
A line in ice hockey is a term used to describe a group of forwards that play in a group, or shift, during a game.A complete forward line consists of a left wing, a center, and a right wing, while a pair of defensemen who play together are called a "defensive pairing." Typically, a team dresses...

), and did not register a point. Daavettila had not originally planned to pursue a professional hockey career, but said "When I got one skate with Flint, it kind of sparked my interest and I decided to give it a try". During the off-season, Daavettila worked for a structural engineering firm in Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...

. He used vacation time at the start of the next hockey season later in 2008 to try out for the Grand Rapids Griffins
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League....

 of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Muskegon Lumberjacks
Muskegon Lumberjacks (1992–2010)
The Muskegon Lumberjacks was an International Hockey League ice hockey team located in Muskegon, Michigan. After the 2010 season the team folded, and the Evansville IceMen Owner Ron Geary purchased the franchise rights of the former Muskegon Lumberjacks, from the International Hockey League and...

 (IHL), though he was rejected by both teams. Tryouts with two more IHL teams, the Kalamazoo Wings
Kalamazoo Wings
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Eastern Conference, North Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium....

 and the Bloomington PrairieThunder, did not result in a contract either. Daavettila assumed his hockey career was over and went back to his engineering job, but he continued to skate a couple times a week. He had left an impression on Kalamazoo coach Nick Bootland
Nick Bootland
Nick Bootland is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He is currently the head coach of the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL.Bootland was selected by the Dallas Stars in the 9th round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft....

, however, who called Daavettila back in March 2009 after his team was depleted by injuries. "You could see he had a skill set," said Bootland. "But I thought the way he held on to the puck, he was going to get himself killed. ... You kept thinking he was going to make a mistake. Then he'd pop a guy for a breakaway."

Bootland played Daavettila for two shifts in his first game with the Wings and more in his second game. Daavettila responded with his first professional hockey goal and went on to score 9 goals and 9 assists in 20 games for the Wings that season. During the off-season, the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 of the NHL invited Daavettila to participate in a development camp for their recent draftees and other prospects. "It was the hardest I've ever had to push myself as far as conditioning and the longevity of it", said Daavettila. Also during the off-season, the Kalamazoo Wings left the IHL to become members of the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

, and Daavettila was one of the first players the team signed to play in their new league. "It was a weird feeling knowing you had a ... plan for next year, somebody actually wants you", he said.

Daavettila scored 8 goals among 14 points in the Wings' first 14 games of the 2009–10 ECHL season, helping the team to achieve the best record of the league's 25 teams at that point. His performance prompted the Adirondack Phantoms
Adirondack Phantoms
The Adirondack Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League , who began play in the 2009–10 AHL season. The Phantoms are based in Glens Falls, New York, playing home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Phantoms are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers...

 (AHL) to sign Daavettila to a professional tryout contract when the team was beset by injuries early in the season. Daavettila played eleven games for the Phantoms, as center of the third and fourth lines
Line (ice hockey)
A line in ice hockey is a term used to describe a group of forwards that play in a group, or shift, during a game.A complete forward line consists of a left wing, a center, and a right wing, while a pair of defensemen who play together are called a "defensive pairing." Typically, a team dresses...

, and collected two assists before being sent back to Kalamazoo. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to another professional tryout by the Grand Rapids Griffins, for whom he played in two games and scored his first AHL goal by deflecting a shot by Andy Delmore
Andy Delmore
Andrew Delmore is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for Lørenskog IK of the Norwegian GET-ligaen. In his 283 NHL games, Delmore has recorded 43 goals and 58 assists, totalling 101 points...

. Daavettila was later called up again and played in two more games for Adirondack. Meanwhile, while with Kalamazoo, he scored 19 goals and added 30 assists in 51 games to finish fourth on the team in scoring. In the playoffs, Daavettila continued his point-per-game scoring rate, but the Wings lost their first-round series to the Reading Royals
Reading Royals
The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Sovereign Center located in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania...

. In July, he was one of the first players signed by the Wings for the following season.

Daavettila began the 2010–11 season at the Grand Rapids Griffins training camp, but again did not make the team. Back with the Wings, he centered a line with Brady Leisenring
Brady Leisenring
Brady Leisenring is an American professional ice hockey player currently with ESV Kaufbeuren of the German 2nd Bundesliga.-Playing career:...

 and Andrew Fournier
Andrew Fournier
Andrew Fournier is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Olofströms IK in the Swedish Division 1....

 and had a 12-game point-scoring streak early in the season. In early January, Daavettila was loaned to the Griffins, where he played in one game before being returned. He was named ECHL Player of the Week for the week ending on February 13 after scoring five goals and two assists in four games, including his first professional hat trick on February 12 against the Greenville Road Warriors
Greenville Road Warriors
The Greenville Road Warriors are a professional ice hockey team located in Greenville, South Carolina. The team is a member of the ECHL and play their home games at the BI-LO Center in downtown Greenville. The franchise had previously played as the Johnstown Chiefs from the ECHL's inception in...

. He was on a seven-game point streak at the end of the month and was named ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for having the best plus-minus in February and ECHL Player of the Month for scoring 8 goals and 14 assists in his team's 14 games. Now on a line with Fournier and Darryl Lloyd
Darryl Lloyd
Darryl Lloyd is a Canadian ice hockey player. He is currently playing for the Belfast Giants in the Elite Ice Hockey League ....

, Daavettila extended his point streak to eleven games and helped Kalamazoo gain a place in the playoffs in March. He finished the season with 80 points to tie with Kory Karlander
Kory Karlander
Kory Karlander is an Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL....

 as Kalamazoo's lead scorers; the pair tied for fourth in league scoring. Daavettila was also named an ECHL second-team all-star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...

 and shared the ECHL Reebok Plus Performer Award with Brendan Connolly
Brendan Connolly
Brendan Connolly is an Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Greenville Road Warriors in the ECHL.-External links:...

 of the Greenville Road Warriors. In the playoffs, Daavettila scored 6 goals and 22 assists in 18 games, leading the league in playoff scoring, and helped the Wings defeat the Florida Everblades
Florida Everblades
The Florida Everblades are an ECHL ice hockey team playing in the Southeast Division. The team is based in Estero, Florida and plays at Germain Arena . The team has existed since 1998...

, Reading Royals and Wheeling Nailers
Wheeling Nailers
The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL....

 on their way to the Kelly Cup
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...

 Finals. In that series, Kalamazoo lost to the Alaska Aces 4–1.

Personal life

Daavettila married his wife Wendy on August 7, 2010. During the 2009 and 2010 off-seasons, he worked for Tetra Tech
Tetra Tech
Tetra Tech is a provider of consulting, engineering, construction and technical services which includes resource management and infrastructure, based out of Pasadena, CA. With approximately 12,000 employees in various countries, including individuals with expertise in science, research,...

 in Howell, Michigan.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

Team League GP G
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...

A
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...

Pts
Point (ice hockey)
Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...

PIM
Penalty (ice hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...

GP G A Pts PIM
2002–03 Finlandia University
Finlandia University
Finlandia University is a university in Hancock, Michigan, United States, and the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi College, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.-History:...

MCHA
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference...

10 3 10 13 0
2005–06 Portage Lake Pioneers GLHL
Great Lakes Hockey League
The Great Lakes Hockey League is an elite amateur adult men’s full contact ice hockey league that is affiliated with USA Hockey. Players must be at least 18 years of age and most have previous college, Junior or semi-pro hockey experience. There are currently ten teams in the league in two...

14 10 20 30 2
2006–07 Portage Lake Pioneers GLHL 20 25 15 40 12
2007–08 Portage Lake Pioneers GLHL 11 18 11 29 4 2 2 0 2 2
2007–08 Flint Generals
Flint Generals
The Flint Generals were a professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan.They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint, Michigan....

IHL 2 0 0 0 0
2008–09 Kalamazoo Wings
Kalamazoo Wings
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Eastern Conference, North Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium....

IHL 20 9 9 18 6 6 1 1 2 0
2009–10 Kalamazoo Wings ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

51 19 30 49 24 5 3 2 5 0
2009–10 Adirondack Phantoms
Adirondack Phantoms
The Adirondack Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League , who began play in the 2009–10 AHL season. The Phantoms are based in Glens Falls, New York, playing home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Phantoms are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers...

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...

13 0 2 2 2
2009–10 Grand Rapids Griffins
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League....

AHL 2 1 0 1 0
2010–11 Kalamazoo Wings ECHL 71 32 48 80 24 18 6 22 28 8
2010–11 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 1 0 0 0 0
AHL totals 16 1 2 3 2
ECHL totals 122 51 78 129 48 23 9 24 33 8

Statistics as of the end of the 2010–11 season.
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