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Joel Kiviranta

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Joel Kiviranta
Kiviranta with Finland in 2012
Born (1996-03-23) March 23, 1996 (age 28)
Vantaa, Finland
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 163 lb (74 kg; 11 st 9 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Colorado Avalanche
Jokerit
Vaasan Sport
Dallas Stars
National team  Finland
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2013–present

Joel Kiviranta (born March 23, 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

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On 12 November 2013, Kiviranta made his Liiga debut playing with Jokerit against the Espoo Blues during the 2013–14 Liiga season.[1]

In the 2018–19 Liiga season, his fifth year with Vaasan Sport, Kiviranta tallied 31 points in 48 games. His 16 goals were third on the team however he was unable to propel Sport to the post-season.

Undrafted, Kiviranta used his NHL-out clause with Sport to sign a two-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on 1 June 2019.[2] His first NHL goal was an even strength goal against the New Jersey Devils on 1 February 2020, against the goaltender Louis Domingue to give the Dallas Stars a 2–1 lead, and they went on to win the game in overtime 3–2.[3]

On 4 September 2020, Kiviranta, who was called up as a Black Ace for the Stars, substituted in for injured Stars forward Andrew Cogliano in the seventh and decisive game of the Second Round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche. He helped send the Stars into the Conference Finals by scoring a hat-trick, including the game-winning overtime goal.[4]

On 31 July 2021, the Stars re-signed Kiviranta to a two-year, $2.1 million contract extension.[5]

On 28 August 2023, Kiviranta agreed to a professional tryout with the Avalanche to attend their 2023 training camp.[6] He was released from the agreement on 5 October, but was invited to attend the training camp of the Avalanche's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.[7] On 11 October, the Eagles signed Kiviranta to a one-year contract.[8] He began the 2023–24 season with six points in ten games. On 12 November, the Avalanche signed Kiviranta to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.[9] He made his debut for the team on 15 November, recording one goal and two assists in an 8-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.[10] Despite the initial offensive outburst, Kiviranta settled into a fourth-line utility role, and continued with the Avalanche for the remainder of the season, finishing with 3 goals and 9 points through 56 regular season appearances. In the playoffs, Kiviranta was originally slated to be a healthy scratch, however was inserted into the lineup through injury to Jonathan Drouin. Known to elevate his game in the post-season, he added a goal and assist through the first-round series win over the Winnipeg Jets. He finished with 8 appearances as the Avalanche fell to former club, the Dallas Stars, in the second-round.[11]

As a pending free agent, Kiviranta was re-signed by the Avalanche to a one-year, $775,000 contract for the 2024–25 season on 1 July 2024.[12]

International play

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Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Finland
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Slovakia

Kiviranta was selected to make his senior international debut with Finland at the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in Bratislava, Slovakia.[13] He finished with 2 goals and 3 points in 9 games to help Finland claim the gold medal in a victory over Canada on May 26, 2019.[14]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 Jokerit FIN U18 10 2 4 6 0 4 2 0 2 2
2011–12 Jokerit FIN U20 20 4 1 5 4
2012–13 Jokerit FIN U18 1 1 0 1 2 10 4 2 6 2
2012–13 Jokerit FIN U20 40 7 13 20 35
2013–14 Jokerit FIN U18 2 1 2 3 0 9 2 6 8 12
2013–14 Jokerit FIN U20 38 18 19 37 40 4 0 0 0 0
2013–14 Jokerit Liiga 1 0 0 0 2
2014–15 Sport FIN U20 6 5 0 5 6
2014–15 Sport Liiga 47 8 5 13 10
2015–16 Sport FIN U20 1 1 1 2 0
2015–16 Sport Liiga 48 6 6 12 22 2 0 0 0 0
2015–16 Hermes Mestis 1 0 1 1 2
2016–17 Sport Liiga 58 11 10 21 20
2017–18 Sport Liiga 59 19 18 37 24
2018–19 Sport Liiga 48 16 15 31 18
2019–20 Texas Stars AHL 48 12 11 23 25
2019–20 Dallas Stars NHL 11 1 0 1 4 14 5 1 6 4
2020–21 Dallas Stars NHL 26 6 5 11 6
2021–22 Dallas Stars NHL 56 1 6 7 10 7 0 1 1 4
2022–23 Dallas Stars NHL 70 8 1 9 40 15 1 4 5 2
2023–24 Colorado Eagles AHL 10 2 4 6 8
2023–24 Colorado Avalanche NHL 56 3 6 9 12 8 1 1 2 4
Liiga totals 261 60 54 114 96 2 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 219 19 18 37 72 44 7 7 14 14

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 Finland IH18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 0 0 0 0
2013 Finland U17 7th 5 2 2 4 0
2013 Finland WJC18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 0
2013 Finland IH18 5th 4 2 1 3 4
2014 Finland WJC18 6th 5 1 0 1 18
2019 Finland WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 9 2 1 3 0
Junior totals 26 5 3 8 22
Senior totals 9 2 1 3 0

References

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  1. ^ "OTTELUTILASTOT - 12.11.2013 - Jokerit - Blues - LIIGA" [Game summary - 12.11.2013 - Jokerit - Blues - LIIGA]. Jatkoaika (in Finnish). November 12, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  2. ^ "Stars sign Forward Joel Kiviranta". NHL.com. Dallas Stars. June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. ^ "Pavelski scores in OT to lift Stars over Devils 3-2". ESPN. February 1, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  4. ^ O'Brien, James (September 4, 2020). "Stars win Game 7 OT thriller vs. Avalanche; Joel Kiviranta unlikely hat trick hero". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "Stars sign forward Joel Kiviranta to two-year, $2.1M contract". Sportsnet.ca. July 31, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Agrees to professional tryout". CBS Sports. August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  7. ^ "Joel Kiviranta: Released by Colorado". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "COLORADO EAGLES ADD FORWARDS KIVIRANTA, HOLLAND". Colorado Eagles. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  9. ^ "Avalanche Sign Forward Joel Kiviranta". Colorado Avalanche. November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Boulding, Ryan. "Avalanche pull away, score 8 in win against Ducks". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  11. ^ "Once an Avalanche killer, Joel Kiviranta is showing his value as a depth player". The Denver Post. April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  12. ^ "Avalanche signs Joel Kiviranta". Colorado Avalanche. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "Miesten MM-kisat käyntiin perjantaina - Suomen MM-joukkue valittu" [Men's World Cup kicks off on Friday - Finnish World Championship team selected]. leijonat.fi (in Finnish). May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  14. ^ "Finland defeats Canada for Gold Medal at World Championship". The Sports Network. May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
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