Joonas Lyytinen

Joonas Lyytinen (born April 4, 1995) is a Finnish ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was chosen by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round, 132nd overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Joonas Lyytinen
Born	(1995-04-04) April 4, 1995 (age 30) Espoo, Finland
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	159 lb (72 kg; 11 st 5 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
SHL team Former teams	Leksands IF KalPa Milwaukee Admirals HIFK Timrå IK
NHL draft	132nd overall, 2014 Nashville Predators
Playing career	2013–present

Playing career

Lyytinen made his professional debut in the Liiga with KalPa during the 2013–14 Liiga season. In his first appearances, he gained valuable experience competing against seasoned players in Finland's top league.^[1]

After playing his entire junior career and four professional seasons in the Liiga with KalPa, Lyytinen departed the team by signing a one-year contract with another Finnish club, Oulun Kärpät, on May 2, 2017.^[2] However, just over a month later, on June 16, 2017, he chose to pursue an NHL opportunity, agreeing to a two-year entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators, the team that had drafted him.^[3]

During the final year of his entry-level contract in the 2018–19 season, Lyytinen faced challenges in making a significant impact with the Milwaukee Admirals, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Nashville Predators. Despite his efforts, he was unable to secure a regular spot in the lineup or meet the organization's expectations for development. As a result, both Lyytinen and the Predators agreed to part ways, and on December 28, 2018, he was placed on unconditional waivers to mutually terminate his contract.^[4] Soon after clearing waivers and becoming an unrestricted free agent, Lyytinen opted to return to his home country of Finland. On December 30, 2018, he signed a three-year contract with HIFK, one of the top clubs in the Finnish Liiga.^[5]

In his fifth year with HIFK, Lyytinen began the 2022-23 Liiga season but saw limited action, appearing in just seven games. On October 19, 2022, Lyytinen signed a two-year contract with Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).^[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011–12	KalPa	Jr. A		5	1	3	4	6		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	KalPa	Jr. A		31	4	9	13	30		3	0	0	0	4
2013–14	KalPa	Jr. A		24	7	17	24	32		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	KalPa	Liiga		30	3	6	9	24		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	KalPa	Liiga		52	8	9	17	34		6	0	0	0	6
2015–16	KalPa	Liiga		47	2	7	9	22		3	0	0	0	0
2015–16	KalPa	Jr. A		—	—	—	—	—		8	2	4	6	10
2016–17	KalPa	Liiga		54	8	16	24	34		18	2	5	7	16
2017–18	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		34	1	4	5	28		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Norfolk Admirals	ECHL		5	3	1	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Atlanta Gladiators	ECHL		4	1	1	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		20	0	3	3	6		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	HIFK	Liiga		24	2	11	13	18		13	0	2	2	6
2019–20	HIFK	Liiga		46	1	16	17	20		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	HIFK	Liiga		34	12	10	22	28		8	1	4	5	2
2021–22	HIFK	Liiga		19	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	HIFK	Liiga		7	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Timrå IK	SHL		37	4	11	15	12		7	2	1	3	10
2023–24	Timrå IK	SHL		34	2	6	8	16		2	0	0	0	2
2024–25	Leksands IF	SHL		47	3	9	12	44		—	—	—	—	—
Liiga totals				313	36	77	113	184		48	3	11	14	30

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012	Finland	IH18			5	0	0	0	0
2015	Finland	WJC	7th		5	0	1	1	4
Junior totals					10	0	1	1	4