| Matias Rajaniemi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
(2002-09-11) 11 September 2002 Lahti, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| Mestis team Former teams |
Jokerit Lahti Pelicans SaiPa Bridgeport Islanders HIFK Hockey | ||
| NHL draft |
183rd overall, 2020 New York Islanders | ||
| Playing career | 2020–present | ||
Matias Rajaniemi (born 11 September 2002) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for Jokerit of Mestis. Rajaniemi was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL entry draft by the New York Islanders with the 183rd overall pick.[1][2]
Playing career
Rajaniemi played as a youth within the Lahti Pelicans organization before making his professional debut in the Liiga with the Pelicans during the 2019–20 season. He registered 2 assists through 12 games.
During his fourth season with the Pelicans, having featured in 6 games, Rajaniemi left the club to sign a two-year contract and immediately join SaiPa of the Liiga on 22 November 2022.[3]
At the conclusion of his contract with SaiPa, Rajaniemi joined the New York Islanders' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, on an initial ATO for the remainder of the 2023–24 season while signing a one-year contract for the following season on March 26, 2024.[4]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Lahti Pelicans | Jr. A | 34 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Lahti Pelicans | Jr. A | 39 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Peliitat | Mestis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 46 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 58 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | SaiPa | Liiga | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | SaiPa | Liiga | 53 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Worcester Railers | ECHL | 61 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Bridgeport Islanders | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 200 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 74 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
Representing  Finland | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2022 Canada | |
 | 2021 Canada | |
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Finland | WJC |  |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Finland | WJC |  |
6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
References
- "Matias Rajaniemi". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- "2020 NHL Draft: Complete results, list of picks for Rounds 1-7". NBC. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- "Defenseman Matias Rajaniemi joins SaiPa" (in Finnish). SaiPa. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- "Bridgeport Islanders sign three to AHL contracts". Bridgeport Islanders. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database