Joona Koppanen blew the bank in his SHL debut – Finns in a fierce strike
Finnish players were prominently featured in the opening round of the SHL season in Sweden on Saturday.
The brightest star of the entire round was Luleå’s new NHL reinforcement Joona Koppanen, 28, who scored an impressive 3+1 in his SHL debut.
Koppanen led Luleå to a 4–2 victory over Rögle, being involved in every goal of his team.
The Finnish forward took his new team on his back in the second period, initiating the hosts’ comeback from a two-goal deficit to victory.
Other Finnish players in Luleå were also strongly present. Anton Levtchi collected two assists, and Markus Nurmi provided the setup for Koppanen’s opening goal.
Koppanen moved to the SHL this season after spending just over five seasons in North America. Last season, Koppanen played 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, most of the season was spent in the AHL farm league.
Finnish players were also prominently featured in other SHL locations.
Malmö’s Lauri Pajuniemi recorded 1+2 and Janne Kuokkanen collected three assists. Frölunda’s Patrik Puistola also logged three points (1+2).
Among the defensemen, Linköping’s Mikko Kokkonen and Malmö’s Oliwer Kaski both had two-point nights, each recording 1+1.
The most dominant performance of the opening round was delivered by Färjestad, who decisively swept Örebro off the ice with a score of 7–0.
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