Pelicans signed a familiar defender from another Liiga team – in the lineup today
The Pelicans have signed a try-out contract with defender Hannes Häkkilä until the end of October. If Häkkilä secures a spot on the Pelicans team during his trial period, his contract with the club will cover the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
Häkkilä, 23, played the last one and a half seasons with Sport. Last season, he recorded 1+15 points in 54 games. Häkkilä’s plus-minus statistic in the regular season was -26.
In his Liiga career, Häkkilä has played a total of 136 regular season games (5+34=39) and five playoff games (1+0). In addition to Sport, he has represented Jukurit. In Mestis, Häkkilä has played for teams including Jokereita and IPK.
– Hannes is an interesting player in whom we see potential. He is a mobile defender who can play with the puck and bring his strengths to our game, Pelicans’ sports director Jarkko Oikarinen states in the club’s announcement.
– Hannes comes to us motivated and eager to seize this opportunity. We believe he will embrace it well and confidently show his skills while building his role in the team, Oikarinen continues.
Pelicans’ head coach Sami Kapanen also praises Häkkilä’s qualities.
– We are very pleased to have Hannes on board. He is an exceptionally mobile and skilled young defender. He possesses exactly the qualities we have been looking for, and we see a lot of potential in him. We will gladly include him in the lineup today, Kapanen says.
The Pelicans will play a practice match against Kiekko-Espoo today, Friday. Häkkilä is immediately in the team’s lineup in the second defensive pair alongside Markus Nutivaara.
Hannes Häkkilä Lahden Pelicansiin!Sopimukseen sisältyy tryout -jakso lokakuun loppuun saakka. Mikäli paikka joukkueessa löytyy, sopimus kattaa kaudet 2026–27 ja 2027–28.
Tervetuloa Hannes!
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