Team chasing a league spot in player trades - netting HIFK forward and a returning player!

The Mestis team Joensuun Kiekko-Pojat, aiming for the league next season, has signed contracts with Santeri Hartikainen and Denis Kusyn. The forwards’ contracts cover the remainder of the season and include an option for next season.

Hartikainen, 27, is moving to Joensuu on a loan agreement for the remainder of the season from HIFK. He has played 23 games for HIFK this season with stats of 1+2, and he has a total of 82 Liiga games with 5+7=12 points for the club.

In the 2023-24 season, Hartikainen represented Kiekko-Vantaa in Mestis, where he scored 50 points from 19 goals and 31 assists in 47 games. He has also played two games on loan for Kiekko-Vantaa this season.

Kusy, 28, last played in Joensuu during the 2022-23 season, scoring 52 points from 24 goals and 28 assists in 49 games. This season, he has played 30 games in his home country of the Czech Republic for Mountfield HK, with 2+3 points.

– First of all, I want to thank our wonderful community for enabling these player acquisitions for Kiekko-Pojat. Now our offense is ready, and we wanted to bring both players in at this stage, rather than waiting until the trade deadline, says Kiekko-Pojat’s manager Jaakko Lipponen in the club’s statement.

– Both players bring a tremendous amount of offensive power and expertise in power plays. Additionally, there is now a lot of competition for positions in our team, which can withstand possible illnesses and injuries as we look toward spring.

The new players will be seen in Kiekko-Pojat’s lineup for the first time on Thursday when the team faces KeuPa HT. Kiekko-Pojat is currently third in Mestis.