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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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).

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