Juha Leimu

Juha Leimu (born January 30, 1983, in Tampere, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman.

Playing career Leimu broke into the SM-liiga during the 2009–10 season, joining Tappara on an eight-game trial after starting the year with Lempäälän Kisa. His strong play earned him a contract for the remainder of the season, where he tallied 24 points in 36 games. In May 2010, he signed a three-year extension with the team. The following season, 2010–11, he posted his best career numbers, scoring 12 goals and adding 31 points in 50 games.

Following the end of his contract with Tappara, Leimu signed a two-year deal with the Pelicans on April 26, 2013. In his first season with Lahti, he led all Pelicans defensemen in goals, scoring 10. During the 2013–14 playoffs, Leimu netted the overtime winner in Game 2, securing a first-round series victory over HIFK.

Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Leimu was appointed as the team's captain. Throughout the season, he missed several stretches of play because of injuries but still managed to tally 16 points over 40 games. On November 20, 2014, he agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Pelicans.

Leimu set a Liiga record for the quickest hat-trick, netting three power-play goals in only 44 seconds during a 5–6 overtime defeat to JYP Jyväskylä on December 15, 2015. That same season, he led all defensemen in the league with 16 goals.

In 2011, Juha Leimu earned the opportunity to represent the Finland national team, appearing in an international exhibition game against Slovakia.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1998–99 Ilves U16 U16 SM-sarja 29 28 22 50 18 3 1 0 1 0 1999–00 Ilves U18 U18 SM-sarja 24 5 4 9 2 — — — — — 2000–01 Ilves U18 U18 SM-sarja 36 17 21 38 26 — — — — — 2001–02 Ilves U20 U20 SM-liiga 15 7 3 10 4 — — — — — 2002–03 Ilves U20 U20 SM-liiga 4 3 0 3 0 — — — — — 2003–04 Ilves U20 U20 SM-liiga 37 15 12 27 14 — — — — — 2004–05 Koovee Suomi-sarja 19 7 4 11 10 — — — — — 2005–06 Koovee Suomi-sarja 27 9 7 16 12 9 1 1 2 12 2006–07 LeKi Suomi-sarja 34 18 31 49 44 6 8 2 10 6 2007–08 LeKi Mestis 43 9 9 18 40 3 0 1 1 2 2008–09 LeKi Mestis 42 13 16 29 44 3 0 2 2 6 2009–10 LeKi Mestis 13 4 7 11 10 — — — — — 2009–10 Tappara SM-liiga 36 7 17 24 16 7 3 2 5 2 2010–11 Tappara SM-liiga 50 12 19 31 40 — — — — — 2011–12 Tappara SM-liiga 24 2 2 4 20 — — — — — 2011–12 LeKi Mestis 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2012–13 Tappara SM-liiga 57 7 15 22 55 15 1 1 2 6 2013–14 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 48 10 10 20 32 8 2 1 3 8 2014–15 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 40 6 10 16 34 — — — — — 2015–16 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 51 16 18 34 12 9 3 2 5 0 2016–17 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 31 11 6 17 4 5 0 2 2 2 2017–18 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 43 2 8 10 28 3 1 2 3 2 2018–19 Ilves Liiga 38 2 7 9 22 4 0 0 0 0 Liiga totals 418 75 112 187 263 51 10 10 20 20