Antti Pilström, whose photo can be seen below, is a famous Finnish hockey player, world champion and Olympic medalist. During his career, he played in the NHL and KHL clubs. Now stands for the Finnish Jokerit.
Biographical data and the beginning of a sports career
Antti Pilström was born in October 1984 in the Finnish city of Vantaa. For the local hockey team, the striker began to play at the age of 16.
In 2003, Antti Pilström joined the Espoo Blues professional team. For two seasons spent in this club, the striker was not particularly effective. Therefore, in 2005, he transferred to another Finnish team - Saipu.
In the new team, Pilstrem improved his scorer flair: in 54 games of the SM League, he scored 21 (10 + 11) points. Thanks to such indicators, he was invited to one of the most powerful clubs in Finland - COD.
Professional career
In the new team, Antti Pilström became one of the top scorers - he scored 16 goals and gave 23 assists in 56 fights. After a successful season, the striker decided to try his hand at the NHL.
Passing the draft, Pilstrom signed a contract with the Nashville Predators club . However, in its composition, the Finnish hockey player entered the ice in only one match. He spent the whole season at the farm club of the Nashville team - Milwaukee Admirals. Here in 78 games of the regular season Antti scored 45 (27 + 18) points.
In the 2008/09 season, Pilström played mainly for “saber-toothed”, but his statistics did not particularly please the fans - 2 goals and 5 assists in 53 matches. At the end of the championship, the Finnish striker leaves the Nashville team and returns to Europe.
In 2009, the hockey player Antti Pilström was in the Swedish “Ferjestad”, but stayed there only one season. Then he went home, where he continued his career at the UIP club. For two and a half years, Pilström became the team leader.
At the end of 2011, the Finnish striker moved to the KHL club Salavat Yulaev. Pilström spent four seasons in the Ufa team, played in 190 matches of the KHL regular draw, scored 52 goals and assisted partners 38 times. In the 2012/13 season, he was recognized as the club’s most useful player.
After leaving Salavat Yulaev, Antti spent one season in CSKA Moscow, and then briefly stayed in the Swiss Fribbur-Gotterone. Since 2017, the Finn has been playing in the homeland for the Jokerit club.
International performances
The first success in the international arena came to Antti Pilström in 2008. At the World Championships in Canada, the Finnish national team took third place. The striker played in all 9 fights, scored 5 goals and 2 assists.
In 2011, at the world championship in Slovakia, the Finns created a real sensation. First, they defeated the Russian national team 3-0 in the dry semifinals, and defeated the Swedes 6-1 in the decisive match. The winning point in that game was set by Pilstrom.
At the Olympic Games in Sochi, Antti became a bronze medalist. In this tournament, the striker took part in five fights, but could not distinguish himself by effective actions.
In 2016, the Finnish national team again reached the finals of the World Cup, where they lost to Canada, satisfied with silver awards.