Flyers sign Finnish forward Mika Pyörälä
by Travis Hughes on Jul 15, 2009 12:14 AM EDT
in News
20 comments
The Flyers have signed Finnish forward Mika Pyörälä to a contract, terms unknown. The 28-year-old most recently played for Timra IK of the Swedish Elite League. You may remember that club as the same team goaltender Johan Backlund played with before signing a contract with the Flyers in March.
Pyörälä is known as a versatile two-way forward that can play either the wing or the center position. Elite Prospects calls him "a team player who always works hard", "good off the puck" and says that he possesses "good hockey sense." Other comparisons compare his work ethic to that of fellow countryman Sami Kapanen, a player Flyer fans obviously know well.
This past season with Timra, Pyörälä had 21 goals and 22 assists in 55 regular season games.
He's played for the Finland's national team at the World Championships in 2007, 2008, and 2009. It's far from a certainty, but he could challenge for a spot on the Flyers third line this upcoming season.
After the jump, a video of Pyörälä scoring a goal against Jokerit.
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money
i wonder what they signed him for. if you play in the elite league and put up good numbers you are a solid player. if he is a sami kapanen then this is a good sign.
by asmallvictory31 on Jul 15, 2009 9:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That’s a handsome turtleneck.
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by Chemmy on Jul 15, 2009 9:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
At least this guy raises the umlauts per man ratio on the team.
by JasonB on Jul 15, 2009 10:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Now that's funny
Thanks Bleeding Green. Hope he’s good enough to make the squad. We are going to have to fill in with some lower paid players like this to make this work.
by boknows71 on Jul 15, 2009 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Any clue on his faceoff winning percentage?
by MarioD on Jul 15, 2009 1:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I read 44% somewhere. Not bad.
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by Travis Hughes on Jul 15, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
has anyone seen this confirmed by the Flyers yet?
by wilsonecho91 on Jul 15, 2009 1:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Signing
I haven’t seen any confirmation yet, but while looking up his stats I noticed that Wikipedia said the Flyers signed him, lol
by SkookFlyerfan on Jul 15, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow – thank your lucky stars for having a wide scouting net, eh???
by penguinsfan on Jul 15, 2009 4:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Seeing as he is 28 and had a seemingly solid season with Timra IK, do you think the Flyers think Pyörälä is a legitimate option to make the team and play on the third line?
If he draws comparisons to Sami I am already excited!
by flyrsfrk05 on Jul 15, 2009 5:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Probably
I doubt he would ahve left the Swedish Elite league to play in the AHL. I bet we even told him he’s making the NHL roster.
by Alon on Jul 16, 2009 1:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is pretty exciting. I can’t wait to see him on the ice. I hope he really is a solid player to help solidify that third line.
by flyrsfrk05 on Jul 16, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Size
Does anyone know how big he is? The picture makes him like a decent size but I doubt he would be a good fit at 3rd line NHL center if he is Kapanen’s size. Also would the name of the back of his jersey include all the fancy annunciation marks that might be a Flyers first?
by chrislanci on Jul 16, 2009 3:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
About 6 ft, 175 lbs according to Wikipedia. Dunno how accurate that is. Sami is 5 ft 9 in and 181 lbs though.
by flyrsfrk05 on Jul 16, 2009 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
6ft, 175 is fairly skinny…. that makes him just about the same size as Giroux (who is 5’11 and 172 lbs, according to the Flyers website).
by DragonGirl0583 on Jul 17, 2009 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree he is a little light for his size but Giroux was very solid on his skates and doesn’t play small however I wouldn’t expect that from a European. I am just glad he is bigger than 5ft 9in like Jared Ross and Sami.
by chrislanci on Jul 17, 2009 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
About those letters….
I highly doubt it… Gagne, Briere, and others do not have the accents in their last names, and Nicklas Bäckström of the Caps doesn’t have the special characters over his name. I’m sure there’s plenty of other examples, they were just the first I thought of.
by DragonGirl0583 on Jul 17, 2009 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Flyers need more Finns, it’s always been their base. With Niitty, Vaananen, and Kukkonen gone, this was a must.
by Ben Rothenberg on Jul 18, 2009 11:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They need more Europeans period.
But I certainly do miss the Scandinavians: Renberg, Niitty, Kapanen, etc.
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by Geoff Detweiler on Jul 18, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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