Jyrki Jokipakka
Jyrki Jokipakka ( , born 20 August 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who most recently played for Sibir Novosibirsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he elected to leave the team. He was selected by the Dallas Stars in the seventh round (195th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career. Jokipakka made his professional debut in his native Finland with Ilves Tampere of the Finnish Liiga after playing with his hometown club as a youth. On 14 June 2012, Jokipakka was signed to a three-year entry level  contract with the Dallas Stars. He was then loaned back to his original club Ilves for the 2012–13 season. In his first North American season in 2013–14, Jokipakka was assigned to American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars. He remained with Texas for the duration of the campaign posting 5 goals and 21 points in 68 games from the blueline. He also contributed with 5 assists in 21 post-season games in helping Texas claim their first Calder Cup championship. During the 2014–15 season, Jokipakka made his NHL debut with the Stars on 24 October 2014, against the New Jersey  Devils at the Prudential Center. In the following 2015–16 season, Jokipakka made his first opening night roster and appeared in 40 games with the Stars before he was dealt at the trade deadline, along with prospect Brett Pollock and a conditional second round pick in 2016 to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Kris Russell on 29 February 2016. In the 2016–17 season, for a second consecutive year, Jokipakka was dealt by the Flames on the day of the trade deadline to the Ottawa Senators along with a conditional second-round pick in exchange for Curtis Lazar and Michael Kostka . Jokipakka made his Senators' debut on 30 March 2017 versus the Minnesota Wild. The Senators opted not to re-sign Jokipakka, making him an unrestricted free agent. On 5 September 2017, the Washington Capitals signed Jokipakka to a professional try-out (PTO), where he would attend the team's training camp. Jokipakka signed a one-year deal with the HC Sochi Leopards of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in October 2017. He re-signed with Sochi for a second season in 2018. As a free agent, Jokipakka left Sochi following the 2018–19 season and signed an initial one-year deal  with Sibir Novosibirsk of the KHL on 27 August 2019. In March 2022, Jokipakka left Sibir Novosibirsk during playoffs due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.