Kari Lehtonen

Kari Lehtonen is the 6’4”, 215-lb. goaltender for the Atlanta Thrashers.  Born in Finland on November 16, 1982, Lehtonen began playing hockey at age 6.  A natural hockey player, by the age of 12 he was playing goalie against older, bigger and faster kids.

Lehtonen represented Finland in the 2000 IIHF World Under 18 Championships, the 2001 IIHF World Under 20 Championships and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.  From 2000-2003 he played for the top amateur team in Finland, the Jokerit.  He started with the Jokerit as the backup goalie, but he quickly captured the starting job.  While with the Jokerit, Lehtonen won the Urpo Ylönen trophy, awarded to the best goalie, and the Jari Kurri trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player.  He stayed with the Jokerit for one more season before his solid play and sound fundamentals got him noticed by NHL scouts.

The Atlanta Thrashers drafted Lehtonen in the first round (2^nd overall pick) of the 2002 draft.  The Thrashers initially assigned Lehtonen to their AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves.  In two seasons with the Wolves, Lehtonen appeared in 96 games, posting a win-loss record of 58-31-4.  For the 2003-04 season he had a GAA of 2.41 and a save percentage of .926.  During this season, he was called up to the big club for four games.  He won all four of them, with one of them a shutout.  In the 2004-05 season he improved slightly, posting a 2.27 GAA and .929 save percentage with the Wolves.

By now Lehtonen was ready to be an everyday NHL player.  He opened the 2005–06 season as the starting goalie for Atlanta. However, bad luck struck quickly.  On the opening game of the season, Lehtonen suffered a severe groin injury when Florida Panthers center Nathan Horton collided with him. The injury sidelined him for the first 35 games of the season.  He returned to action, only to be injured again on April 6^th of the season, when Tampa Bay Lightning forward Chris Dingman collided with him.  As Lehtonen tried to get up from the collision, he severely sprained his ankle and was out for several more games.

In 2006-07, a healthy Lehtonen rebounded nicely by appearing in 68 games, posting a record of 34-24-9 for the Thrashers.  He had a 2.79 GAA and a save percentage of .912 and helped Atlanta win the Southeast Division in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.  However, the New York Rangers swept the Thrashers in four games to end Atlanta’s season.

In 2007-08 Lehtonen appeared in 48 games, going 17-22-5.  He had a GAA of 2.90 and a save percentage of .916 for a Thrashers team that went 34-40 and missed the playoffs.

The 2008-09 season once again saw Lehtonen appear in less than 50 games.  He saw action in 46 games, going 19-22 with a GAA of 3.06 and a .911 save percentage.  The Thrashers again missed the playoffs.

Lehtonen is the Thrashers all-time leader among goalies in the following categories:  games played (158), wins (75), shutouts (11), and save percentage (.913).  He ranks second in Thrashers history in GAA (2.82).  He has posted a 53-34-11 record with eight shutouts, a 2.78 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in 97 career games when facing 30-or-more shots, and has posted a 9-5-3 record with a 3.17 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 17 career games when facing 40-or-more shots.

Kari makes his offseason home in his native Finland.  He is involved in several children’s charities in Atlanta, most notably his “Kari’s Kids”.

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