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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Alumnus Henri Jokiharju Makes History

May 31, 2019 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Finland beat Canada 3-1 in the 2019 IIHF World Championship game on May 26, giving Winterhawks alumnus Henri Jokiharju some more hardware and helping the defenseman make history along the way.

Jokiharju and Finnish teammate Kaapo Kakko, the top-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting for the 2019 NHL Draft, became the seventh and eighth player in history to win a gold medal at the Under-18, Under-20, and World Championships. They are also the first players to win World Juniors and a World Championship in the same year since three-time Stanley Cup Champion Jonathan Toews did so with Canada in 2007.

Henri Jokiharju and Kaapo Kakko of Finland are the seventh and eighth players in @IIHFHockey history to win gold at the U18s, World Junior and World Championship in their career.

They join the likes of Denis Grebeshkov (Russia), Fedor Tyutin (Russia), Alexander Perezhogin (Russia), Connor McDavid (Canada), Ryan Ellis (Canada) and Sam Reinhart (Canada) as the only players to accomplish that feat.

The Winterhawks alumnus finished the tournament with three assists, while averaging nearly 12 minutes of ice time per game as a 19 year old. He was one of just two Fins with NHL experience on the roster and he played his part by setting up this eventual game-winning goal in a 1-0 defeat of the Russians in the semifinal round.

Jokiharju, a former first round selection of the Winterhawks, played two seasons in Portland and scored 130 points (24G-106A) in 157 Western Hockey League games. He was recognized as a WHL Western Conference Second Team All-Star after his 71-point campaign in 2017-18.

In the summer of 2017, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted the Oulu, Finland native with the 29th overall pick in the first round. This past season, Jokiharju split time between Chicago and their American Hockey League affiliate Rockford IceHogs.

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