Lauri Pajuniemi
{{short description|Finnish ice hockey player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Lauri Pajuniemi
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|9|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Tampere, Finland
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lbs = 183
| position = Right wing
| shoots = Right
| league = SHL
| team = Malmö Redhawks
| prospect_team =
| prospect_league =
| former_teams = HC TPS
Lausanne HC
| ntl_team =
| draft = 132nd overall
| draft_year = 2018
| draft_team = New York Rangers
| career_start = 2013
| career_end =
}}
Lauri Pajuniemi (born 12 September 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player for the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Pajuniemi was selected in the fifth round, 132nd overall, of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Rangers.{{cite web| url = https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2018/6/23/17497282/2018-nhl-entry-draft-new-york-rangers-select-lauri-pajuniemi-132nd-overall-scouting-report | title = New York Rangers select Lauri Pajuniemi 132nd overall | publisher = blueshirtbanter.com | date = 23 June 2018 | accessdate = 23 June 2018}}
Playing career
In the 2019–20 season, Pajuniemi's 26 goals scored with HC TPS tied for third in Liiga with Eemeli Suomi, behind just Julius Nättinen and Justin Danforth.{{cite web|title=2019-2020 Regular Season Player Stats|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/liiga/stats/2019-2020?sort=g|publisher=Elite Prospects|accessdate=24 June 2020}}{{cite web |title=Tilastot - Lauri Pajuniemi - Kausi 2020-2021 |url=https://liiga.fi/fi/pelaajat/40005897/2020-2021/tilastot |website=liiga.fi |access-date=1 June 2023 |language=fi-FI}} Pajuniemi credited his emergence from a third or fourth line role player into a significant goal scorer to his coaches telling him to have confidence that he could score more than one goal a game.{{cite web|title=Lauri Pajuniemi gets up-close look at his Rangers 'dream'|url=https://nypost.com/2021/09/16/lauri-pajuniemi-gets-up-close-look-at-his-rangers-dream/|author=Walker, Mollie|publisher=New York Post|date=16 September 2021|accessdate=4 October 2021}}
On 29 April 2021, Pajuniemi was signed by the New York Rangers to a two-year, entry-level contract.{{cite web |last1=Power |first1=Kevin |title=New York Rangers Sign Lauri Pajuniemi to ELC |url=https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2021/4/29/22410918/new-york-rangers-sign-lauri-pajuniemi-to-elc |website=Blueshirt Banter |access-date=4 October 2021 |date=29 April 2021}}{{cite web|title=New York Rangers Transactions|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/team/new-york-rangers/transactions|publisher=TSN|accessdate=4 October 2021}}
On 23 May 2023, Pajuniemi signed a one-year contract with the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).{{cite web |last1=Pysch |first1=Joakim |title=Lauri Pajuniemi klar för Malmö Redhawks |url=https://www.malmoredhawks.com/article/t47arv3-33nad/view |website=malmoredhawks.com |access-date=1 June 2023 |language=sv-SE |date=23 May 2023}}
On 3 June 2024, Pajuniemi signed a two-year contract with the Lausanne HC of the swiss National League (NL) alongside Malmö teammate Janne Kuokkanen. {{cite web |title=Le Lausanne Hockey Club se renforce avec l'arrivée de trois nouveaux attaquants étrangers |website=Lausanne HC |date=2024-06-03 |url=https://lausannehc.ch/2024/06/03/le-lausanne-hockey-club-se-renforce-avec-larrivee-de-trois-nouveaux-attaquants-etrangers/ |language=fr |access-date=2025-05-31}}
On 2 June 2025, Pajuniemi and the Lausanne HC agreed to terminate his contract. He returned, alongside Kuokkanen, to the Malmö Redhawks with a contract lasting until the end of the 2027-28 season.{{cite web |title=Lauri Pajuniemi leaves Lausanne |website=swisshockeynews.ch |date=2025-06-02 |url=https://swisshockeynews.ch/en/shn/men/swiss-hockey/nl/back-to-malmoe-lauri-pajuniemi-leaves-lausanne |access-date=2025-06-09}}{{cite web |title=Lauri Pajuniemi återvänder – skriver tre år med Redhawks |website=Malmö Redhawks |date=2025-06-02 |url=https://www.malmoredhawks.com/article/w72asx7-33nad/view |language=sv |access-date=2025-06-09}}
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em;" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 2015–16
| TPS | Jr. A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2016–17 | TPS | Jr. A | 37 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 2
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017–18
| TPS | Jr. A | 14 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2017–18 | TPS | Liiga | 32 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4
| 9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 2018–19
| TPS | Liiga | 44 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 20
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2018–19 | TUTO | Mestis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20
| TPS | Liiga | 49 | 26 | 14 | 40 | 10
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2019–20 | TPS | Jr. A | — | — | — | — | —
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21
| TPS | Liiga | 48 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 38
| 13 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2021–22 | AHL | 51 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 14
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23
| Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 68 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 32
| 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2023-24 | SHL | 43 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 26
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024–25
| NL | 41 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 22
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"|Liiga totals ! 173 !! 55 !! 43 !! 98 !! 72 ! 26 !! 7 !! 5 !! 12 !! 24 |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em;" | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||
| 2016
| Finland | IH18 | 6th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4"|Junior totals ! 4 !! 1 !! 0 !! 1 !! 0 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pajuniemi, Lauri}}
Category:Finnish ice hockey right wingers
Category:Hartford Wolf Pack players
Category:Ice hockey people from Tampere
Category:New York Rangers draft picks
Category:Malmö Redhawks players
Category:21st-century Finnish sportsmen
{{Finland-icehockey-winger-stub}}