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VILLE LEINO
Ville Leino
Position: Center/Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Vitals: 6'1'' / 183 lbs.
Birthdate: October 6, 1983
Hometown: Savonlinna, Finland
Acquired: Signed as free agent by Detroit, May 10, 2008
CSS Ranking: Not Ranked
Contract: 2009
RWC Says: Skilled Forward

STORIES

PHOTOS
                         

AWARDS
  • 2007-08 Finnish SM-Liiga Golden Helmet (player of the year)
  • 2007-08 Finnish SM-Liiga First-Team All-Star
  • 2007-08 Finnish SM-Liiga Assists Leader (49)

HISTORY
2001-02:
  • Spent draft year in Finland's rarely-scouted third- and fourth-tier junior leagues.
2002-03:
  • Cracked Finnish SM-Liiga as teenager with Ilves Tampere (23-1-1-2).
2003-04:
  • Became regular in Finnish SM-Liiga with Ilves Tampere (54-9-15-24).
2004-05:
  • Finnish SM-Liiga production with Ilves Tampere dipped in part because of NHL lockout (56-8-11-19).
2005-06:
  • Joined Hameenlinna and had breakthrough year in Finnish SM-Liiga (56-12-31-43).
  • Led Hameenlinna in assists and points.
  • Followed up by leading team in scoring in post-season (13-3-9-12) en route to SM-Liiga championship.
2006-07:
  • Numbers dropped in second year with Hameenlinna of Finnish SM-Liiga (52-11-29-40).
  • Led Hameenlinna in playoff points (8-1-9-10).
2007-08:
  • Exploded in his sixth Finnish SM-Liiga season with Jokerit Helsinki (55-28-49-77).
  • Broke Jokerit Helsinki's club single-season record for points.
  • Led league in assists and finished second in points, one point behind Janne Pesonen.
  • Finished a plus-31 with 254 shots while averaging almost 22 minutes per game.
  • Continued to light it up in post-season (14-8-11-19).
  • Finished a plus-19 with 79 shots while averaging more than 22 minutes per game in playoffs.
  • Signed one-year contract with an escape clause if in the minors for too long.
2008-09:
  • One of Detroit's top players and scorers in the NHL pre-season (8-3-3-6).
  • Sent to AHL's Grand Rapids because of a roster-limit logjam and salary-cap constraints.
  • Posted terrific numbers early in the AHL campaign (11-4-11-15).
  • Struggled with the minor-league grind but jolted back to life with January call-up.
  • Put up impressive numbers (5-4-9) in 13-game stint with Red Wings.
  • Finished AHL regular season with 46 points in 57 games, 125 shots and a plus-2.
  • Ripped apart Hamilton in first round (6-3-10-13).
  • No points in four-game second-round loss, but was atop AHL's scoring race after last game.
  • Called up to Detroit for remainder of NHL playoffs and played well (7-0-2-2).

SCOUT COMMENTS
“He’s a heck of a competitor — he probably led the (Finnish SM-Liiga) in practice fights. He loves to come to the rink, he loves to practice, he loves to put his equipment on and compete. He’s strong on the puck down low, he’s a good cycle guy, and he draws a lot of penalties because of his puck control.” — Jokerit Helsinki head coach Doug Shedden (May 2008) ... "He's got a nose for the net, goes to the net, dominant on the cycle, makes great passes. He's a Red Wings-type player. Leino, I think he's going to be a scoring machine." — Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock (October 2008, Detroit Free Press) ... "I'm very impressed. He's got a long way to go to be the type of two-way guy I expect him to be, but he's going to be a good Red Wing for a long time." — Babcock (March 2009, Detroit News).

STRENGTHS
Plays a puck-possession style that fits the Red Wings' current system to a T ... Exciting, dynamic offensive player who has the upside to be a real home-run acquisition ... Good playmaker ... Strong down low on the cycle ... Controls the puck well along the boards ... Great puckhandler who is dangerous 1-on-1 ... Soft hands ... Finishing ability has come a long way from his earlier years in Finland ... Competitive and determined ... Capable of playing center and right wing.

WEAKNESSES
Needs heavy defensive schooling ... Doesn't have top-flight speed ... Prone to over-handling the puck ... Poor shot-pass selection, sometimes opting for neither, and eventually loses the puck.

PROJECTION
Leino was signed after being named Finland's player of the year in a dominating offensive season. He spent the bulk of 2008-09 adjusting to the rigors of the North American game in the AHL and made an offensive impact in the NHL when given an opportunity in Detroit. Leino is expected to be a regular with the Red Wings in 2009-10 and will return to Finland if he isn't.

STATISTICS
  REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
SEASON TEAM LEAGUE GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM
2000-01 Savonlinna Fin-Jr 19 14 12 26 0 -- -- -- -- --
    Fin-Jr. A-2 2 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 Savonlinna Fin-Jr 26 36 36 72 14 4 2 5 7 2
    Fin-Jr. A-2 15 6 6 12 4 -- -- -- -- --
2002-03 Ilves Tampere Fin-Jr. A-2 15 8 16 24 10 -- -- -- -- --
    Fin-Jr. A 11 6 5 11 14 -- -- -- -- --
    Fin 23 1 1 2 0 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Ilves Tampere Fin-Jr. A 5 4 6 10 6 -- -- -- -- --
    Fin 54 9 15 24 26 7 1 1 2 4
2004-05 Ilves Tampere Fin 56 8 11 19 32 7 1 0 1 2
2005-06 Hameenlinna Fin 56 12 31 43 65 13 3 9 12 4
2006-07 Hameenlinna Fin 50 11 29 40 73 8 1 9 10 31
2007-08 Jokerit Helsinki Fin 55 28 49 77 18 14 8 11 19 8
2008-09 Grand Rapids AHL 55 15 31 46 18 10 3 10 13 10
  Detroit NHL 13 5 4 9 6 7 0 2 2 0

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