Rasmus Ristolainen
| Rasmus Ristolainen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Ristolainen with the Buffalo Sabres in 2016 | |||
| Born |
27 October 1994 Turku, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Philadelphia Flyers TPS Buffalo Sabres | ||
| National team |
 Finland | ||
| NHL draft |
8th overall, 2013 Buffalo Sabres | ||
| Playing career | 2011–present | ||
Rasmus Ristolainen (born 27 October 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 NHL entry draft.[1][2]
Playing career
Ristolainen made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres on the opening night of the 2013–14 season, on 2 October 2013, against the Detroit Red Wings. He scored his first career NHL goal on 25 October, in a 3–1 win over the Florida Panthers.[3] He scored his first NHL hat-trick on 10 December 2015, in a 4–3 loss against the Calgary Flames.[4] In doing so, he became the first Sabres' defenceman to score a hat-trick since Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Housley did so in the 1987–88 season.[5]
On 21 March 2017, Ristolainen delivered a check to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel. Guentzel suffered a concussion on the play, and Ristolainen was given a three-game suspension for interference by the league.[6]
On 23 July 2021, Ristolainen was traded by the Sabres to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Robert Hägg, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick.[7] On 10 March 2022, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Flyers.[8]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Finland | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2026 Milano Cortina | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2014 Malmö | |
On 5 January 2014, Ristolainen scored the overtime winner in the final of the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships against previously undefeated Sweden, giving Finland the gold medal.
Ristolainen represented Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal.[9]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | TPS | FIN U18 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | TPS | FIN U20 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | TPS | FIN U18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2010–11 | TPS | FIN U20 | 27 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | TPS | SM-l | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | TPS | FIN U20 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | TPS | SM-l | 40 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | TPS | SM-l | 52 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | TPS | FIN U20 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 34 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 34 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 82 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 79 | 6 | 39 | 45 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 6 | 35 | 41 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 5 | 38 | 43 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 69 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 49 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 66 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 74 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 31 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 63 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 44 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | ||
| Liiga totals | 93 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 110 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 820 | 57 | 261 | 318 | 399 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Finland | U17 | 10th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2011 | Finland | U17 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2011 | Finland | IH18 | 4th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2012 | Finland | WJC | 4th | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Finland | WJC18 | 4th | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2013 | Finland | WJC | 7th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 20 | |
| 2014 | Finland | WJC |  |
5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WCH | 8th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2026 | Finland | OG |  |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 40 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 56 | ||||
| Senior totals | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||
References
- ↑ "Sabres select Finnish defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen with their first pick in NHL draft". Buffalo News. 30 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ↑ Ryndak, Chris (30 June 2013). "2013 NHL DRAFT". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ↑ "Ott, Enroth lead Sabres over Panthers, 3-1". ESPN. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ↑ "Gaudreau spoils Ristolainen's hat trick, Flames beat Sabres". ESPN. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ↑ Cuthbert, Justin (11 December 2015). "Ristolainen scores 1st career hat trick; emerging as elite young D-man". thescore.com. The Score. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ↑ Goldberg, Rob (23 March 2017). "Rasmus Ristolainen Suspended 3 Games for Hit on Penguins Forward Jake Guentzel". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ↑ "Flyers acquire defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen from Sabres". Philadelphia Flyers. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ↑ "Flyers Re-Sign Rasmus Ristolainen to Five Year Extension". NHL.com. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ↑ "Finland defeats Slovakia to win bronze medal in Olympic men's hockey". Sportsnet.ca. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Rasmus Ristolainen at Milano Cortina 2026
- Rasmus Ristolainen at Olympics.com
- Rasmus Ristolainen at Olympedia
- Rasmus Ristolainen at Olympiakomitea.fi (in Finnish)
- 1994 births
- Living people
- Buffalo Sabres draft picks
- Buffalo Sabres players
- Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Finnish ice hockey defencemen
- HC TPS players
- Ice hockey people from Turku
- Ice hockey players at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Medalists at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
- Olympic medalists in ice hockey
- Olympic ice hockey players for Finland
- NHL first-round draft picks
- Philadelphia Flyers players
- Rochester Americans players
- 21st-century Finnish sportsmen
- 4 Nations Face-Off players