Joni Ortio

History

2007-08: Joni Ortio appeared in 10 games with the TuTo U18 squad (Jr. B 1 divisioona), posting a 3.02 GAA and a .927 save percentage. He was bumped up to its U20 squad for four more games later in the season, posting similar numbers.

2008-09: The net-minder joined up with the TPS U18 (Jr. B SM-sarja) this season, appearing in just one game with the squad. He then moved up to the U20 team (Jr. A SM-Liiga), where he saw 26 games; Ortio posted a 2.63 goals against average and a .918 save percentage with TPS U20. He also competed at his first WJC-18, claiming a 2.91 GAA and .903 save percentage, along with a Bronze Medal, through five games with the Finnish National U18 Team. He’s expected to stay within the TPS system until at least the 2010-11 season.

2009-10: Ortio started the season at the TPS (U20 Jr. A SM-liiga) where he posted a solid goals against average of 2.89 with a save percentage of .906 in 16 games in Finland. The young goalie would start in games at three different levels of Finnish leagues but played inconsistently in those games. He struggled representing his country at the World Junior Championships where he posted a goals against average of 3.02 with a poor save percentage of .845 in 6 tournament games.

2010-11: Ortio had a busy season when he started games at five different levels of play over the course of the year. The Finnish netminder's best performance came at the World Junior Championships where he ranked second with both his 1.86 goals against average and .931 save percentage for the tournament. He was voted one of Finland's top three players by the coaches and was the player of the game in their overtime battle against the U.S.  Ortio had a few starts in the second tier league and junior level, but spent a majority of the season at the top level with TPS in Finland. He earned a 2-7-3 record with a 3.12 goals against average and .910 save percentage in 15 SM-liiga games.  He signed an amateur try-out contract with Abbotsford at the end of the season, appearing in one game but was scorched for six goals on 30 shots. Ortio was given an entry level contract to get acclimated with teammates, North American and to be more comfortable coming to the development and rookie camps this summer.

2011-12: Ortio attended the Flames camp and began the season in Abbotsford before returning to  Finland in January to get more playing time. He appeared in nine games for Abbotsford as a backup to Leland Irving and then Danny Taylor and was 1-4 with a 2.94 goals against and .890 save percentage. Playing for TPS, which finished tenth in Finland's SM-Liiga, he was 3-6-3 with 2 shutouts and had a 2.63 goals against and .909 save percentage. He appeared in two playoff games for TPS and was 0-1 with a 2.06 goals against and .946 save percentage.

 

Talent Analysis

Ortio has good reflexes, rebound control and quick lateral movement while playing with great composure and poise under pressure. The young netminder can at times show flashes of brilliance and has the mental strength to excel on breakaways or shootouts. He will have to continue improving his overall strength and learn to play a more aggressive style against the shooter in order to play in North America.

 

 

Future

The sixth rounder is looking to regain some of his lost confidence and play as a starter in Europe instead of a back-up at the AHL level in Abbotsford. The Flames' fans could see Ortio return to play in North America in the near future if he has the chance to be a starter in Calgary's organization.