Teemu Laakso

2003-04: For his age, Laakso enjoyed a significant breakout. His move from the fringes of the capital city area to the large organization of IFK Helsinki coincided with becoming by far the age group’s best defenseman. As the best defenseman and a winner of the 2004 Viking Cup, not to mention a point per game in the U18 WC that year, he became a top prospect in no time. 

2004-05: Unfortunately he lost his offseason to injury, which set him back in the first half of 2004-05. The winter was most successful for him. First he was the youngest defenseman to play for Finland in the WJC in modern times, and after that he played a good while with IFK’s battered pro team. Laakso was down on his luck again as an ankle injury sidelined him for the postseason and rendered him totally ineffective in the 2005 U18 WC.

2007-08: The season was a bit of a let down – Finland finished a disappointing sixth-place at the WJC and HIFK struggled in the SM-Liiga as well – finishing seventh.  Laakso displayed his physical play at the WJC – but also may have shown a lack of discipline with 52 penalty minutes including a game misconduct. On the plus side, he had three goals and became more active in the attack.

2008-09: Laakso appeared in 42 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The Finnish blueliner scored 2 goals, 7 assists for 9 points and earned 50 PIMs in his first taste of North American hockey.

2009-10: Laakso got 7 NHL games with Nashville in his second season but did not score. In 46 AHL games with Milwaukee, he scored 4 goals, 9 assists for 13 points. The defenseman added 1 goal, 2 assists for 3 points in 7 playoff games with the Admirals.

2010-11: Laakso made just one NHL appearance with the Nashville Predators in his third pro season; skating in 74 of 80 games for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Laakso had four shifts and played less than three minutes in an October game with Dallas. Laakso was one of the top pairing defensemen for the Admirals and showed an offensive touch late in the season when Jonathan Blum was re-called by the Predators. Laakso had the top plus/minus among Milwaukee defensemen (+15) and scored 8 goals with 22 assists and 46 PMs. The Admirals finished first in the West Division and advanced to the second round. Laakso skated in 8 of 13 playoff games for the Admirals, spending time with Nashville during the NHL playoffs though he did not play in any games. He was +3 with 1 goal and 1 assist in the post-season. Laakso was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Predators as an unrestricted free agent in June 2011.