Tommi Kivisto

History

2007-08:  Tommi Kivisto split the season between Jokerit's U-18 and U-20 teams. In nine games at the U-20 level he scored 2 goals with 4 PIM. He also played six games for Team Finland at the WJC U-18 tournament, netting 1 goal with 2 assists and 8 PIM. Kivisto was drafted in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2008 CHL Import draft by Red Deer (WHL).

2008-09: In his first season of North American hockey, Kivisto was one of the top offensive defensemen in the WHL for the first half of the season but seemed to fade as the season wore on – particularly after returning from the WJC tournament. In 65 regular season games with the Rebels, he scored 1 goal with 21 assists but was -9 with 49 PIM. Playing for Team Finland at the WJC U-20 tournament, Kivisto scored one goal in six games.

2009-10: After being drafted by the Hurricanes, Kivisto turned some heads by deciding to return to Finland and compete for a spot with Jokerit in the SM-Liiga rather than returning to Red Deer. Jokerit struggled out of the gate and with a veteran defense corps and two other young players battling for spots, Kivisto's saw very little ice time. He spent a good portion of the season with Jokerit's U-20 team. In 22 SM-Liiga games, he had two assists with 12 PIM and was -4. In 18 junior games, he had 2 goals with 5 assists and 58 PIM. Kivisto also played for Team Finland at the WJC U-20 tournament – with 1 assist in six games and a -2 plus/minus.

2010-11: Kivisto saw limited ice-time with Jokerit in his first full season in Finland's SM-Liiga. He appeared in 38 games for the Helsinki-based club and had five assists with a +4 plus/minus with 22 PMs while averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game. Kivisto signed a three-year, entry level deal with the Hurricanes in June, 2011.

2011-12: Kivisto returned to Finland for the season as he was loaned to Jokerit by the Hurricanes. He split the season between Jokerit and minor league club Kiekko-Vantaa in Mestis. Playing limited minutes with Jokerit, he had 4 assists and was plus-two with 8 penalty minutes. He  showed the offensive instincts of his junior hockey days playing for Kiekko-Vantaa, scoring 5 goals with 7 assist in 20 games and was plus-two with 22 penalty minutes. In four Mestis playoff games he had 1 goal with 1 assist and was minus-six.

 

Talent Analysis

Kivisto is an offensively capable blueliner with a powerful shot, though the last impression many in North America have of him is the second half of his season spent in the WHL, when he scored just once in 65 games. Kivisto skates well, can make good passes and is satisfactory in his own end but the knock on him is his decision making and his ability to control the puck when pressured. Did little to dispel those concerns when he decided to return home to Finland rather than facing the competitive forechecking in the WHL. He made a positive impression on some in the Carolina organization by attending the team's conditioning camp and performing well in the fitness tests.

 

Future

Kivisto has come to North America for his first season of pro hockey. He has spent most of the 2012-13 season in the ECHL but has seen a little time with the Charlotte Checkers.