Jesse Ylönen

Jesse Ylönen
Ylönen with the Lahti Pelicans in 2017
Born (1999-10-03) 3 October 1999 (age 25)
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 167 lb (76 kg; 11 st 13 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Tampa Bay Lightning
Syracuse Crunch (AHL)
Lahti Pelicans
Montreal Canadiens
NHL draft 35th overall, 2018
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2016–present

Jesse Ylönen (born 3 October 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger for the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 35th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2018 NHL entry draft.[1] Ylönen holds dual citizenship of Finland and the United States.[2]

Playing career

Ylönen played as a youth with his hometown club, the Espoo Blues, through to the under-18 level. After a stint within the Jokerit junior program, Ylönen returned to the Blues making his professional debut with Espoo United of the Mestis during the 2016–17 season. In his first full season with Espoo United in 2017–18, Ylönen posted an impressive 27 points in 48 games as a rookie.

Opting to remain in Finland to continue his development, Ylönen joined the top tier Liiga club, the Lahti Pelicans, on a two-year contract in April 2018.[3] Ylönen was then selected by the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 35th overall, of the 2018 NHL entry draft.[4]

In his final year under contract with the Pelicans in the 2019–20 season, Ylönen was unable to surpass his rookie season production, registering 12 goals and 22 points through 53 games. On 1 March 2020, with the Pelicans out of playoff contention, Ylönen opted to sign his first professional contract abroad, agreeing to play the remainder of the season with the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.[5] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his debut with the team would be postponed.[6] On 26 March, Ylönen was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens.[7] With the pandemic delaying the beginning of the 2020–21 NHL season, Ylönen was loaned back to the Pelicans to start the 2020–21 campaign, subsequently returning to Montreal with the opening of their respective training camp.[8] Ylönen would eventually make his North American debut during the 2020–21 AHL season.[7] After scoring nine goals and 17 points with the Rocket, Ylönen would be recalled by Montreal on 12 May 2021.[9] He made his NHL debut in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers that same day, being the final game of the season.[10]

During the 2021–22 season, Ylönen was recalled by Montreal on 8 December 2021 after Christian Dvorak suffered an injury.[11] He made his season debut with the Canadiens in a 2–0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks the following day.[12] Ylönen initially played on the fourth line alongside Cédric Paquette and Michael Pezzetta, before being promoted to the first line with Nick Suzuki and Mike Hoffman in his second game of the season versus the St. Louis Blues. He was then placed on a line with Jonathan Drouin and Laurent Dauphin.[13] Ylönen scored his first NHL goal on a pass from linemate Drouin on 15 December 2021 in a 5–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.[14] He was sent back to Laval on 11 April 2022.[15]

During the 2022–23 season, Ylönen was recalled by the Canadiens on 11 January 2023 after posting eight goals and 27 points in 34 games with Laval.[16] He scored his first goal of the season and likewise had his first multi-point game in the NHL during a 5–2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on 24 February 2023.[17] Ylönen was then assigned to Laval on 9 April having played in 37 games with Montreal, scoring six goals and 16 points.[18]

On 31 July 2023, Ylönen signed a one-year two-way contract extension with the Canadiens.[19]

Prior to the beginning of the NHL free agency period, Ylönen was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Canadiens before the deadline on 30 June 2024, making him an unrestricted free agent. He signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning the following day.[20]

Personal life

A second-generation NHLer, Ylönen was born on 3 October 1999 in Scottsdale, Arizona. His father Juha, a former professional ice hockey centre, won a bronze medal with the Finnish national team at the 1998 Winter Olympics[21] and played a total of six NHL seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators, being a member of the Coyotes at the time of Jesse's birth.[22]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Jokerit Jr. A 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2016–17 Espoo Blues Jr. A 37 15 16 31 14 4 0 0 0 4
2016–17 Espoo United Mestis 3 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Espoo United Mestis 48 14 13 27 20 — — — — —
2017–18 Espoo Blues Jr. A — — — — — 4 3 0 3 0
2018–19 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 53 13 14 27 8 3 0 1 1 0
2019–20 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 53 12 10 22 14 — — — — —
2020–21 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 21 5 2 7 8 — — — — —
2020–21 Laval Rocket AHL 29 9 8 17 6 — — — — —
2020–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2021–22 Laval Rocket AHL 52 14 22 36 12 14 3 3 6 2
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 14 2 3 5 2 — — — — —
2022–23 Laval Rocket AHL 39 11 21 32 16 2 0 0 0 0
2022–23 Montreal Canadiens NHL 37 6 10 16 0 — — — — —
2023–24 Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 4 4 8 12 — — — — —
Liiga totals 127 30 26 56 30 3 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 111 12 17 29 14 — — — — —
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Canada
World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Slovakia

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2017 Finland U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 4 5 9 0
2019 Finland WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 3 3 6 0
Junior totals 14 7 8 15 0

References

  1. ^ Hickey, Pat (10 June 2018). "Canadiens' prospective draft picks for 2018: Jesse Ylonen, right wing". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Suomalainen NHL-lupaus kerää kehuja – nyt ylistää seurajohtaja: "Hänellä on upea laukaus"" [Finnish NHL pledge garners praise – now praises club executive: 'He's got a great shot']. SuomiKiekko (in Finnish). 11 July 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Maalivahti Olkinuora ja huippulupaus Ylönen Pelicansiin" [European Championship winner Olkinuora and top prospect Ylönen to Pelicans] (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  4. ^ Cowan, Stu (23 June 2018). "Canadiens take Jesse Ylönen with their first pick in second round". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Jesse Ylönen siirtyy Pohjois-Amerikkaan" [Jesse Ylönen moves to North America] (in Finnish). Lahti Pelicans. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  6. ^ "An Explosive Start for Jesse Ylönen". Laval Rocket. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b Cowan, Stu (26 March 2020). "Canadiens sign Jesse Ylönen to NHL entry-level contract". National Post. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Habs lend Finnish prospect Jesse Ylonen to Finnish squad for the start of season". CTV News. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Canadiens' Jesse Ylonen: Promoted from AHL affiliate". CBS Sports. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ Farrell, Sean (12 May 2021). "McDavid up to 104 points in Oilers win against Canadiens". National Hockey League. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Ice Chips: Habs' Price skates in full equipment". TSN. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  12. ^ Farrell, Sean (9 December 2021). "Fleury gets win No. 500, Blackhawks shut out Canadiens". National Hockey League. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  13. ^ Godin, Marc Antoine (22 December 2021). "Basu and Godin: What Jesse Ylönen has shown in his first four games, a timely break for the Canadiens and more". The Athletic. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Canadiens' Jesse Ylonen: Pots first NHL tally". CBS Sports. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Ylönen retourné au Rocket" [Ylönen returned to Rocket]. TVA Sports (in French). QMI Agency. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Canadiens recall forward Jesse Ylonen from Laval". Sportsnet. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  17. ^ Bracy, Aaron (24 February 2023). "Ylonen scores 1st goal of season as Canadiens roll past Flyers for 5th win in 7 games". CBC Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Four players loaned to Laval Rocket". National Hockey League. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Canadiens sign Jesse Ylönen to a one-year, two-way contract". Montreal Gazette. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Lightning sign four skaters to one-year, two-way contracts". Tampa Bay Lightning. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024 – via NHL.com.
  21. ^ "Finns pick Koivu, Selanne". CBC Sports. 25 March 2001. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  22. ^ Cowan, Stu (26 June 2018). "Canadiens draft pick Jesse Ylönen is son of former NHLer". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 17 September 2018.