| Juha Leimu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born | January 30, 1983 Tampere, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Tappara Pelicans Ilves | ||
| National team |  Finland | ||
| NHL draft | undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2003–2019 | ||
Juha Leimu (born January 30, 1983, in Tampere, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman.
Leimu broke into the SM-liiga during the 2009–10 season, joining Tappara on an eight-game trial after starting the year with Lempäälän Kisa. His strong play earned him a contract for the remainder of the season, [1] where he tallied 24 points in 36 games. In May 2010, he signed a three-year extension with the team. [2] The following season, 2010–11, he posted his best career numbers, scoring 12 goals and adding 31 points in 50 games.
Following the end of his contract with Tappara, Leimu signed a two-year deal with the Pelicans on April 26, 2013. [3] In his first season with Lahti, he led all Pelicans defensemen in goals, scoring 10. During the 2013–14 playoffs, Leimu netted the overtime winner in Game 2, securing a first-round series victory over HIFK. [4]
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Leimu was appointed as the team's captain. [5] Throughout the season, he missed several stretches of play because of injuries [6] [7] but still managed to tally 16 points over 40 games. On November 20, 2014, he agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Pelicans. [8]
Leimu set a Liiga record for the quickest hat-trick, netting three power-play goals in only 44 seconds during a 5–6 overtime defeat to JYP Jyväskylä on December 15, 2015. [9] That same season, he led all defensemen in the league with 16 goals.
In 2011, Juha Leimu earned the opportunity to represent the Finland national team, appearing in an international exhibition game against Slovakia. [10]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1998–99 | Ilves U16 | U16 SM-sarja | 29 | 28 | 22 | 50 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Ilves U18 | U18 SM-sarja | 24 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Ilves U18 | U18 SM-sarja | 36 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Ilves U20 | U20 SM-liiga | 15 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Ilves U20 | U20 SM-liiga | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Ilves U20 | U20 SM-liiga | 37 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Koovee | Suomi-sarja | 19 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Koovee | Suomi-sarja | 27 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 2006–07 | LeKi | Suomi-sarja | 34 | 18 | 31 | 49 | 44 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 2007–08 | LeKi | Mestis | 43 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | LeKi | Mestis | 42 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 44 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | LeKi | Mestis | 13 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Tappara | SM-liiga | 36 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Tappara | SM-liiga | 50 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Tappara | SM-liiga | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | LeKi | Mestis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Tappara | SM-liiga | 57 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 55 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 48 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2014–15 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 40 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 51 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 31 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 43 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Ilves | Liiga | 38 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Liiga totals | 418 | 75 | 112 | 187 | 263 | 51 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 20 | ||||