Yohann Auvitu

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Yohann Auvitu
2024-05-06 Deutschland gegen Frankreich (Eishockey-Landerspiel) by Sandro Halank-065.jpg
Auvitu with France in 2024
Born (1989-07-27) July 27, 1989 (age 36)
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
ICEHL team
Former teams
Black Wings Linz
Mont-Blanc
JYP Jyväskylä
HIFK
New Jersey Devils
Edmonton Oilers
HC Sochi
Luleå HF
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Genève-Servette HC
HC Vítkovice
National teamFlag of France.svg  France
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2006present

Yohann Auvitu (born July 27, 1989) is a French professional ice hockey defenceman for Steinbach Black Wings Linz in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL).

Contents

Playing career

Auvitu preparing for face-off with JYP Jyvaskyla at the 2011-12 season. Yohann Auvitu.jpg
Auvitu preparing for face-off with JYP Jyväskylä at the 2011–12 season.

Auvitu left his native France in 2008 to continue his development with JYP Jyväskylä of Finland. He logged his first minutes in Finland's top-flight Liiga during the 2010–11 season. In 2012, he claimed the Finnish championship with JYP as well as the 2013–14 edition of the European Trophy. Auvitu left JYP to sign with fellow Liiga side HIFK before the 2014–15 campaign. After reaching the finals with HIFK, he won the 2015–16 Pekka Rautakallio trophy as the best defenceman in the Finnish Liiga. He was the first French player to win a Liiga Player Award. [1] Auvitu also competed in the Champions Hockey League with HIFK. [2]

Auvitu signed a one-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League on May 27, 2016. [3] He made his NHL debut in the 2016–17 season opener on October 13, 2016 against the Florida Panthers where he got his first NHL point with an assist. [4] On November 11, 2016, Auvitu scored his first NHL goal. [5] He appeared in 25 games with the Devils before splitting the year in the AHL with affiliate, the Albany Devils.

Leaving as a free agent from the Devils in the off-season, Auvitu agreed to a one-year, one-way deal with the Edmonton Oilers on July 10, 2017. [6] Auvitu remained with the Oilers throughout the 2017–18 season, used in a depth role Auvitu registered 3 goals and 9 points in 33 games. He played as a forward for the first time in his career in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, on January 7, 2018.

On July 2, 2018, Auvitu left the NHL as a free agent in signing a two-year contract with Russian club, HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). [7] In the 2018–19 season, Auvitu began in a top four defensive role on the blueline for Sochi. He registered 2 goals and 6 points in 25 games with Sochi before opting to mutually terminate his contract with the club on January 15, 2019. [8] On January 13, 2020, he signed with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). [9] On January 13, 2021, Auvitu was signed by his former team, HIFK of the Finnish Liiga. [10] [11]

For the 2022–23 season, Auvitu was signed to a one-year contract by Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL on August 4, 2022. [12] He featured in 20 regular season games with Nizhnekamsk, registering 3 points before opting to leave the club 27 November 2022. As a free agent leading into 2023, Auvitu later secured an initial one-month contract to join the Swiss club, Genève-Servette HC of the NL, on 2 January 2023. [13]

International play

Auvitu has participated in multiple editions of the IIHF World Championship beginning with the 2010 IIHF World Championship tournament as a member of the France National men's ice hockey team. [14]

Personal life

Auvitu married Ilariia Gorelova in 2014. The couple met at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences in central Finland. [15] The couple gave birth to their daughter, Liya Auvitu in March 2016 in Helsinki, Finland.[ citation needed ]

He is fluent in five languages – French, English, Finnish, Russian and German. [16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2004–05 Viry FRA U189246463582
2005–06 Mont-Blanc FRA U183104140
2005–06Mont-Blanc IIFRA.2 U1834152
2006–07Mont-BlancFRA U2211571218
2006–07 Mont-Blanc FRA 238210420000
2007–08Mont-BlancFRA U2215121426025050
2007–08 Mont-BlancFRA205510860332
2008–09 JYP Jr. A391214266
2009–10JYPJr. A21232
2009–10 D Team Mestis 44961512122136
2010–11 D TeamMestis341011213484264
2010–11 JYP SM-l 70000
2011–12 JYPSM-l331128111016
2011–12 JYP-AkatemiaMestis92466
2012–13 JYPSM-l44391218101128
2012–13 JYP-AkatemiaMestis11010
2013–14 JYPLiiga29156862132
2013–14 JYP-AkatemiaMestis10000
2014–15 HIFK Liiga5588161083252
2015–16 HIFKLiiga4861521618671314
2016–17 New Jersey Devils NHL 252242
2016–17 Albany Devils AHL 2958132
2017–18 Edmonton Oilers NHL333698
2018–19 HC Sochi KHL 252468
2019–20 Luleå HF SHL 180442
2020–21 HIFKLiiga51120
2021–22 HIFKLiiga4661925473362
2022–23 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk KHL201238
2023–24 HC Vítkovice ELH 35412161631122
2024–25 HC VítkoviceELH403101310
2025–26 HC VítkoviceELH290118
Liiga totals267265884546016153134
NHL totals58581310
KHL totals453699
ELH totals104723303431122

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2006 France WJC18 D1 18th52462
2007 FranceWJC18 D122nd52354
2007 France WJC D1 17th51012
2008 FranceWJC D119th50112
2009 FranceWJC D115th537100
2010 France WC 14th60224
2011 FranceWC12th60112
2012 FranceWC9th62240
2013 France OGQ NQ30220
2013 FranceWC13th70002
2014 FranceWC8th80222
2015 FranceWC12th70330
2016 FranceWC14th70332
2017 FranceWC9th72572
2018 FranceWC12th40110
2022 FranceWC12th70222
2024 FranceWC14th70442
2024 France OGQ Q30332
Junior totals258152310
Senior totals784303420

References

  1. "Liigakauden parhaat palkittu - HIFK vei pelipaikkojen parhaat, Laine yksimielisesti paras tulokas" (in Finnish). Jatkoaika.com. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  2. "Statistics | Champions Hockey League". www.championshockeyleague.net. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  3. "Devils sign defenseman Yohann Auvitu". NHL.com. May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  4. "Devils fall to Panthers in OT in season opener". NJ.com. October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  5. "Andy Greene lifts Devils over Sabres with penalty shot goal in overtime". NY Daily News. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  6. "Oilers sign Auvitu". NHL.com. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  7. "Yohann Auvitu is a Sochi player" (in Russian). HC Sochi. July 2, 2018. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  8. "Yohann Auvitu leaves Sochi" (in Russian). HC Sochi. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  9. Hedlund, Robert (January 13, 2020). "Klart med backförstärkning". Luleå Hockey (in Swedish). Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. Salin, Kim (January 13, 2021). "TIEDOTE: Yohann Auvitu palaa HIFK:hon!". HIFK (in Finnish). Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. Miettinen, Heikki (January 15, 2021). "HIFK:n puolustaja Yohann Auvitu rakastui vaimonsa kanssa Stadiin: "On paljon helmpompaa harjoitella Helsingissä kuin Pariisissa"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  12. ""Нефтехимик" подписал контракт с Йоанном Овитю". hcnh.ru (in Russian). August 4, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  13. "Yohann Auvitu joins the Eagles" (in French). Genève-Servette HC. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  14. IIHF (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Moydart Press. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-9867964-0-1.
  15. Seravalli, Frank (October 28, 2016). "The unlikely emergence of Yohann Auvitu". TSN.ca. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  16. Pinchevsky, Tal (November 1, 2016). "Meet the World's Most Interesting Hockey Player". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2016.