European Player of the Month February 2011 - Petri Vehanen

A decade ago the 33-year old netminder found himself playing a short stint in Italy but since then he took Europe’s top leagues by storm. After successfully tending the net in his hometown Rauma in Finland, Vehanen stoned opponents the Swedish Elitserien and the Russian Superleague before returning to Lukko Rauma.

Halfway the 2009-2010 season KHL giants Ak Bars Kazan felt it needed a goaltending change in order to retain their title bid and swapped Swedish Mikael Tellqvist for Vehanen. It was a move the Russians did not regret.

The Finnish veteran played above expectations and turned the season into a big success. This year it’s no different. Vehanen played no less than 51 games sporting a 2.18 G.A.A. and a save percentage of nearly 93%.

With the regular season coming to a close in February, Vehanen upped his performance even more. In the last four games of the KHL regular season he allowed just six goals and followed it up with two straight shut out performances in the quarter playoff final against Barys Astana.

The Kazakh team proved no match for Vehanen and his teammates who also comfortably won game three and four away from home. Once again the Finnish netminder was more than solid allowing just three goals on 71 shots.

While winning his second straight KHL championship will be on his mind, Vehanen is also looking ahead to the World Championships in Slovakia. His stellar performances have not gone unnoticed in his home country. Despite heavy competition, Vehanen has slowly but surely been claiming a spot on the Finnish national team. Dressed for three games in last years World Championship, Vehanen’s post season performance with Ak Bars Kazan could be the key for a starting job in Slovakia for the Finnish Lions.

Past winners
January 2011 - Antti Pihlström
December 2010 - Jakub Stepanek

 

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