Along the way to posting a +25 plus-minus rating for the team, Määttä paced the team in defensive scoring with 32 points in 58 games, despite missing 6 games in the middle of the season to play for Finland at the 2012 World Junior Championships. London ended the regular season with the best record in the OHL (49–18–0–1) and the top defence in their conference. The Knights won their first five games by a combined score of 31–10 and did not look back. Määttä joined a London team primed to make a run for the J. He ultimately accepted the latter invitation to play major junior in Canada, thus beginning his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) career the following autumn with London. Määttä finished with five points in 12 games.Īfter his accomplishments at the various levels of Finland's junior leagues, Määttä was selected 85th overall by SKA Saint Petersburg in the 2011 KHL Draft, then first overall by the London Knights in the 2011 CHL Import Draft two months later. At the end of the season, Määttä returned to JYP's U20 team en route to an eventual league championship. Määttä did not perform nearly as well at the 2011 World Junior Championships, however, going pointless in six games, though he became the youngest player ever to play for Finland's World Junior team, a record that has since been broken by Aleksander Barkov. At the under-18 tournament, he led all Finnish defenceman in scoring with four points and helped Finland to a fifth-place finish. While splitting his time between JYP U20 and the D Team in the Mestis (second division) classification-the second-highest level of ice hockey in Finland-Määttä once again found time to participate on Finland's national teams, playing for both the under-18 and -20 teams. The next season, as he turned 16 during the summer, Määttä was automatically promoted to JYP under-18 team, but was swiftly promoted after only one game to the under-20 team. Amongst all the recognition, Määttä also found himself on Finland's national under-16 team, posting 13 points in 13 games. Määttä then played one game playing for JYP's under-20 team in their relegation round, helping save the team from dropping out of the Jr. Määttä's play was strong enough for him to receive a two-game call-up to JYP's under-18 team in the Jr. Once the full season started, Määttä was named an assistant captain and played at a point-per-game pace, finishing the season with 22 points in 21 games (including nine goals), third for team scoring and first among defencemen. The next year, Määttä scored 19 points in seven games to help the JYP U16 squad to a 4–2–2 record in the qualifiers, enough to avoid relegation. As a 14-year-old, he played one game for JYP U16 in the Jr. Määttä began his junior career playing for his home-town team's under-16 program. Known for his shot-blocking ability and hockey IQ, Määttä was named to Finland's roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics as a 19-year-old. Määttä was the first overall selection in the 2011 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, and played for the Finnish junior team at the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships and the 2011, 20 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Määttä has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Olli Määttä (born 22 August 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Määttä with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017
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