NHL Future Watch: Joel Kiviranta Hockey Cards, Dallas Stars – Joel Kiviranta was undrafted, but he may be the right player at the right time. The Dallas Stars signed him to a two-year deal in 2019 after the Finn decided his career overseas was over. Fans probably didn’t realize the impact he might have shortly after that, but clearly, the Stars did.
Kiviranta played overseas for the early part of his career. When he signed with Vassan Sport, who play in Liiga, things began to fall in place for the left wing. From 2016-19, this prospect scored 89 points in 165 games. After that run, he got a chance to represent Finland in the World Championships. He had three goals in nine games and took home a gold medal. His Finnish hockey career ended there, and his North American career began.
In 2019-20, word started coming out of the AHL that the Texas Stars had a new player who was scoring at a good clip but also was showing the ability to score some big goals. During his time there, Kiviranta had 12 goals and 11 assists in 48 games. That season the Dallas Stars called him up, and he scored one goal in 11 games. But then something happened.
In the second round of the playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche, Kiviranta got a chance to play because of a team injury. He scored a hat trick, the first of his NHL career, that included an overtime goal and the Stars advanced to the Western Conference Final.
Shortly after that, the Stars were in the Stanley Cup Final, in a bubble against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The last game was on July 7th because of the pandemic. The Stars run was over, but Kiviranta scored five goals in the playoffs. He played tough minutes, helped move the offense, and wasn’t afraid to shoot.
2020-21 was a learning experience for him, and he still scored six goals in 26 games. Starting a season flatfooted is different, but Kiviranta is still being counted on to elevate his game.
NHL Future Watch: Joel Kiviranta Hockey Cards, Dallas Stars – Cards Worth Chasing
Collectors should grab his 2020-21 Young Guns rookie card in 2020-21 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey. I like the photo. That Stars jersey is sharp!
Another card to target is Kiviranta’s 2020-21 SkyBox Metal Universe rookie. There are different variations of this, and this card has a different view of him.
Kiviranta’s 2020-21 O-Pee-Chee Update Rookie shows him in action as he is entering the offensive zone. He’s a bit older than your average rookie, but just as collectible.
NHL Future Watch: Joel Kiviranta Hockey Cards, Dallas Stars – Stats
| Scoring | Goals | Assists | Shots | Ice Time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | EV | PP | SH | GW | EV | PP | SH | S | S% | TSA | TOI | ATOI | FOW | FOL | FO% | BLK | HIT | TK | GV | Awards |
| 2019-20 | 23 | DAL | NHL | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 7.7 | 25 | 117 | 10:39 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 2020-21 | 24 | DAL | NHL | 26 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 19.4 | 54 | 317 | 12:10 | 1 | 6 | 14.3 | 11 | 40 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2021-22 | 25 | DAL | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 6 | 37 | 9:18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 3 yrs | NHL | 41 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 14.9 | 85 | 471 | 11:29 | 1 | 6 | 14.3 | 14 | 75 | 12 | 6 | ||
NHL Future Watch: Joel Kiviranta Hockey Cards, Dallas Stars – More Resources
- Secondary Market Pricing – Joel Kiviranta
- Beckett Card Catalog – Joel Kiviranta
- NHL.com Player Profile – Joel Kiviranta
NHL Future Watch: Joel Kiviranta Hockey Cards, Dallas Stars – Image Gallery
For more from Russ Cohen, follow him on Twitter @sportsology.
Russ Cohen
is the author of several top-selling sports related books.
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