Antti Pihlström European Player of the Month January 2011

01 Feb 2011 | Henrik Lundqvist

Antti Pihlström of JYP in Finnish SM-Liiga scored 12 goals in SM-Liiga in January. That gives him our award "European Player of the Month".

January 18 Antti Pihlström scored 4 goals and added an assist in JYP´s home win against Kärpät. His first three goals were scored in the first period (1-0, 3-2 and 4-2). He also got the 5-2 goal in the second period.

Twelve days earlier Pihlström got a hat-trick and an assist against Lukko Rauma in the 4-1 win, Overall Pihlström scored 12 goals and 3 assists in January. He has moved up to a second place of the goal scorer list of SM-Liiga with 26 goals; one behind the leader Janne Lahti of Jokerit.

This season is by far Pihlström’s best. In 2006-07 he scored 16 goals and 23 assists for HPK Hämeenlinna and got a NHL-contract with Nashville Predators. During his first season in North America he only got to play one game. In 2008-09 he played 53 but only managed to score twice.

The 2009/10 season Pihlström started in Sweden with Färjestad. In 43 games there he scored 4 goals and moved home to Finland where he finished the season very well with JYP. 21 points in 19 games. Then in the playoffs, another 8 points in 14 games.

This season started good for Pihlström with goals in two of the first three games but then followed 10 games in a row without any goals scored. In November he scored 6 goals and in December 4. Thanks to his 12 goals in January he is now one of the hottest players in SM-Liiga.

Pihlström plays in a line in league leading JYP with Eric Perrin and Harri Pesonen.