When you look at the history of the Calgary Flames at the NHL Draft, there are exciting players drafted from a lot of different countries that went on to have incredible playing careers.

There’s Swedes like Hakan Loob and Kent Nilsson. There’s Canadians like Joe Nieuwendyk and Al MacInnis. There’s several good Americans, too. But then we hit Finland, and the Flames just haven’t selected their franchise’s defining Finn quite yet.

Here’s a rundown of the 18 Finnish players the Flames have drafted.

In the fifth round of 1984, the Flames selected their first-ever Finn: forward Joel Paunio. He never left Europe.

The following year, 1985, the Flames grabbed centre Esa Keskinen in the fifth round. Keskinen put together a heck of a career, including earning induction into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame, but he never left Europe.

In 1989, the Flames selected defenceman Veli-Pekka Kautonen in the third round. He never left Europe.

In 1990, the Flames nabbed winger Vesa Viitakoski in the second round. Three years after being drafted, he signed with the Flames and came over to North America. He spent three seasons on this side of the pond, splitting all three between the Flames and the AHL’s Saint John Flames. He suited up for 23 NHL games before being traded to Colorado prior to the 1996 trade deadline for minor-leaguer Paxton Schulte.

In 1991, the Flames selected winger Marko Jantunen in the 11th round. His story was similar to Viitakoski’s, just not as distinguished. He came over to North America and joined the Flames, briefly, at the beginning of the 1996-97 season. He played three games, was sent down to the AHL, and returned to Europe by mid-season.

In the fifth round of the 1992 draft, the Flames selected defenceman Sami Helenius. He signed with the Flames in 1994 and spent nine seasons in North America, including parts of four seasons in the Flames organization. He played seven NHL games with the Flames before being traded to Tampa Bay in January 1999 for future considerations.

The Flames finally landed a strong Finn in 1996, selecting defenceman Toni Lydman in the fourth round. He joined the Flames to start the 2000-01 season, and he played four pretty effective seasons with the club. He played 289 games with the Flames and was part of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final team. He was traded to Buffalo in August 2005 for a third-round pick.

In 2000, the Flames selected forward Jukka Hentunen in the sixth round. He came over to North America for a single year, joining the Flames to begin 2001-02. He played in 28 games with the Flames in an injury-hampered year before being traded to Nashville prior to the 2002 trade deadline for a conditional draft pick.

In 2001, the Flames selected two Finnish players. In the fourth round, they chose defenceman Tomi Maki. Maki’s fairly notorious in Flames lore; he spent three seasons (2005-08) in the minor league system before returning to Europe, getting into a single NHL game with the Flames and playing just 10:56. They also grabbed forward Ville Hamalainen in the eighth round, but he never left Europe.

In 2002, the Flames selected defenceman Jyri Marttinen in the eighth round. He never left Europe.

In 2004, the Flames selected WHL import forward Aki Seitsonen, who was already in North America with the Prince Albert Raiders. He played three seasons in the Flames’ minor league system, bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, before not receiving a qualifying offer and leaving as a free agent.

In 2006, the Flames chose forward Juuso Puustinen in the fifth round. He played in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers in for two season after being selected, and the Flames ended up letting his draft rights lapse. He spent two seasons as a minor-leaguer in Nashville’s system, but otherwise spent the rest of his career in Europe.

In 2009, goaltender Joni Ortio was selected by the Flames in the sixth round. He spent five seasons in the Flames system, including two seasons on loan in Finland, and he ended up playing 22 NHL games for the Flames over three seasons. He never really got a toehold in the Flames’ crease, and he returned to Europe after not being tendered a qualifying offer.

In 2011, the Flames grabbed Finnish centre Markus Granlund in the second round. He came over in 2013 and played parts of three seasons in the Flames system, suiting up for 86 NHL games. He couldn’t carve out a consistent spot for himself, though, and was traded to Vancouver for Hunter Shinkaruk prior to the 2016 trade deadline.

In 2016, the Flames selected winger Eetu Tuulola in the sixth round. He spent a year in the WHL as an import with the Everett Silvertips, went back to Finland, signed with the Flames and spent three seasons in their minor league system – including a season on loan in Sweden and Finland when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the AHL schedule. He returned to Europe after his entry-level deal ended.

In 2017, the Flames selected WHL import blueliner Juuso Valimaki in the first round. He signed with the Flames and played four seasons in the organization, playing 82 NHL games. He was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.

In 2022, the Flames selected forward Topi Ronni in the second round. The team ended up renouncing his rights due to a criminal conviction resulting in a suspended sentence in Finland.

Hopefully the Flames can have a better result with their next Finnish pick.

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