Aki Berg

Aki-Petteri Arvid Berg (pronounced [ˈbærj]; born July 28, 1977) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He played both for the Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs over nine seasons and has represented Team Finland twice at the Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, a silver medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey in which Finland lost in the finals to host Canada, and a silver medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics.[1]

Aki Berg
Aki Berg (black) preparing for a faceoff.
Born (1977-07-28) July 28, 1977
Raisio, Finland
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for NHL
Los Angeles Kings
Toronto Maple Leafs
Elitserien
Timrå IK
SM-liiga
TPS
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 1995
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 19932011

Career

Berg began his professional career in the 1993–1994 season as a 16-year-old, playing 6 games for TPS in the Finnish SM-liiga with 3 assists and a +4 rating. Berg was, at the time, the youngest player ever to play in an SM-liiga game (has since been surpassed by Jesse Joensuu, who was 15 years old in his debut). Berg also spent time in Kiekko-67 of the Finnish first division for 12 games during the season, scoring 1 goal, 1 assist, 16 penalty minutes and a -8 rating. He also represented Finland in the European Junior Championships, scoring 6 points in 5 games. The next season, Berg spent time in TPS's B and A-junior teams, also dressing for 5 games in the men's team. He also played 20 games again for Kiekko-67, scoring 12 points. Berg was again named to the European Junior Championships roster, getting one assist in 5 games.

Berg gained the attention of NHL scouts due to his large frame, heavy shot, physical play and good mobility. He was drafted 3rd overall by the Los Angeles Kings, behind fellow defencemen Bryan Berard and Wade Redden. Berg, a highly touted prospect, was described in The Hockey News' draft review issue by Kings' then GM Sam McMaster as "Hitting like Scott Stevens and skating like Paul Coffey". Berg moved to the NHL next season as an 18-year-old.

Berg played most of his first NHL season with the Kings, but was sent to the team's IHL-affiliate Phoenix Roadrunners for 20 games. In 51 games for the Kings, Berg had no goals, 7 assists, 29 penalty minutes and a -13 rating. In 20 games for the Roadrunners, Berg had no goals, 3 assists, 18 penalty minutes and a -10 rating. Berg also played two playoff games for the Roadrunners, scoring no points.

In his second NHL season, Berg again had difficulties staying on the Kings' lineup. He nonetheless raised his level of play, scoring his first two goals. He played 41 games for the Kings, scoring two goals and adding 6 assists, while getting 24 penalty minutes and a -9 rating. In 23 games for the Roadrunners, Berg had 1 goal, 3 assists, 21 penalty minutes and a -9 rating. During the season Berg also represented Finland in the World Junior Championships, having 2 assists in 8 games.

In the 1997-98 season, Berg finally became an NHL regular, playing 72 games for the Kings, with no goals, 8 assists, 61 PIM and a +3 rating. Berg adopted the role of a defensive defenceman, despite high expectations of his offensive potential. The Kings made the playoffs, which saw Berg raise his game. The team's playoff run came out short, losing in the first round to the St. Louis Blues in four games. In those four games, Berg had no goals, 3 assists, no penalty minutes and a +3 rating. Berg also represented Finland in the 1998 Nagano Olympics, where he was an important defensive player in Finland's bronze medal team.

Berg returned to his hometown team TPS for the next season, playing 48 games. He scored 8 goals, added 7 assists and had 137 penalty minutes and a +5 rating. The team, along with Berg, won the Finnish championship, but Berg was unable to play in the decisive game due to a dirty hit in another game, which he was suspended for. Berg was a part of the Finnish national team in the world championships, playing 12 games without points.

Berg returned to the NHL for the next season, which turned out to be his best so far. In 70 games he had 3 goals, 13 assists, 45 penalty minutes and a -1 rating. The Kings again made the playoffs, where Berg only played 2 games without points. He was again part of the Finnish world championships-team.

The 2000-01 season was again tough for Berg. After 47 games with the Kings where he had just 4 points, he was traded to Toronto on March 13, 2001 for Adam Mair and a 2nd round draft pick (later used to select Mike Cammalleri), as the Leafs wished for an injection of youth into a rapidly aging roster. In 12 games for Toronto, he scored 3 goals and had a -6 rating. In 11 playoff games, he had 2 assists.

In his first full season with Toronto, Berg saw more ice time and was a solid fifth or sixth defenceman. In 81 games, Berg scored 1 goal, had 10 assists, 46 penalty minutes and a career-high +14 rating. The team also had a successful playoff run, making it to the conference finals, where they were beaten in six games by the Carolina Hurricanes. In 20 playoff games, Berg had one assist.

Berg played in Toronto for 3 more seasons, after retiring from the NHL due to family reasons. During the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, Berg played for Timrå of the Swedish Elite League. He was the team's top all-around defenceman, scoring 20 points in 46 games and having a +11 rating. After retiring from the NHL, Berg signed with his hometown club TPS. Berg was the team captain and top defenceman for 3 seasons, but was heavily ridden with injuries in his last two seasons. After playing just ten games in 2010–2011, he announced his retirement from professional hockey on his birthday on July 28, 2011. Berg finished his NHL career with 606 regular season games played, 15 goals and 70 assists for 85 points with a +/- rating of -7 and 374 penalty minutes. In 54 career post-season games he recorded 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points with a +2 rating and 47 penalty minutes.

Personal life

In 2015, Berg is working as the equipment manager for both TPS and Team Finland. He is married to Virve. The couple have two children, Niclas and Nella.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94TPSFIN U20213111424700010
1993–94TPSSM-l60334
1993–94Kiekko-67FIN.21211216
1994–95TPSFIN U20810130
1994–95TPSSM-l50004
1994–95Kiekko-67FIN.220391234
1995–96Phoenix RoadrunnersIHL200331820004
1995–96Los Angeles KingsNHL5107729
1996–97Phoenix RoadrunnersIHL2313421
1996–97Los Angeles KingsNHL4126824
1997–98Los Angeles KingsNHL720886140330
1998–99TPSSM-l488715137911245
1999–2000Los Angeles KingsNHL70313164520002
2000–01Los Angeles KingsNHL4704443
2000–01Toronto Maple LeafsNHL123032110224
2001–02Toronto Maple LeafsNHL8111011462001137
2002–03Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7847112871122
2003–04Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7927940100002
2004–05Timrå IKSEL47614204670006
2005–06Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7508856
2006–07TPSSM-l5459146220000
2007–08TPSSM-l1406628
2008–09TPSSM-l43491357800031
2009–10TPSSM-l3514562
2010–11TPSSM-l1001116
SM-l totals 215 18 49 67 370 21 1 1 2 76
NHL totals 606 15 70 85 374 54 1 7 8 47

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1994 Finland EJC 5 1 5 6 12
1995 Finland EJC 5 0 1 1 10
1997 Finland WJC 6 0 2 2 8
1998 Finland OG 6 0 0 0 6
1999 Finland WC 12 0 0 0 29
2000 Finland WC 9 1 0 1 6
2001 Finland WC 2 0 0 0 0
2002 Finland OG 4 1 0 1 2
2003 Finland WC 6 1 3 4 10
2004 Finland WCH 5 0 1 1 2
2006 Finland OG 8 0 0 0 4
2006 Finland WC 9 2 0 2 4
2007 Finland WC 9 1 0 1 18
Junior totals 16 1 8 9 30
Senior totals 70 6 4 10 81

References

  1. "Aki Berg player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
Preceded by
Jamie Storr
Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick
1995
Succeeded by
Olli Jokinen
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