Dallas Stars Sign Jokipakka to a Contract Extension

Jun 15, 2015

FRISCO, Texas - Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed Jyrki Jokipakka to a two-year contract extension. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Jokipakka, 23, made his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season, posting 10 points (0-10=10) in 51 games with Dallas. The defenseman opened the 2014-15 campaign with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL), registering five points (3-2=5) in 19 AHL contests. Jokipakka also represented Finland at the 2015 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic, where he tallied two points (2-0=2) and a +2 plus/minus rating in eight games on the international stage.

He has skated in 87 career AHL contests, all with Texas, and has earned 26 points (8-18=26) over two seasons in North America. Prior to his time in the AHL, Jokipakka appeared in 159 career games in SM-Liiga with Ilves-Tampere, recording 44 points (15-29=44) and 56 penalty minutes.

"Jokipakka thinks the game well and has the tools to grow into an extremely dependable player in the NHL," Nill said. "Over the last season, he grew leaps and bounds and proved that he could play effectively at this level. We fully expect him to continue that growth and become a big part of our defensive unit in the years to come."

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Tampere, Finland was originally selected by Dallas in the seventh round (195th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.