72 Joonas Donskoi
2020-21 Twenty-fifth Season
Adidas. Road Set 1. Neck tagging 56
This set 1 road jersey from the team's 25th Anniversary season shows light to moderate wear, consisting of some black marks in the white portions of the body, as well as marks and a couple of sew repairs in the lower arms. The jersey is accompanied by the Avalanche COA and the registration tag is sewn into the rear jersey hem.The Avalanche 25th Anniversary patch is sewn to the right chest. The jersey is autographed (from the team) on the rear numbers.
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Collar tagging
Set patch
Branding
Anniversary patch
Sleeve marks
Sleeve repair
Born in Raahe, Finland, Joonas Donskoi began his professional hockey career in his home country. The Florida Panthers selected him 99th overall in the 2010 Draft; however, he never appeared in an NHL game with them. Playing in the Finnish Liiga, he finished tied for fourth in league scoring and goals in 2014-15 — tallying 19 goals and 30 assists in 58 games. Following a career-best performance in the regular season, he surged in the playoffs for 22 points in just 16 games, helping Kärpät capture the Liiga championship. He also received the Jari Kurri Trophy, the equivalent of the NHL’s Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks signed Donskoi in the 2015 offseason and qualified him for a spot on the roster. Playing third-line minutes, he appeared in 76 games, scoring 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points. He also blocked a career-high 41 shots and forced 33 turnovers. He then elevated his contributions in the 2016 Playoffs, chipping in six goals and six assists in 24 games. The greatest moment of his NHL career came on June 4, 2016, when he scored the overtime-winning goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Joonas Donskoi scored the overtime goal in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 4, 2016.
The following season was a struggle for Donskoi, but he rebounded fairly well between 2017-18 and 2018-19. In those two seasons, he registered nearly a point every other game — recording 28 goals, 41 assists and a plus-20 rating over 146 games. However, his career in San Jose finished on a lackluster note. Coach Peter DeBoer occasionally demoted him to the fourth line and even scratched him during the 2019 Playoffs; Donskoi missed eight of the team’s 20 postseason games. He signed with the Avalanche in the offseason.
Donskoi benefitted from a fresh start and set career-highs in 2019-20. He scored 16 goals and added 17 assists for 33 points over 65 games. He also recorded his first hat trick on Nov. 7, 2019 against the Nashville Predators. Despite the milestone, he only notched three goals and three assists in his final 35 games. This is partially because he was playing more often on the third line with defensive-minded players like J.T. Compher and Tyson Jost. Donskoi was moved back to the second line for the playoffs and, as a result, contributed three goals and three assists in nine games; he missed the final five games due to injury.
Donskoi built on his early successes in Colorado for the 2020-21 season. He played 51 of 56 games but still managed to set a career-high with 17 goals. When prorated to an 82-game season, his 31 points project out to 50 points, the best of his career. He also had a career-high five power-play goals and a 19.8 shooting percentage.
Donskoi left the Avalanche when he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft.
TheHockeyWriters.com
Right Wing - Shoots R
Born: April 13, 1992 - Raahe, Finland
6-0, 190 lbs.
Drafted by Florida Panthers - round 4 #99 overall 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Signed as a free agent May 19, 2015 by the San Jose Sharks. Signed as an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2019 by the Colorado Avalanche. Selected by the Seattle Kraken from the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL Expansion Draft July 21, 2021.