Aki-Petteri Berg

Aki Berg began his ice hockey career in Finland with HC TPS, becoming the all-time youngest player in the senior Finnish League at age 16 in 1994. He also played several games with the team during the 1994-95 season, but most of these two seasons were spent with the under-20 team or with Kiekko-67 of the Finnish second tier. He did, however, compete at the European Junior Championships in both of those years.

Berg was then drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 1995-96 season, and spent the next three years splitting his time between them and the Phoenix Roadrunners of the International Hockey League. He also represented Finland at the European Junior Championships in 1997, finishing fifth, and the 1998 Nagano Olympics, winning bronze. After a season with TPS, and a silver medal at the 1999 World Championships, he returned for another season with the Kings, and also captured bronze at the 2000 Worlds.

Berg was traded to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle of the 2000-01 season and would remain with them through the rest of his American career through 2006, playing with the Swedish Hockey League’s Timrå IK during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. During this time, he earned a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships and bronze in 2006, and was fifth in 2003. He also attended two more editions of the Olympics, being eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2002 and winning silver in 2006. He then played the remainder of his career, through 2011, with TPS. Since his retirement from active competition, he has worked as TPS’ equipment manager.