Yohann Auvitu
Yohann Auvitu (born July 27, 1989) is a French professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Yohann Auvitu | |||
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Born |
Ivry-sur-Seine, France | July 27, 1989||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
SHL team Former teams |
Luleå HF Mont-Blanc JYP Jyväskylä HIFK New Jersey Devils Edmonton Oilers HC Sochi | ||
National team |
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NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
Playing career | 2006–present |
Playing career

Auvitu left his native France in 2008 to continue his development with JYP Jyväskylä of Finland. He logged his first minutes in Finland's top-flight Liiga during the 2010-11 season. In 2012, he claimed the Finnish championship with JYP as well as the 2013-14 edition of the European Trophy. Auvitu left JYP to sign with fellow Liiga side HIFK prior to the 2014-15 campaign. After reaching the finals with HIFK, he won the 2015–16 Pekka Rautakallio trophy as the best defenceman in the Finnish Liiga. He was the first French player to win a Liiga player award.[1] Auvitu also competed in the Champions Hockey League with HIFK.[2]
Auvitu signed a one-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League on May 27, 2016.[3] He made his NHL debut in the 2016–17 season opener on October 13, 2016 against the Florida Panthers where he got his first NHL point with an assist.[4] On November 11, 2016, Auvitu scored his first NHL goal.[5] He appeared in 25 games with the Devils before splitting the year in the AHL with affiliate, the Albany Devils.
Leaving as a free agent from the Devils in the off-season, Auvitu agreed to a one-year, one-way deal with the Edmonton Oilers on July 10, 2017.[6] Auvitu remained with the Oilers throughout the 2017–18 season, used in a depth role Auvitu registered 3 goals and 9 points in 33 games. He played as a forward for the first time in his career in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, on January 7, 2018.
On July 2, 2018, Auvitu left the NHL as a free agent in signing a two-year contract with Russian club, HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[7] In the 2018–19 season, Auvitu began in a top four defensive role on the blueline for Sochi. He registered 2 goals and 6 points in 25 games with Sochi before opting to mutually terminate his contract with the club on January 15, 2019.[8]
International play
Auvitu has participated in multiple editions of the IIHF World Championship beginning with the 2010 IIHF World Championship tournament as a member of the France National men's ice hockey team.[9]
Personal life
Auvitu married Ilariia Gorelova in 2014. The couple met at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences in central Finland.[10] The couple gave birth to their daughter, Liya Auvitu in March 2016 in Helsinki, Finland.
He is fluent in five languages – French, English, Finnish, Russian and German.[11]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2006–07 | Mont-Blanc | FRA | 23 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2007–08 | Mont-Blanc | FRA | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
2008–09 | JYP | Jr. A | 39 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | JYP | Jr. A | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | D Team | Mestis | 44 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
2010–11 | D Team | Mestis | 34 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 34 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
2010–11 | JYP | Liiga | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011–12 | JYP | Liiga | 33 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
2011–12 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | JYP | Liiga | 44 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
2012–13 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | JYP | Liiga | 29 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
2013–14 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | HIFK | Liiga | 55 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
2015–16 | HIFK | Liiga | 48 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 6 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 14 | ||
2016–17 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 25 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2016–17 | Albany Devils | AHL | 29 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2017–18 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 33 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | HC Sochi | KHL | 25 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Liiga totals | 216 | 19 | 38 | 57 | 50 | 53 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 32 | ||||
NHL totals | 58 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
International
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | France | WJC18-D1 | 18th | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
2007 | France | WJC18-D1 | 22nd | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
2007 | France | WJC-D1 | 17th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
2008 | France | WJC-D1 | 19th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
2009 | France | WJC-D1 | 15th | 5 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | |
2010 | France | WC | 14th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
2011 | France | WC | 12th | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
2012 | France | WC | 9th | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
2013 | France | OGQ | NQ | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
2013 | France | WC | 13th | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
2014 | France | WC | 8th | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
2015 | France | WC | 12th | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
2016 | France | WC | 14th | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
2017 | France | WC | 9th | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
2018 | France | WC | 12th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Junior totals | 25 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 10 | ||||
Senior totals | 61 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 14 |
References
- "Liigakauden parhaat palkittu - HIFK vei pelipaikkojen parhaat, Laine yksimielisesti paras tulokas" (in Finnish). Jatkoaika.com. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- "Statistics | Champions Hockey League". www.championshockeyleague.net. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
- "Devils sign defenseman Yohann Auvitu". NHL.com. 2016-05-27. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
- "Devils fall to Panthers in OT in season opener". NJ.com. 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
- "Andy Greene lifts Devils over Sabres with penalty shot goal in overtime". NY Daily News. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- "Oilers sign Auvitu". NHL.com. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- "Yohann Auvitu is a Sochi player" (in Russian). HC Sochi. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- "Yohann Auvitu leaves Sochi" (in Russian). HC Sochi. 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
- IIHF (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Moydart Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-9867964-0-1.
- Seravalli, Frank (October 28, 2016). "The unlikely emergence of Yohann Auvitu". TSN.ca. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- Pinchevsky, Tal (November 1, 2016). "Meet the World's Most Interesting Hockey Player". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database