Antti Miettinen
Antti Miettinen was born in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and began his career playing for HPK Hameenlinna in the Finnish league in 1999. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars, 224th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Miettinen spent four years with HPK Hameenlinna before heading to the USA. He arrived and played for Dallas in 2003-2004, reporting to the big club for 16 games and playing 48 games with the AHL Utah Grizzlies. Miettinen then spent the lockout season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL and returned to the Stars after play resumed. He enjoyed his best season with Dallas after the lockout in 2005-2006, finishing the year with 31 points in 79 games and playing in five playoff games. Miettinen notched 25 points the following season and added more playoff experience to his career, finishing with two points in four playoff games. He is a smart player that thinks the game through very well, making the right play more often than not. Miettinen is a reliable two-way player that adds versatility to any team. He does limit his scoring potential with his reluctance to shoot the puck, however, and might be too frail to make a major impact at the NHL level. Miettinen is likely suited for a third or fourth line role for the time being, but could develop into a top line fixture as a two-way player with a little work on the physical game.
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