OHL Alumni Central

Ontario Hockey League grad Oskar Osala has left North America behind and has signed on to play for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of Russia’s KHL for the 2011-12 season.

Osala played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Mississauga IceDogs in 2005-06 and 2006-07. In his final season with the IceDogs, Oskar played for Finland at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. His five goals were tops in the tournament.

Oskar was a fourth round pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, 97th overall. After a year in Finland’s SM-Liiga in 2007-08, when he was named rookie of the year, Osala found his way onto the Hershey Bears roster. Oskar was a call-up to the Capitals for two games in the 2008-09 season and helped the Bears to a Calder Cup championship in the AHL.

This past season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Oskar contributed 42 points in 59 games for his most productive sesaon in the AHL to date. Osala helped the Checkers make it to the Eastern Conference finals before being swept by eventual Calder Cup winner, the Binghamton Senators. Ironically, in the first round of the playoffs, the Checkers took out Oskars old team, the Hershey Bears, in six games.

Oskar Osala played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, 2005-06 and 2006-07, both with the Mississauga IceDogs. After his first season, he was taken by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round of the NHL Entry Draft, 97th overall.

During the second season of Osala’s Ontario Hockey League career, he represented Finland at the Under-20 World Junior Hockey Championships. Although the team lost out in the first game of the playoff round, Oskar tied for the tournament lead in goals (5) and was tied for fifth in points with eight, two points off the leader. Osala had previously played for Finland at the Under-18, Under-17 and Under-16 tournaments.

His first year of professional hockey, 2007-08, saw him return to Finland to play for the Espoo Blues of the elite SM-Liiga. Oskar’s 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points in 53 regular season games earned him the destinction of being the SM-Liiga’s Rookie of the Year. He played another 17 games in the playoffs as the Blues made it to the finals before losing out.

The Capitals were showing great interest in Osala and he returned to North America for the 2008-09 season. He appeared in two games with the NHL club and enjoyed some pretty good success with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Oskar was second among AHL rookies with 23 goals. He played 22 games in the playoffs as the Bears captured the Calder Cup as the American Hockey League playoff champions.

Midway through the 2009-10 season, Osala was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes system. He played one game with the Hurricanes and finished the season with the AHL Albay River Rats. With a fairly quick exit from the playoffs, Oskar was off to Germany to represent Finland at the World Hockey Championships.

Oskar has been putting up decent numbers with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers this season (54-13-28-40) and is still looking for an extended stay in the National Hockey League.

Check out Oskar Osala’s profile page at the Charlotte Checkers official website.

Oskar Osala with Finland's Espoo Blues during the 2007-08 season.

Oskar Osala played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Mississauga IceDogs, 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Despite being selected 97th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2006 NHL draft, Oskar went back to his homeland for the 2007-08 season and played for the Espoo Blues of Finland’s SM Liiga.

He would return to North America for the 2008-09 season and play the majority of his time with Washington’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. The Bears would finish first in the Eastern Conference and would go all the way to a Calder Cup victory as the league’s playoff champion. During that season, Osala would play two games with the Capitals.

This season saw him traded to the Carolina Hurricanes organization where he played with their AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats. Oskar saw one game with the Hurricanes, bringing his NHL career total to 3 games.

Oskar is currently on the roster of the Finnish National Team that will compete at the 2010 IIHF World Championships in Germany this May.

To view Oskar Osala’s profile page on the AHL’s official website, click here.

Check out this post of a popular OHL grad playing in Finland:

Scott Barney Playing for Saipa in Finland