Trent Daavettila
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Trent Daavettila (born September 3, 1984) is an American former professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
player who last played for and served as
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for the
Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...
of the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
. After beginning his college hockey career with
Finlandia University Finlandia University was a private Lutheran university from 1896 to 2023 in Hancock, Michigan. It was the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi Opisto (Finnish College) and Theological Seminary, it was affiliat ...
, he transferred to
Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...
, but failed to gain a place on their team. He remained at Michigan Tech and played for an upper-level men's amateur team while earning a civil engineering degree. Daavettila tried out for numerous minor league hockey teams after graduating from college, but was not accepted by any. Months later, however, he was signed to a professional tryout contract by the
Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...
. Daavettila remained with the team, and two seasons later he tied for the team scoring lead and was named a second-team
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by the ECHL. Through the 2012–13 season, he has also played in 19 
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
games.


Early life

Daavettila was born on September 3, 1984. He grew up in
Howell, Michigan Howell is the largest city in and county seat of Livingston County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2025 census, the city had a population of 9,914. The city is mostly surrounded by Howell Township, Michigan, Howell Township, but the two are ad ...
, as the second oldest in a family of eleven children. His first exposure to ice hockey was in his backyard, where his family had constructed a rink. Through crowded
pickup game In sports and video games, a pick-up game (also known as a ''scratch game'' or ''PUG'') is a game that has been spontaneously started by a group of players. Players are generally invited to show up beforehand, but unlike exhibition games, there ...
s, Daavettila learned to stickhandle. "You'd always want to stickhandle your way down. It was never cool to score from far out", he said.


Playing career

Daavettila graduated from Howell High School in 2002 and enrolled at
Finlandia University Finlandia University was a private Lutheran university from 1896 to 2023 in Hancock, Michigan. It was the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi Opisto (Finnish College) and Theological Seminary, it was affiliat ...
in Hancock, Michigan. He played in ten games for Finlandia's varsity hockey team, a member of the
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association was a college athletic conference which operated in the midwestern United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference. The conference included only men's teams. History The ...
in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and scored three goals and ten assists before moving on. Daavettila transferred to
Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...
, just across Portage Lake from Finlandia, and attempted to join the Division I
Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Technological University's sports teams are called the Huskies. The Huskies participate in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), a member of the Central Collegiate Ski Association f ...
hockey team as a
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, but failed to do so. He continued to study civil engineering at Michigan Tech while playing for the Portage Lake Pioneers, a high-level men's amateur team playing in the Great Lakes Hockey League. During his five years with the Pioneers, Daavettila scored at a rate of more than a point per game and in 2005 he won a national championship with them. Daavettila graduated from Michigan Tech in 2008 and tried out for the
Flint Generals The Flint Generals were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at the Industrial Mutual Association (IMA) Sports Arena. The Generals won ...
of the International Hockey League (IHL). He appeared in two games for the Generals at the end of the season (for only about three shifts), and did not register a point. Daavettila had not originally planned to pursue a professional hockey career, but said "When I got one skate with Flint, it kind of sparked my interest and I decided to give it a try". During the off-season, Daavettila worked for a structural engineering firm in
Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...
. He used vacation time at the start of the next hockey season later in 2008 to try out for the
Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...
of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the
Muskegon Lumberjacks The Muskegon Lumberjacks are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League. They play in Muskegon, Michigan, at Trinity Health Arena. The Lumberjacks replaced the International Hockey League fr ...
(IHL), though he was rejected by both teams. Tryouts with two more IHL teams, the
Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...
and the
Bloomington PrairieThunder The Bloomington PrairieThunder were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Bloomington, Illinois. They were a member of the Central Hockey League in the Turner Conference. The team was originally a member of the United Hockey League (late ...
, did not result in a contract either. Daavettila assumed his hockey career was over and went back to his engineering job, but he continued to skate a couple times a week. He had left an impression on Kalamazoo coach
Nick Bootland Nick Bootland (born July 21, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He later served as the head coach and director of hockey operations of the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL, a position he has held from May 29, 2008. In August, ...
, however, who called Daavettila back in March 2009 after his team was depleted by injuries. "You could see he had a skill set," said Bootland. "But I thought the way he held on to the puck, he was going to get himself killed. ... You kept thinking he was going to make a mistake. Then he'd pop a guy for a breakaway." Bootland played Daavettila for two shifts in his first game with the Wings and more in his second game. Daavettila responded with his first professional hockey goal and went on to score 9 goals and 9 assists in 20 games for the Wings that season. During the off-season, the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
of the NHL invited Daavettila to participate in a development camp for their recent draftees and other prospects. "It was the hardest I've ever had to push myself as far as conditioning and the longevity of it", said Daavettila. Also during the off-season, the Kalamazoo Wings left the IHL to become members of the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
, and Daavettila was one of the first players the team signed to play in their new league. "It was a weird feeling knowing you had a ... plan for next year, somebody actually wants you", he said. Daavettila scored 8 goals among 14 points in the Wings' first 14 games of the 2009–10 ECHL season, helping the team to achieve the best record of the league's 25 teams at that point. His performance prompted the
Adirondack Phantoms The Adirondack Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), who began play in the 2009–10 AHL season. The Phantoms were based in Glens Falls, New York, playing home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center and ...
(AHL) to sign Daavettila to a professional tryout contract when the team was beset by injuries early in the season. Daavettila played eleven games for the Phantoms, as center of the third and fourth lines, and collected two assists before being sent back to Kalamazoo. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to another professional tryout by the Grand Rapids Griffins, for whom he played in two games and scored his first AHL goal by deflecting a shot by
Andy Delmore Andrew J. Delmore (born December 26, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Delmore played 283 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), recording 43 goals and 58 assists for 101 points. He was considered an offensive def ...
. Daavettila was later called up again and played in two more games for Adirondack. Meanwhile, while with Kalamazoo, he scored 19 goals and added 30 assists in 51 games to finish fourth on the team in scoring. In the playoffs, Daavettila continued his point-per-game scoring rate, but the Wings lost their first-round series to the
Reading Royals The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena located in downtown R ...
. In July, he was one of the first players signed by the Wings for the following season. Daavettila began the 2010–11 season at the Grand Rapids Griffins training camp, but again did not make the team. Back with the Wings, he centered a line with Brady Leisenring and Andrew Fournier and had a 12-game point-scoring streak early in the season. In early January, Daavettila was loaned to the Griffins, where he played in one game before being returned. He was named ECHL Player of the Week for the week ending on February 13 after scoring five goals and two assists in four games, including his first professional
hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mechan ...
on February 12 against the
Greenville Road Warriors Greenville is the name of several places: Canada * Laxgalts'ap, British Columbia, formerly named Greenville * Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Yarmouth County * Greenville Station, Nova Scotia, in Cumberland County * Lower Greenville, Nova Scotia, in ...
. He was on a seven-game point streak at the end of the month and was named ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for having the best plus-minus in February and ECHL Player of the Month for scoring 8 goals and 14 assists in his team's 14 games. Now on a line with Fournier and Darryl Lloyd, Daavettila extended his point streak to eleven games and helped Kalamazoo gain a place in the playoffs in March. He finished the season with 80 points to tie with
Kory Karlander Kory Karlander (born March 21, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who most notably played for the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL. In his 17th season as a professional hockey player, at the age of 39, Karlander was named to th ...
as Kalamazoo's lead scorers; the pair tied for fourth in league scoring. Daavettila was also named an ECHL second-team
all-star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
and shared the ECHL Reebok Plus Performer Award with
Brendan Connolly Brendan Connolly (born 15 September 1985) is a retired Canadian-born British ice hockey player who last played for Sheffield Steelers and the British national team. He represented Great Britain at the 2021 IIHF World Championship The 2021 I ...
of the Greenville Road Warriors. In the playoffs, Daavettila scored 6 goals and 22 assists in 18 games, leading the league in playoff scoring, and helped the Wings defeat the
Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...
, Reading Royals and
Wheeling Nailers The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey Lea ...
on their way to the
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Finals. In that series, Kalamazoo lost to the Alaska Aces 4–1. After completing his fourth season with the Wings in 2011–12, Daavettila signed his first European contract as a free agent, agreeing to a one-year deal with
Frederikshavn White Hawks The Frederikshavn White Hawks are a Denmark, Danish professional ice hockey team. , they play in the top Danish ice hockey league, the Superisligaen (known as the Metal Ligaen for sponsorship reasons). The team is based in the town of Frederiksha ...
of the Danish
AL-Bank Ligaen The Superisligaen, known as the Metal Ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Denmark. The league consists of 9 professional teams. Teams from the Superisligaen can participate in the International Ice Hockey F ...
on June 13, 2012. However a little over a month later, for personal reasons, Daavettila sought a release from his contract and was granted on July 30, 2012. On September 13, Daavettila agreed to remain in the ECHL, defecting from the Wings to fellow competitor the Colorado Eagles on a one-year deal. Through four seasons with the Colorado Eagles, Daavettila continued to perform amongthe ECHL's top offensive producers, recording 282 points in 260 regular season games. Despite placing second in league scoring with 80 points through the 2015–16 season, Daavettila opted to end his professional career and return to his hometown Howell, Michigan to raise his family.


Personal life

He is of
Finnish American Finnish Americans (, ) comprise Americans with ancestral roots in Finland, or Finnish people who immigrated to and reside in the United States. The Finnish-American population is around 650,000. Many Finnish people historically immigrated to ...
descent. Daavettila married his wife Wendy on August 7, 2010. During the 2009 and 2010 off-seasons, he worked for
Tetra Tech Tetra Tech, Inc. is an American consulting and engineering services firm based in Pasadena, California. The company provides consulting, engineering, program management, and construction management services in the areas of water, environment, inf ...
in Howell, Michigan. He works for RS&H, INC. in Novi, Michigan.


Career statistics

''Statistics as of the end of the 2015–16 season.''


References


Further reading

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daavettila, Trent 1984 births Living people Adirondack Phantoms players American men's ice hockey forwards Chicago Wolves players Colorado Eagles players 21st-century American sportsmen Frederikshavn White Hawks players Finlandia University alumni Flint Generals players Grand Rapids Griffins players Ice hockey players from Michigan Kalamazoo Wings (2007–2009) players Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) players Lake Erie Monsters players People from Howell, Michigan Sportspeople from Livingston County, Michigan St. John's IceCaps players American people of Finnish descent