After just 13 European skaters were selected in the 1980 NHL entry draft, Petri Skriko was one of 32 skaters selected from Europe in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted in the 8th round by the Vancouver Canucks at 157th overall.
Skriko was born in Lappeenranta, Finland on March 13, 1962. Before getting drafted, he played for his hometown team, SaiPa, as a teenager. Considered to be a superstar from the start, Skriko made an immediate impact and helped get SaiPa promoted to the top Finnish league. Skriko finished his first pro campaign with 25-goals and 45-points in 36-games. The following year in the SM-Liiga, Skriko was recognized as the rookie of the year with 20-goals and 33-points in 36-games. After being drafted by Vancouver in the summer, Skriko chose to stay in Finland for three additional seasons.
From 1981-1984, Skriko scored 67-goals and 132-points in 101-games. Skriko played in the World Junior Championships with Finland in 1981 & 1982. He won a Silver and Bronze medal and was voted as the top forward in the 1982 tournament. He also made the Liiga All-Star team in 1983-84.
Skriko became the first Finnish player to play for the Vancouver Canucks when he made his debut in 1984. Skriko scored 21-goals and 35-points in 72-games as a rookie. The following year he found his stride in the NHL and led the Canucks in scoring with 38–goals and 78-points in 80-games. The following season, Skriko became the first Canucks player to ever be recognized as the NHL Player of the Month after scoring three hat-tricks in 8-days. Skriko had 33-goals and 74-points in 76-games that season.
Skriko’s production dipped the following two seasons, but he still scored 30-goals in both seasons. In the 1988-89 season, Skriko had a steep drop-off and managed to score just 15-goals and 48-points in 77-games. Midway through the 1990-91 season, Skriko was moved from Vancouver to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 1992 NHL Draft (Michael Peca). At the time of leaving Vancouver, Skriko was 10th all-time in scoring with the team. The Skriko trade led to Vancouver acquiring Alex Mogilny in 1995 as Peca was a part of the package going back to Buffalo.
Skriko played out the season with Boston and played in 28 regular season games and 18-games in the playoffs. Boston was knocked out by the Penguins in the Conference Finals. Skriko was then traded to Winnipeg early in the 1991-92 season in exchange for Brent Ashton. In 1991, Skriko requested an absence from the team so he could represent Finland at the world stage in preparation for the 1992 Olympics. Skriko had a goal and 5-points in 8-games at the Olympics. Skriko played in just 15-games with Winnipeg registering 5-points.
As an unrestricted free agent, Skriko chose to sign with the San Jose Sharks. He managed to play in just 17-games before being released by the club on November 30, 1992.
Although Skriko’s NHL Career was over, he returned overseas and played one season in Finland and then six seasons in Denmark. Skriko dominated in Denmark and had 549-points in 249-games across his six seasons. He won the league championship 4-times and Skriko was recognized as player of the year in 1995 and 1997.
After retiring in 1999, Skriko went on to coach his Danish club to a championship in 2001, and then briefly coached his hometown team in Finland. In 2004, Skriko was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame. Since then, Skriko has done scouting for the Florida Panthers and currently serves as the Head Coach of the Estonian National Hockey Team. He currently ranks 20th in all-time scoring for the Vancouver Canucks.
Fun Fact: Skriko served 10-months in the Finnish military after being drafted by Vancouver. In off-seasons, he also worked as a firefighter back home in Finland.
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20. Petri Skriko — 472GP | 171G | 202A | 373P | 1985-1991
After just 13 European skaters were selected in the 1980 NHL entry draft, Petri Skriko was one of 32 skaters selected from Europe in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted in the 8th round by the Vancouver Canucks at 157th overall.
Skriko was born in Lappeenranta, Finland on March 13, 1962. Before getting drafted, he played for his hometown team, SaiPa, as a teenager. Considered to be a superstar from the start, Skriko made an immediate impact and helped get SaiPa promoted to the top Finnish league. Skriko finished his first pro campaign with 25-goals and 45-points in 36-games. The following year in the SM-Liiga, Skriko was recognized as the rookie of the year with 20-goals and 33-points in 36-games. After being drafted by Vancouver in the summer, Skriko chose to stay in Finland for three additional seasons.
From 1981-1984, Skriko scored 67-goals and 132-points in 101-games. Skriko played in the World Junior Championships with Finland in 1981 & 1982. He won a Silver and Bronze medal and was voted as the top forward in the 1982 tournament. He also made the Liiga All-Star team in 1983-84.
Skriko became the first Finnish player to play for the Vancouver Canucks when he made his debut in 1984. Skriko scored 21-goals and 35-points in 72-games as a rookie. The following year he found his stride in the NHL and led the Canucks in scoring with 38–goals and 78-points in 80-games. The following season, Skriko became the first Canucks player to ever be recognized as the NHL Player of the Month after scoring three hat-tricks in 8-days. Skriko had 33-goals and 74-points in 76-games that season.
Skriko’s production dipped the following two seasons, but he still scored 30-goals in both seasons. In the 1988-89 season, Skriko had a steep drop-off and managed to score just 15-goals and 48-points in 77-games. Midway through the 1990-91 season, Skriko was moved from Vancouver to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 1992 NHL Draft (Michael Peca). At the time of leaving Vancouver, Skriko was 10th all-time in scoring with the team. The Skriko trade led to Vancouver acquiring Alex Mogilny in 1995 as Peca was a part of the package going back to Buffalo.
Skriko played out the season with Boston and played in 28 regular season games and 18-games in the playoffs. Boston was knocked out by the Penguins in the Conference Finals. Skriko was then traded to Winnipeg early in the 1991-92 season in exchange for Brent Ashton. In 1991, Skriko requested an absence from the team so he could represent Finland at the world stage in preparation for the 1992 Olympics. Skriko had a goal and 5-points in 8-games at the Olympics. Skriko played in just 15-games with Winnipeg registering 5-points.
As an unrestricted free agent, Skriko chose to sign with the San Jose Sharks. He managed to play in just 17-games before being released by the club on November 30, 1992.
Although Skriko’s NHL Career was over, he returned overseas and played one season in Finland and then six seasons in Denmark. Skriko dominated in Denmark and had 549-points in 249-games across his six seasons. He won the league championship 4-times and Skriko was recognized as player of the year in 1995 and 1997.
After retiring in 1999, Skriko went on to coach his Danish club to a championship in 2001, and then briefly coached his hometown team in Finland. In 2004, Skriko was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame. Since then, Skriko has done scouting for the Florida Panthers and currently serves as the Head Coach of the Estonian National Hockey Team. He currently ranks 20th in all-time scoring for the Vancouver Canucks.
Fun Fact: Skriko served 10-months in the Finnish military after being drafted by Vancouver. In off-seasons, he also worked as a firefighter back home in Finland.
Michael Buble’s favourite player
He was an awesome Canuck
The dreaded “Skriko-Sundstrom-Tanti” trio.