Former Edmonton Oilers Prospect Sadly Passes Away At The Age of 44
A former Edmonton Oilers prospect has sadly passed away unexpectedly at the age of 44 according to reports out of Finland.
We have some sad news to pass along in the hockey world on Tuesday as according to Iltalehti, a Finnish media outlet, former Edmonton Oilers goaltending prospect Kristian Antila has passed away at the age of 44.
Antila's passing reportedly happened earlier in November and was unexpected, Iltalehti says, adding that the cause of death has not been revealed as of yet.
The news of Antila's passing was confirmed by his employer, Rakennusbetoni- ja Elementti Oy, through a statement on their LinkedIn account recently.
"Kristian was a hardworking, friendly and dedicated employee who impressed us all. In our community, he always listened, helped and supported others. He always worked with a twinkle in his eye, and his sitcoms, often inspired by Fingerpori comics, could be missed by those who were not big consumers of comics.
His sports background was also visible in Kristian. As a top athlete and former hockey goalie, he knew how to support and cheer us on and carry the team in difficult moments.
We will remember Kristian as a warm and caring person who loved being outdoors in the lap of nature. His passing is a great loss and his memory lives on in our hearts."
Kristian Antila's professional hockey career
The Vammala, Finland native spent the majority of his professional hockey career in Europe, playing in the top divisions in Finland, Germany and Sweden.
Antila was selected in the fourth round, 113th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, but never appeared in any games in the National Hockey League, spending parts of two seasons in North America in the AHL, the now-defunct CHL, and ECHL.
The last season of Antila's career was in 2004-05 where he suited up for Lulea HF in the Elitserien (now called Swedish Hockey League), sporting a 5-12-0 record, along with 3.25 goals against average and an .899 save percentage.
After the 2004-05 season, Antila decided to hang up the skates after dealing with groin injury issues and eventually, got into the construction business as an accounts manager.
The thoughts of everyone here at Canucks Daily are with the family, friends and former teammates of Kristian Antila at this difficult time.
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