| Veli-Pekka Ketola |
| Position: Center |
| Born March 28, 1948 in Pori, Finland |
| Height: 6' 3" Weight: 207 |
| Traded to Jets by Cleveland Crusaders for future considerations, August, 1974. Traded with Hexi Riihiranta to Calgary Cowboys for Mike Ford, Danny Lawson and Calgary's 1st round draft choice in 1977, March 9, 1977. |
| Centerman Veli-Pekka Ketola signed with the Jets in August 1974 after turning down an offer from the Detroit Red Wings. The first Finnish player to sign with a North American team, he played most of three seasons with the Jets and was part of the Jets' first AVCO Cup championship team in 1976. The Jets traded Ketola to the Calgary Cowboys late in the 1976-1977 season and he finished that season with the Cowboys before returning to his native Finland. He returned to North America in 1981-1982 and played 44 games for the Colorado Rockies before going back to Finland for one more year, where he retired after that season. Prior to joining the Jets, Ketola was a star with Assat in his hometown of Pori and he went on to coach and manage the team after his playing career. Assat retired number 13 in his honor. |