Ice hockey - Cologne Sharks sign Finnish international defenseman
The Cologne Sharks from the German Ice Hockey League have signed Finnish defenseman Veli-Matti Viitasmaa for one year. The 34-year-old is switching from Finnish champion Tappara Tampere to the Rhine. The Sharks announced this.
The national team player was champion of Finland in each of the past three years and also won the Champions League with Tampere. In May, he represented his country at the WM in the Czech Republic.
Veli-Matti Viitasmaa, hailing from Tampere, Finland, will now play for the DEL team, the Cologne Sharks, having spent the last few years with Tappara Tampere. This transition brings him to North Rhine-Westphalia, leaving behind his successful Ice hockey career in Finland. Despite joining the Cologne Sharks, Viitasmaa's love for the sport remains unchanged, as he once donned the jersey of Cologne's local rivals during a brief stint with a German club.
