Pakarinen may have been born in the scenic port town of Loviisa, Finland, but the right wing is a rough-hewn sort whose game is sometimes anything but pretty.

Teammates have likened him to a wrecking ball and a freight train, both high praise in the NHL, where winning one-on-one battles and imposing one's physical will on opponents can be keys to success.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Pakarinen came to the NHL largely on his own terms. He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (No. 184) in the 2011 NHL Draft, but the two sides failed to agree on a contract.

Pakarinen played in Finland instead, bringing his intensely physical, straight-line brand of hockey to KalPa and HIFK. He was versatile enough to play on the first or fourth line, and at left or right wing or, if need be, center.

For one stretch when HIFK was hit hard by injuries, Pakarinen dropped back and played defense. That flexibility, plus his 20 goals in his final season with HIFK in 2013-14, helped put him on the Edmonton Oilers' radar, and they signed the free agent on June 16, 2014.

The big forward played mostly for the Oilers' American Hockey League affiliate in Oklahoma City in 2014-15, though he did appear in 17 games for Edmonton. Pakarinen emerged as a regular with the Oilers in 2015-16, playing 63 games.