Background
Ari-Pekka Hakala was born in Urjala, but later in his life moved to Forssa, and began playing A level junior hockey.
Ari-Pekka Hakala was born in Urjala, but later in his life moved to Forssa, and began playing A level junior hockey.
He began his professional career in 2004, playing 7 games for FPS Forssa, in the Mestis league, before being relegated later that year to Ahmat Hyvinkää, in the lower league Suomi-sarja. The next year, in the 2005-2006 season, he began playing for FPS Forssa again, and played a total of 2 seasons, before moving to Australia to play in the AIHL. In April 2007 Ari-Pekka Hakala began playing for the Canberra Knights, and finished the season as the second top scorer in the team