Jarno Kultanen was born January 8, 1973 in Luumaki, Finland. The sixth round, 174th overall selection of the Boston Bruins in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Kultanen played five seasons in the Finnish Elite League with KalPa Kuopio and IFK Helsinki before making his North American debut in 2000-01.
A skilled offensive defenceman, Kultanen made his North American and NHL debut with the Bruins in 2000-01 suiting up for 62 games while registering ten points (2-8-10). Injuries limited the talented defenceman to a mere 38 games in 2001-02 and in 2002-03 Kultanen spent the better part of the year with the Bruins AHL affiliate in Providence where he finished second in defenceman scoring with 34 points (9-25-34).
