Daavettila graduated from Howell High School in 2002 and enrolled at Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan.
He played in ten games for Finlandia's varsity hockey team, a member of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and scored three goals and ten assists before moving on.
Daavettila transferred to Michigan Technological University, just across Portage Lake from Finlandia, and attempted to join the Division I Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team as a walk-on, but failed to do so.
He continued to study civil engineering at Michigan Tech while playing for the Portage Lake Pioneers, a high-level men's amateur team playing in the Great Lakes Hockey League.
During his five years with the Pioneers, Daavettila scored at a rate of more than a point per game and in 2005 he won a national championship with them.

Daavettila graduated from Michigan Tech in 2008 and tried out for the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League (IHL).
He appeared in two games for the Generals at the end of the season (for only about three shifts), and did not register a point.
Daavettila had not originally planned to pursue a professional hockey career, but said "When I got one skate with Flint, it kind of sparked my interest and I decided to give it a try".
During the off-season, Daavettila worked for a structural engineering firm in Saginaw, Michigan.
He used vacation time at the start of the next hockey season later in 2008 to try out for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL), though he was rejected by both teams.
Tryouts with two more IHL teams, the Kalamazoo Wings and the Bloomington PrairieThunder, did not result in a contract either.
Daavettila assumed his hockey career was over and went back to his engineering job, but he continued to skate a couple times a week.
He had left an impression on Kalamazoo coach Nick Bootland, however, who called Daavettila back in March 2009 after his team was depleted by injuries. "
You could see he had a skill set," said Bootland. "
But I thought the way he held on to the puck, he was going to get himself killed. ...
You kept thinking he was going to make a mistake.
Then he'd pop a guy for a breakaway."

Bootland played Daavettila for two shifts in his first game with the Wings and more in his second game.
Daavettila responded with his first professional hockey goal and went on to score 9 goals and 9 assists in 20 games for the Wings that season.
During the off-season, the New York Rangers of the NHL invited Daavettila to participate in a development camp for their recent draftees and other prospects. "
It was the hardest I've ever had to push myself as far as conditioning and the longevity of it", said Daavettila.
Also during the off-season, the Kalamazoo Wings left the IHL to become members of the ECHL, and Daavettila was one of the first players the team signed to play in their new league. "
It was a weird feeling knowing you had a ... plan for next year, somebody actually wants you", he said.

Daavettila scored 8 goals among 14 points in the Wings' first 14 games of the 2009–10 ECHL season, helping the team to achieve the best record of the league's 25 teams at that point.
His performance prompted the Adirondack Phantoms (AHL) to sign Daavettila to a professional tryout contract when the team was beset by injuries early in the season.
Daavettila played eleven games for the Phantoms, as center of the third and fourth lines, and collected two assists before being sent back to Kalamazoo.
Shortly thereafter, he was signed to another professional tryout by the Grand Rapids Griffins, for whom he played in two games and scored his first AHL goal by deflecting a shot by Andy Delmore.
Daavettila was later called up again and played in two more games for Adirondack.
Meanwhile, while with Kalamazoo, he scored 19 goals and added 30 assists in 51 games to finish fourth on the team in scoring.
In the playoffs, Daavettila continued his point-per-game scoring rate, but the Wings lost their first-
Daavettila graduated from Howell High School in 2002 and enrolled at Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan. He played in ten games for Finlandia's varsity hockey team, a member of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and scored three goals and ten assists before moving on. Daavettila transferred to Michigan Technological University, just across Portage Lake from Finlandia, and attempted to join the Division I Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team as a walk-on, but failed to do so. He continued to study civil engineering at Michigan Tech while playing for the Portage Lake Pioneers, a high-level men's amateur team playing in the Great Lakes Hockey League. During his five years with the Pioneers, Daavettila scored at a rate of more than a point per game and in 2005 he won a national championship with them.
Daavettila graduated from Michigan Tech in 2008 and tried out for the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League (IHL). He appeared in two games for the Generals at the end of the season (for only about three shifts), and did not register a point. Daavettila had not originally planned to pursue a professional hockey career, but said "When I got one skate with Flint, it kind of sparked my interest and I decided to give it a try". During the off-season, Daavettila worked for a structural engineering firm in Saginaw, Michigan. He used vacation time at the start of the next hockey season later in 2008 to try out for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL), though he was rejected by both teams. Tryouts with two more IHL teams, the Kalamazoo Wings and the Bloomington PrairieThunder, did not result in a contract either. Daavettila assumed his hockey career was over and went back to his engineering job, but he continued to skate a couple times a week. He had left an impression on Kalamazoo coach Nick Bootland, however, who called Daavettila back in March 2009 after his team was depleted by injuries. "You could see he had a skill set," said Bootland. "But I thought the way he held on to the puck, he was going to get himself killed. ... You kept thinking he was going to make a mistake. Then he'd pop a guy for a breakaway."
Bootland played Daavettila for two shifts in his first game with the Wings and more in his second game. Daavettila responded with his first professional hockey goal and went on to score 9 goals and 9 assists in 20 games for the Wings that season. During the off-season, the New York Rangers of the NHL invited Daavettila to participate in a development camp for their recent draftees and other prospects. "It was the hardest I've ever had to push myself as far as conditioning and the longevity of it", said Daavettila. Also during the off-season, the Kalamazoo Wings left the IHL to become members of the ECHL, and Daavettila was one of the first players the team signed to play in their new league. "It was a weird feeling knowing you had a ... plan for next year, somebody actually wants you", he said.
Daavettila scored 8 goals among 14 points in the Wings' first 14 games of the 2009–10 ECHL season, helping the team to achieve the best record of the league's 25 teams at that point. His performance prompted the Adirondack Phantoms (AHL) to sign Daavettila to a professional tryout contract when the team was beset by injuries early in the season. Daavettila played eleven games for the Phantoms, as center of the third and fourth lines, and collected two assists before being sent back to Kalamazoo. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to another professional tryout by the Grand Rapids Griffins, for whom he played in two games and scored his first AHL goal by deflecting a shot by Andy Delmore. Daavettila was later called up again and played in two more games for Adirondack. Meanwhile, while with Kalamazoo, he scored 19 goals and added 30 assists in 51 games to finish fourth on the team in scoring. In the playoffs, Daavettila continued his point-per-game scoring rate, but the Wings lost their first-
Trent Daavettila