Eliteprospects
Finland Samu Salminen
#11 Univ. of Denver / NCAA - 24/25
Date of Birth
Apr 09, 2003
Position
C/LW
Age
21
Height
6'2" / 188 cm
Place of Birth
Helsinki, FIN
Weight
185 lbs / 84 kg
Nation
Finland
Shoots
L
Youth Team
Jokerit
Contract
-
NHL Rights
New Jersey Devils New Jersey Devils / Unsigned
Drafted
2021 round 3 #68 overall by New Jersey Devils

The hallmark of his game is his intelligence. Salminen sees plays developing several steps in advance and plans his every step accordingly, whether he has possession or not. He has that goal-scorer’s knack for finding the right place to set up shop, and his one- and two-touch finishing game never fails him. He’s every bit the credible shooting threat without the puck as he is with it. -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide

Brothers: Saku Salminen & Sami Salminen

© Photo: Dan Hickling

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Samu Salminen Statistics

S Team League GP G A TP PIM +/-   POST GP G A TP PIM +/-
2017-18 Jokerit U16 U16 SM-sarja Q 15* 12* 10* 22* 6* -* |
Jokerit U16 U16 SM-sarja 18* 5* 7* 12* 22* -* | Playoffs 5 2 0 2 0 -
2018-19 Jokerit U16 U16 SM-sarja Q 15* 16* 23* 39* 6* -* |
Jokerit U16 U16 SM-sarja 5* 4* 14* 18* 2* -* | Playoffs 7 7 8 15 6 -
Jokerit U18 U18 SM-sarja 33* 18* 18* 36* 32* -* | Playoffs 1 0 1 1 0 -
Finland U16 (all) International-Jr 14* 9* 13* 22* 6* -* |
2019-20 Jokerit U18 U18 SM-sarja 7* 8* 15* 23* 6* -* |
Jokerit U20 U20 SM-liiga 23* 7* 13* 20* 10* 12* |
Finland U17 WHC-17 5* 3* 2* 5* 6* -* |
Finland U17 (all) International-Jr 12* 5* 3* 8* 14* -* |
2020-21 Jokerit U20 “A” U20 SM-sarja 17* 10* 16* 26* 10* 12* |
Finland U18 “C” WJC-18 7* 7* 2* 9* 2* 4* |
2021-22 Jokerit U20 “C” U20 SM-sarja 44* 19* 29* 48* 34* 12* | Playoffs 2 0 0 0 0 -3
Finland U20 (all) International-Jr 2* 0* 0* 0* 0* -1* |
2022-23 Jokerit U20 U20 SM-sarja 1* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* |
Univ. of Connecticut NCAA 27* 9* 8* 17* 14* 4* |
2023-24 Univ. of Connecticut NCAA 35* 7* 10* 17* 35* 3* |
2024-25 Univ. of Denver NCAA 14* 3* 6* 9* 8* 9* |

Samu Salminen Career Totals

League Years GP G A TP PPG PIM +/- | Years GP G A TP PPG PIM +/-
International-Jr 3 28* 14* 16* 30* 1.07* 20* -1* | 0 * * * * * *
NCAA 3 76* 19* 24* 43* 0.57* 57* 16* | 0 * * * * * *
U16 SM-sarja 2 23* 9* 21* 30* 1.30* 24* -* | 2 12 9 * 8 * 17 * 1.42 * 6 * - *
U16 SM-sarja Q 2 30* 28* 33* 61* 2.03* 12* -* | 0 * * * * * *
U18 SM-sarja 2 40* 26* 33* 59* 1.48* 38* -* | 1 1 0 * 1 * 1 * 1.00 * 0 * - *
U20 SM-sarja (U20 SM-liiga) 4 85* 36* 58* 94* 1.11* 54* 36* | 1 2 0 * 0 * 0 * 0.00 * 0 * -3 *
WHC-17 1 5* 3* 2* 5* 1.00* 6* -* | 0 * * * * * *
WJC-18 1 7* 7* 2* 9* 1.29* 2* 4* | 0 * * * * * *
* Some data is missing to provide a correct summary.

Samu Salminen Career Highlights

Season
Awards by season
Transactions
DATE STATUS FROM TO SOURCE
04/29/2024
04/29/2024 Confirmed Univ. of Connecticut Univ. of Denver
08/03/2022
08/03/2022 Confirmed Jokerit U20 Univ. of Connecticut
Player Biography and Trivia

Drafted 2020, 7 #106 overall by Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL Entry Draft

2021 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #44 by Elite Prospects

2021 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #111 by FCHockey

2021 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #66 by TSN/Craig Button

2021 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #98 by McKeen's Hockey

2021 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #46 by TSN/McKenzie

2021 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #12 by NHL Central Scouting