Joona Saarelainen

June 2025 – Saarelainen picked up right where he left off last season, making easy work of the U20, and earning a promotion to KalPa’s men’s team in Liiga. He recorded two goals and three assists across 21 games, and also had a brief loan stint with Hokki in Mestis. He represented Finland at the World Junior Championship, notching one assist despite limited ice time. Saarelainen continues to show energy and drive, but his biggest challenge remains adapting to the physicality at the professional level. He is expected to remain with KalPa next season, where a full year at the pro level could help him adjust to playing against bigger, stronger opponents.  Saarelainen is a long shot for the NHL and projects as a bottom-six energy guy.  Markus R

July 2024 – Saarelainen was selected 149th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mark Henry

June 2024 – An undersized center with an unrelenting motor, a tendency to play his best hockey when it matters most, and an ability to elevate his linemates all the while facilitating their games, there’s a lot to like in Saarelainen’s game. His projection is a bit murkier than his on-ice value was this season, however. At 5-9 and lacking stand-out elite skill(s), the Finnish pivot will need to work about twice as hard to make the NHL than most of his peers, but if he does beat the odds, a team could have landed a fan-favourite bottom-six facilitator who brings exactly the same energy every single night: everything he has. (Final Ranking: 90) Sebastian High