Photo courtesy of Yle.fi

Fantasy Summary

Good two-way defenseman with offensive upside.


Observations

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July 2023 – Robin Salo played in a total of 49 games in 2022-23, 11 coming with the Islanders where he scored twice and added two assists. Salo is under contract for 2023-24 and could see time with the Islanders if there is an injury. He is scheduled to become an RFA next off-season. James Iacovone

July 2022 – Salo signed a two-year-extension with an annual cap hit of $800,000. He’ll be an RFA when it expires. Mark Allan

June 2022 – The skilled Swede led Bridgeport D-men in points per game with a 40-game, 20-point rookie AHL campaign. He followed that with a goal and an assist in six Calder Cup playoff appearances. Earlier in his first North American season, Salo potted his first NHL goal, adding four assists in 21 games as an injury replacement. It’s not inconceivable that he has a strong training camp and sticks with the big club. Mark Allan

March 2022 – After getting into his first 18 NHL games (a goal and three assists) earlier this season, the talented Finn was returned to Bridgeport, where he’s compiled two goals and 10 assists in 25 AHL appearances. Salo has a future in the NHL, although he’ll be in the minors for the foreseeable future. NYI head coach Barry Trotz said he needs to play regularly. Mark Allan

July 2021 – The 22-year-old will surely be in North America for the coming season, especially if a veteran D-man like Nick Leddy departs to free cap space. With a variety of international experience and a demonstrated ability to play productively in the Swedish Hockey league, Salo could start in the AHL or might jump right onto the NHL roster. The Isles need an influx of young, affordable talent on one of the NHL’s oldest squads. (Update: Leddy was traded to Detroit for a second-round pick and RW Richard Panik.) Mark Allan

April 2021 – Salo’s Swedish Hockey League season continues after sixth-place Örebro upset third-place Leksands with a four-game sweep in the quarter-finals. League champion Vaxjo, which also achieved a four-game sweep, is the semi-final opponent. Salo posted 30 points in 51 league outings, then added four assists against Leksands. The 22-year-old is an intriguing prospect with another season to go on his entry-level contract. Mark Allan

February 2021 – Salo signed a two-year, entry-level contract with a $925,000 AAV and got to keep his mailing address. The Isles officially loaned him to Örebro of the Swedish Hockey League for whom the 22-year-old is leading blueliners with 25 points (including five goals) in 39 appearances. The Finn, who leads the team in assists, could add to his extensive international experience as soon as next season with a debut in the AHL. Mark Allan

November 2020 – Slowing after a quick start in the Swedish Hockey League, Salo has a goal and three assists in 13 appearances for Orebro HK. That roughly mirrors the goal and five assists in 12 outings for the same squad last season. The 22-year-old former second-round pick of the Islanders is playing big minutes, and is expected to cross the Atlantic soon. Mark Allan

April 2020 – When Orebro lost a key defenseman they went out and acquired Salo late in the season. Salo had led his Liiga team’s defensemen in scoring and his impact on SHL’s Orebro was immediate as he tallied six points in 12 games. The Isles could lure him to North America for AHL duty as early as the coming season. His offense is starting to come along. Dobber

March 2020 – The 2017 second-rounder continues to marinate in the Liiga. The well-rounded Finn has good size (6-1, 187 pounds) and vision. He’s a good skater with above-average balance and mobility. His typically quiet offensive production has improved this season to eight goals and 21 points in 46 appearances. Defensive metrics are skewed because he’s playing for a SaiPa squad that is near the bottom of Finland’s best league. It looks like Salo may never be an offensive force, but he could make it to the NHL as a Steady Edmo (Finnish version of Steady Eddie) defender. For that, he must come to North America. Mark Allan

March 2019 – After a major setback last season with only five points in 43 games, Salo returned to his usual form with 16 points in 56 games this season in the Liiga. At just 20 years old, Salo is expected to spend a couple of more seasons at least in Finland. While it could be a while before Islanders fans see him in New York, he could make an impact at both ends if he can continue to grow as a two-way defenseman. Salo is a perfect mold of the new school defenceman, which is an above-average skater who can move the puck with ease. It will be important to monitor his offensive growth in Finland in the coming years before you take a chance in your fantasy league. Nate Duffett

January 2018 – Despite being under the weather in the lead-up to the tournament, Salo was named to Finland’s 2018 World Juniors squad. The Finns’ roster was probably about as top-heavy on defense as any team in the event. As a result, Salo played just 20 shifts and 13 minutes in the entire tournament. After 16 points in 54 games last year in Liiga play, the 2017 second round pick has just three assists halfway through this season. Salo doesn’t offer much fantasy upside in any format, no matter the depth of the league. Michael Farkas

June 2017 – Salo played his first full season of pro hockey in Finland with Sport in the Liiga league. He had played a few games over the past two years but broke the roster on a full time basis in his draft year and played good minutes. He was limited to just one goal but had 16 points in total. Salo has a good shot but is better at distributing the puck and plays an all-around game. Skating needs to improve as his stride isn’t very smooth but relies on his positioning and smarts to be effective defensively. Peter Harling

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 7.5
NHL Certainty 7.5
Country FIN
Position D
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth October 13, 1998
Height 6‘1”
Weight 187 lbs
Drafted 2017 Round 2; Overall: 46

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2011-2012 Sport U16U16 I-divisioona Q4 0 00 2|        
  Sport U16U16 II-divisioona8 0 22 0|        
 2012-2013 Sport U16U16 SM-sarja Q10 4 48 2|        
  Sport U16U16 SM-sarja28 4 1115 16|        
 2013-2014 Sport U17U17 SM-sarja3 2 24 2|        
  Sport U17U17 Mestis1 1 12 0|Playoffs1 0 00
  Sport U18U18 Mestis25 4 711 8|        
  Sport U18U18 SM-sarja18 4 15 8|        
  Finland U16 (all)International-Jr4 0 11 2|        
 2014-2015 Sport U20U20 SM-sarja45 10 1626 32|        
  SportLiiga4 0 00 0|        
  Finland U17WHC-176 0 00 0|        
  Finland U17 (all)International-Jr10 0 00 4|        
  Finland U18WJC-187 0 00 0|        
  Finland U18 (all)International-Jr7 0 00 0|        
 2015-2016 Finland U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup5 2 02 2|        
  Sport U20U20 SM-sarja27 10 717 8|        
  SportLiiga16 0 00 0|        
  HermesMestis7 1 01 18|        
  Finland U18WJC-187 1 01 2|        
  Finland U20 (all)International-Jr4 1 01 0|        
 2016-2017 SportLiiga54 1 1516 14|        
  Finland U20 (all)International-Jr11 0 11 10|        
 2017-2018 SportLiiga43 0 55 14|        
  HermesMestis2 0 00 2|        
  Finland U20WJC-205 0 00 0|        
  Finland U20 (all)International-Jr16 2 35 6|        
 2018-2019 SaiPaLiiga57 4 1216 20|Playoffs3 2 02
 2019-2020 SaiPaLiiga46 8 1321 14|        
  Örebro HKSHL12 1 56 2|        
  Finland EHT2 0 11 0|        
  Finland (all)International2 0 11 0|        
 2020-2021 Örebro HKSHL51 6 2430 16|Playoffs9 0 44
  Finland EHT6 0 00 2|        
  Finland (all)International6 0 00 2|        
 2021-2022 New York IslandersNHL21 1 45 4|        
  Bridgeport IslandersAHL40 4 1620 8|Playoffs6 1 12
 2022-2023 New York IslandersNHL11 2 24 4|        
  Bridgeport IslandersAHL38 0 1414 26|        
 2023-2024 Bridgeport IslandersAHL68 5 1924 22|        
 2024-2025 Malmö RedhawksSHL6 1 34 0|        

Highlights