Samu Salminen

March 2022 – Salminen has been tearing up the Finnish U20 league with 48 points in 44 games, leading his team by a margin of 10. He sits seventh league-wide for points, although he stands as the only drafted prospect in the top-100, as most post-draft players with significant fantasy value make the jump to Division 1 or 2 pro hockey at this point in their careers. Jokerit’s men’s team plays in the KHL, and likely wants to keep its roster as pro-ready as possible, with the level of competition being drastically high in Russia’s top men’s division. Expect Salminen to be playing pro next season, as his development furthers and he continues to grow his off-puck game and physical strength. Hadi Kalakeche

July 2021 – Salminen was selected in the third round, 68th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

March 2021 – The young Finn has been slowly creeping closer to the first round on many public draft boards. Samu Salminen is a skilled center that has a projectable frame at 6’3″ and 194lbs and the skill to play the modern game. His biggest concern is his mobility which could force him to the wing at the next level. Salminen is an incredibly smart player who has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time at both ends of the ice. His effort defensively can be very hit-or-miss but he has the length and puck skills to get into passing lanes and create turnovers. At the offensive end of the ice, Salminen can be very impressive. He has a good shot from the faceoff dots and he has quick hands that elevate in tight. He is very crafty around the net and can display some interesting moves as he tries to create from the net front or beside the net. When he spots an open man across the zone, he has the soft touch to feather a pass through traffic and find his teammates. He works the cycle well at the junior level and shows some decent strength around the walls but hasn’t played against men to show how he’d fair against that level like many of his European counterparts. Salminen has a very intriguing game and if his mobility was a bit better, he would likely be a late first-rounder without question. Tony Ferrari