Otto Salin

July 2022 – The Los Angeles Kings have selected Salin in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

May 2022 – Salin has quietly had a great campaign in Finland, where he figured among only three draft-eligible defensemen to play pro this season. He played six games for HIFK, earning an assist and two penalty minutes in that span. He averaged just over 10 minutes of play at the pro level, whereas he’s had games for HIFK’s U20 squad in which he’s played up to 27 minutes. At the junior level, Salin earned 12 points in 11 games, outpacing all but three forwards on the squad for points per game.

Vision, puck skills and mobility are the name of the game for Salin. His crossover use, his cutbacks, his forwards and backwards skating, all look very solid. He covers lots of ground and doesn’t waste energy, being selective in his rushes up-ice. When he joins the offense, whether in transition or in the offensive zone, he takes calculated risks and has the vision required to identify the right time and place for his incursions, although his manipulation of lanes could use some work. When he finds himself in positive ice, he has the hands, the passing ability and the shot to convert on his chances. The issues with Salin are on the defensive side, for the most part — he can struggle to stifle opponents off the rush, and can get confused when the cycle requires a change of assignment. All in all, the offensive promise with Salin is a the shot in the third round, especially if he can be brought over to North America soon to learn from the tightness of the pro game on this side of the pond in order to grow his defensive game the right way. Hadi Kalakeche