Saku Salminen
{{short description|Finnish ice hockey player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2013}}
{{Notability|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Saku Salminen
| image =
| image_caption =
| image_size = 230px
| played_for = Jokerit
HPK
SaiPa
Anglet
| position = Forward
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 205
| shoots = Left
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|10|20}}
| birth_place = Helsinki, Finland
| draft = 184th overall
| draft_team = Tampa Bay Lightning
| draft_year = 2013
| career_start = 2012
| career_end = 2019
}}
Saku Salminen (born October 20, 1994) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He most notably played in the Liiga.
Playing career
Salminen was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 7th round (184th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.{{cite web| url = https://www.nhl.com/lightning/news/lightning-announce-development-camp-roster-schedule/c-676221 | title = Lightning announce development camp roster | publisher = Tampa Bay Lightning | date = 2016-06-28| accessdate = 2016-06-28}}
Salminen made his SM-liiga debut playing with Jokerit during the 2012–13 SM-liiga season.{{cite web| url = http://www.eliteprospects.com/team.php?team=41&year0=2013&status=stats | publisher = Eliteprospects.com | title = 2012–13 Jokerit player statistics | date = 2013-04-05 | accessdate = 2013-04-05}}
Personal life
Salminen has two hockey-playing brothers, older brother Sami who played for Northern Michigan University and in the Mestis, and younger brother Samu, who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils and as of the 2024–25 season plays for the University of Denver.{{Cite web |title=Sami Salminen at eliteprospects.com |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/25267/sami-salminen |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.eliteprospects.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Samu Salminen at eliteprospects.com |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/554239/samu-salminen |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.eliteprospects.com |language=en}} Their father Pekka was a minor professional hockey player in Finland before switching to coaching.{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Scott |title=Devils prospect Samu Salminen's NHL pursuit remains on track |work=The New York Times |url=https://theathletic.com/3183277/2022/03/29/devils-prospect-samu-salminens-nhl-pursuit-remains-on-track-despite-less-conventional-path/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |language=en}}
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |
| 2010–11
| HIFK | Jr. A | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2011–12 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 44 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2012–13
| Jokerit | Jr. A | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2012–13 | Jokerit | SM-liiga | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13
| Mestis | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2013–14 | Kiekko-Vantaa | Mestis | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14
| Jokerit | Jr. A | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2014–15 | HPK | Liiga | 36 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16
| Jokerit | KHL | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2015–16 | Mestis | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17
| SaiPa | Liiga | 39 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2017–18 | SaiPa | Liiga | 45 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2018–19
| FRA | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2018–19 | ECDC Memmingen | Ger.3 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19
| DEL2 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2018–19 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | Liiga totals ! 133 ! 9 ! 13 ! 22 ! 67 ! 9 ! 0 ! 1 ! 1 ! 4 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | KHL totals ! 9 ! 0 ! 1 ! 1 ! 0 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! — |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" |
| ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |
| 2012
| Finland | U18 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2013 | Finland | WJC | 7th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" | Junior totals ! 13 ! 0 ! 5 ! 5 ! 0 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{icehockeystats}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salminen, Saku}}
Category:Anglet Hormadi Élite players
Category:Finnish ice hockey forwards
Category:ESV Kaufbeuren players
Category:Kiekko-Vantaa players
Category:Ice hockey people from Helsinki
Category:Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks
Category:21st-century Finnish sportsmen
{{Finland-icehockey-player-stub}}