Antti Saarela (born June 27, 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger currently playing with Lukko in the Liiga on loan as a prospect for the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 123rd overall by the Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
| Antti Saarela | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
27 June 2001 Laitila, Finland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Chicago Blackhawks Lukko (Liiga) Ilves | ||
| NHL draft |
123rd overall, 2019 Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
Playing career
editSaarela made his Liiga debut for Lukko, playing one game during the 2017–18 Liiga season. He followed up by playing in twenty-four regular season games for Lukko during the 2018–19 Liiga season, scoring two goals and eight assists for ten points.[2][3] On April 3, 2019, Saarela signed an optional three-year contract for fellow Liiga club, Ilves.[4]
At the conclusion of his contract with Ilves, Saarela returned to his original club, Lukko, agreeing to a one-year contract on 30 April 2022.[5]
Following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season with Lukko, Saarela was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks to a two-year, entry-level contract on 28 March 2023.[6]
In the 2023–24 season, Saarela moved to North America and played exclusively with the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. With the campaign blighted with injury, he posted 5 goals and 6 points through just 27 appearances.
On 18 July 2024, Saarela was loaned by the Blackhawks to return to former club Lukko of the Liiga to continue his development for the 2024–25 season.[7]
Personal
editHis father, Pasi Saarela, was a professional hockey player who enjoyed a lengthy career in the SM-liiga, most notably as a star player for local club, Lukko.[8] Antti was also coached through his junior career by Pasi at Lukko. His older brother Aleksi is also a professional hockey player currently playing with the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | Lukko | Jr. A | 25 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Lukko | Liiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Lukko | Jr. A | 21 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Lukko | Liiga | 24 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ilves | Liiga | 40 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ilves | Liiga | 47 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ilves | Liiga | 37 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Lukko | Liiga | 41 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 27 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 190 | 32 | 41 | 73 | 117 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Finland | U17 | 6th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Finland | HG18 | 7th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Finland | U18 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2020 | Finland | WJC | 4th | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "2019 NHL Draft: Blackhawks select Antti Saarela with No. 123 pick in 4th round". secondcityhockey.com. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
- ^ Antti Saarela profile - eurohockey.com
- ^ "Antti Saarela player profile" (in Finnish). Liiga. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- ^ "Ilvekselle kuusi uutta pelaajasopimusta" (in Finnish). Ilves. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ "Antti Saarela returns to blue and yellow" (in Finnish). Lukko. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Blackhawks sign Saarela to entry-level contract". Chicago Blackhawks. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Chicago Blackhawks loan Antti Saarela to the blue and yellows" (in Finnish). Lukko. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Pasi Saarela player profile". eliteprospects.com. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
External links
editBiographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
 | This biographical article relating to a Finnish ice hockey winger is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |