Leevi Meriläinen

Leevi Meriläinen (born 13 August 2002) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Meriläinen previously played with the Oulun Kärpät of the top-tier Finnish Liiga and major junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Kingston Frontenacs. He was selected 71st overall in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by Ottawa. He made his North American professional debut with Ottawa in April 2023.

Finland and junior
Meriläinen joined Oulun Kärpät of Finland's top-tier Liiga as a young player, rising quickly within the team's development ranks. He was with Kärpät's Under-20 team playing in 22 games and registering .934 save percentage in the 2020–21 season in Finland. Following his season in Finland, he was selected by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) 71st overall in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He was named a Second Team All-Star in his junior league, but was told by Kärpät that they intended to seek out a more veteran presence and that Meriläinen would play in the second tier Finnish league. On 14 June 2021, Meriläinen signed a three-year entry-level contract with Ottawa.

The Senators asked Meriläinen if he would join the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Kingston Frontenacs for one season. The Frontenacs had selected Meriläinen in the Canadian Hockey League's Import Draft. He agreed and joined the Frontenacs for the 2021–22 OHL season. He experienced mixed results with the Frontenacs becoming one of the league leaders in wins and saves but posting a less than desirable sub-.900 save percentage and a 3.29 goals against average. Following the conclusion of the OHL season, Meriläinen returned to Finland. He joined Team Finland for the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Meriläinen began the tournament as Finland's starting goalie, but was replaced by Juha Jatkola for the semi-final versus Sweden and final game versus Canada. Team Finland lost to Canada in the final game and took silver in the tournament.

During the 2022–23 Liiga season, Meriläinen rejoined Oulun Kärpät and established himself as the starter, having a terrific year with the team. He posted a 2.02 goals against average and a .918 save percentage while setting the league record for most shutouts by a rookie with eight. However, he was injured towards the end of the season and missed the playoffs where his team was eliminated.

Ottawa Senators
Following the conclusion of Oulun Kärpät's season, Meriläinen returned to North America to join Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators. He played his first game on 2 April 2023 with Belleville against the Toronto Marlies, posting a 41-save shutout. Following the game he was recalled by Ottawa after goaltender Mads Søgaard fell ill. He played in his first NHL game on 4 April 2023 against the Carolina Hurricanes, posting 34 saves in a 3–2 overtime loss. His play was good enough to earn another start against the Florida Panthers on 6 April. However, neither he nor his replacement in net, Søgaard, played well and Ottawa lost the game 7–2 to the Panthers and were officially eliminated from the playoffs. On 7 April Meriläinen, along with Ridly Greig, was sent back to Belleville.

Meriläinen was invited to Ottawa's training camp in 2023. However, he did not make the team and was assigned to Ottawa's ECHL affiliate, the Allen Americans, to start the 2023–24 season. Meriläinen was re-assigned to Belleville on 28 October. With the return of Søgaard from the NHL, Meriläinen was re-assigned to Allen on 29 November.