Oskari Laaksonen

Oskari Laaksonen (born 2 July 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round, 89th overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Laaksonen as a youth played with Ilves' U16, U18, and U20 teams. After playing for Ilves U20, Laaksonen was drafted 89th overall by the Sabres in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Laaksonen made his Liiga debut during the 2017–18 season, on 9 January 2018, in a 6–5 defeat to HPK. He played out the season to contribute with 4 assists in 21 games.

On 15 June 2020, Laaksonen was signed by the Sabres to a three-year, entry-level contract. It was announced he would initially continue his tenure with Ilves for the 2020–21 season, however on 21 September 2020, Laaksonen was loaned by the Sabres to fellow Liiga club, Lahti Pelicans.

Entering the 2022–23 season assigned to begin his third year with the Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, Laaksonen was limited to just 10 appearances through the opening months. On 15 December 2022, Laaksonen was traded by the Sabres to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Joseph Cecconi. He was immediately re-assigned to join their AHL club, the Texas Stars. Remaining with Texas until the conclusion of the season, Laaksonen recorded 8 points through 29 regular season games before adding 3 points in 6 playoff contests.

As an impending restricted free agent from the Stars, Laaksonen opted to return to Europe in signing a two-year contract with Swedish club, Luleå HF of the SHL, on 26 May 2023. His NHL rights were later relinquished by the Stars on 1 July 2023.

International play
Laaksonen appeared for Finland in 6 junior international friendly games in 2016, before he was later selected to represent his country at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He collected 1 goal in 7 games from the blueline, helping Finland claim the gold medal for their 5th title.