Samu Salminen

Samu Salminen (born April 9, 2003) is a Finnish ice hockey forward for the University of Connecticut of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He was drafted in the third round, 68th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Salminen's youth hockey career was played in the Jokerit system. He made his U20 SM-sarja debut in the 2019–20 season at 16 years old, posting 20 points in 23 games. In December 2019, he broke his collarbone.

In the 2020–21 season, postponed until January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Salminen was named alternate captain and improved his scoring to 26 points in 17 games. He had surgery on his collarbone shortly before the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected in the third round, 68th overall by the New Jersey Devils.

As he was committed to the University of Denver, Salminen chose not to turn pro in the 2021–22 season. Although he considered accelerating his final year of school in Finland to join Denver immediately, or attending class remotely while playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL), the pandemic ultimately forced him to remain in the U20 SM-sarja for one more year. Promoted to captain, he scored 48 points in 44 games, the most on his team by a 10-point margin.

In August 2022, an admissions issue in Denver forced Salminen to change his commitment to the University of Connecticut. Following a related delay with his travel visa, Salminen finally made his NCAA debut on October 27, 2022, against Boston College. After a slow start that saw him score only two points in the first 10 games, his production skyrocketed, seeing him finish the season with 17 points in 27 games and playing on the team's top line. He and the Huskies were eliminated by UMass Lowell in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hockey East tournament.

On January 26, 2024, Salminen scored a Michigan goal against Sacred Heart University. On February 2, in a game against Providence College, Salminen received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head. He was later suspended for one game. After finishing the season third on the Huskies with seven goals and adding ten assists for seventeen points, it was announced that Salminen would be transferring to Denver.

International play
Salminen has represented Finland at the under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-20 levels, although he never played in an under-20 tournament.

In his international tournament debut at the 2019 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, Salminen scored three goals and five points in five games.

Representing Finland at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships, Salminen scored seven goals and nine points in seven games.

Personal life
Salminen has two hockey-playing older brothers, both now retired. Saku Salminen is a seventh-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning who most notably played in the SM-liiga, and Sami Salminen played for Northern Michigan University and professionally in the Mestis. Their father Pekka played minor professional in Finland before becoming a coach.