With only five picks in this year’s draft and none above the third round, the Edmonton Oilers had to make the best with what they had. One spot where the Oilers appear to need some depth and consistency is in net, and they made a step towards achieving that goal when they picked Finnish goalie Daniel Salonen in the sixth round with the 191st overall pick.
Who is Daniel Salonen?
| Position | Catches | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Right | 6’3″ | 185lb |
Salonen is a 19-year-old goalie born in Espoo, Finland, a city that sits immediately west of the capital, Helinski. Since 2021–22, he has been playing with the Rauman Lukko organization, moving from U18 to U20 and spending some time with Hokki Kajaani of the Mestis league (mens league immediately under Liiga).
Salonen’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | SV% | GAA | SO | Playoff GP | Playoff SV% | Playoff GAA | Playoff SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | D-2 | U18 SM-sarja | Lukko U18 | 28 | .921 | 2.38 | 3 | 7 | .943 | 1.58 | 2 |
| 2022–23 | D-2 | U20 SM-sarja | Lukko U20 | 9 | .874 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2023–24 | D-1 | U20 SM-sarja | Lukko U20 | 33 | .868 | 3.06 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2024–25 | D+0 | U20 SM-sarja | Lukko U20 | 25 | .933 | 1.55 | 4 | 11 | .911 | 2.02 | 2 |
| 2024–25 | D+0 | Mestis | Hokki Kajaani | 8 | .909 | 2.53 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – |
Salonen has played most of his recent hockey with the U20 Rauman Lukko team excepting a brief stint with Hokki Kajaani of Mestis.
The first thing I noticed while studying Salonen’s stats was the steady progression in each new league. While not shown above, Salonen posted a .910 SV%, and 3.17 GAA in his first year in U18, then improved upon it with an impressive .921SV% and 2.38 GAA stat line. Moving on to U20, Salonen struggled in his first two stints in the league before posting one of the most impressive seasons I’ve ever seen. A staggering .933 SV% and 1.55GAA stat line with a 23–1 record, which is simply unheard of in hockey.
Salonen also posted an very solid .909SV% and 2.53 GAA in the Mestis on a last placed team that is now bankrupt, which is a feat unto itself.
Salonen’s strengths
Here are some of Salonen’s best positives.
His size
The most obvious strength is his size. At 19, he’s 6’3″ so there is a good chance he will grow a little more. The NHL has made very quick strides towards tall goalies due to their ability to have one skate touching each post when needed. They also can have their shoulders covering more space under the crossbar when in the butterfly. Their long arms which help with lateral saves, and just the extra space covered in general. While smaller goalies still exist they are a dying breed.
While not a towering 6’6″ figure like Jacob Markstrom or goliath 6’7″ Ivan Fedotov, Salonen certainly holds his own in this regard.
Winning quality
Without seeing much gameplay from the big Finn, it’s hard to really zero in any specific gameplay positives, but one thing we can say for sure is that he loves to win. A 23–1 record doesn’t just fall from the sky and land in your lap, you have to fight hard for it, and while Salonen surely had a great team around him, a good team starts with its goaltender.
Salonen’s U20 team, Rauman Lukko, won the championship this year and he played outstanding, with a .911 Sv%, 2.02 GAA, and two shutouts in the playoffs. We know for sure that Salonen will be hungry to win now that he has tasted it at high level hockey.
Uniquely right-handed catching
While not strictly an advantage, being a right-handed catcher is extremely uncommon in the NHL, only five other goalies share that trait. Speaking from my own experience, I have found playing against right hand goalies to be somewhat off-putting, like a southpaw boxer who upsets their opponents timing, though I’m sure, not to the same degree.
While it may not be much of an advantage, if a shooter needs to recalculate for even the briefest of intervals, it may be enough for a goalie to get into better position or a defender to break up the play.
Salonen’s areas of improvement
Experience comes with age
Daniel Salonen will need to spend the next season filling out his 6’3″ frame and show how well he can play against grown men. He spent eight games playing in a men’s league and acquitted himself well, but more games are needed to see how he can stand up to harder shots, better passing, and faster play.
Salonen’s next steps
The most likely next step for Salonen is for him to join Rauman Lukko’s Liiga team where he will play against grown men with high end talent. Salonen has shown an ability to master each new league he has played in like clockwork so we will see if he can repeat that in the Liiga.
Projection with the Oilers
It’s very difficult to predict how far a young goalie like Salonen can go with the Oilers organization at this point. This next year will be extremely important to telling how much promise he shows, and yet, goalies are often late bloomers. While not considered a highly rated prospect by the experts this year, it’s hard to imagine him taking on the NHL in the next few years.
For that reason the best prediction I can give is that we will not likely see Salonen in an Oilers jersey before the 2030 season, and probably longer.
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