Aleksi Saarela

Aleksi Saarela
Saarela with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019
Born	(1997-01-07) 7 January 1997 (age 28) Helsinki, Finland
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NL team Former teams	SCL Tigers Lukko Ässät Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers
NHL draft	89th overall, 2015 New York Rangers
Playing career	2013–present

Aleksi Saarela (born 7 January 1997) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with the SCL Tigers of the National League (NL). He was originally selected 89th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers.

Playing career

Saarela made his SM-liiga debut playing with Lukko during the 2012–13 SM-liiga season. ^[1] On 28 February 2016, the rights to Saarela, along with a 2016 second-round draft pick and a 2017 second-round draft pick, were traded from the New York Rangers to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Eric Staal. ^{[2] [3]}

In the 2015–16 season, Saarela led Porin Ässät with 20 goals and finished third in overall scoring with 33 points in 51 games. On 20 April 2016, he signed a one-year contract to return to his original club, Lukko, on a one-year contract. ^[4] Under two months later, on 13 June 2016, Saarela was then signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. ^[5]

On 3 January 2018, Saarela was recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes from the Charlotte Checkers prior to a game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. ^[6] However, it was short lived as he was sent back down days later without playing a game.

He made his NHL debut during game five of the Hurricanes' first round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. ^[7]

On June 24, 2019, Saarela was traded by the Hurricanes, along with Calvin de Haan, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Gustav Forsling and Anton Forsberg. ^[8]

Saarela participated in the Blackhawks 2019 training camp, before he was reassigned to begin the 2019–20 season in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs. Unable to crack Chicago's roster, Saarela requested a trade and after just 5 games with the IceHogs Saarela was dealt by the Blackhawks to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Ian McCoshen on October 23, 2019. He was directly assigned to report to the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. ^[9]

On 22 August 2020, following the Panthers' elimination from the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Saarela returned to original club, Lukko of the Liiga, as a restricted free agent from the Panthers due to the delayed 2020–21 North American season. ^[10]

On August 6, 2021, Saarela agreed to a one-year deal with the SCL Tigers of the National League (NL). ^[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012–13	Lukko	Jr. A		22	8	10	18	6		10	2	6	8	2
2012–13	Lukko	SM-l		3	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Lukko	Jr. A		17	6	16	22	8		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Lukko	Liiga		12	0	2	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Ässät	Liiga		51	6	6	12	18		2	0	0	0	0
2015–16	Ässät	Liiga		51	20	13	33	14		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Lukko	Liiga		49	15	13	28	10		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		9	6	4	10	2		5	0	0	0	2
2017–18	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		69	25	18	43	8		8	2	1	3	2
2018–19	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		69	30	24	54	12		17	7	8	15	4
2018–19	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		—	—	—	—	—		1	0	0	0	0
2019–20	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		5	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Springfield Thunderbirds	AHL		43	12	19	31	12		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Florida Panthers	NHL		9	2	2	4	0		1	0	0	0	0
2020–21	Lukko	Liiga		43	23	14	37	22		11	4	4	8	4
2021–22	SCL Tigers	NL		31	10	12	22	6		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	SCL Tigers	NL		48	24	15	39	10		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	SCL Tigers	NL		50	18	23	41	8		—	—	—	—	—
Liiga totals				209	65	49	114	66		13	4	4	8	4
NHL totals				9	2	2	4	0		2	0	0	0	0

Medal record
Representing   Finland
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2016 Finland
IIHF World U18 Championships
	2015 Switzerland

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013	Finland	U17	7th		5	2	2	4	2
2014	Finland	WJC18	6th		2	1	0	1	0
2015	Finland	WJC18			7	3	5	8	6
2016	Finland	WJC			7	4	3	7	4
Junior totals					21	10	10	20	12

Awards and honors

Award	Year
AHL
Calder Cup (Charlotte Checkers)	2019	[12]

References

1. "2012–13 Lukko player statistics". Eliteprospects.com. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
2. "Canes Acquire Saarela, Picks for Eric Staal". Carolina Hurricanes. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
3. "Rangers Acquire Eric Staal from Carolina". Blueshirts United. 28 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
4. "Aleksi Saarela returns home" (in Finnish). Lukko Rauma. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
5. "Canes agree to terms with Aleksi Saarela". Carolina Hurricanes. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
6. Williams, Terrell (3 January 2018). "Canes Recall Aleksi Saarela From Charlotte". NHL.com. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
7. DeCock, Luke (20 April 2019). "Aleksi Saarela's NHL debut a Carolina Hurricanes first". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
8. "Blackhawks acquire de Haan, Saarela from Hurricanes". Chicago Blackhawks. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
9. "Panthers acquire Aleksi Saarela from Blackhawks". Springfield Thunderbirds. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
10. "Welcome back Saarela!" (in Finnish). Lukko. 22 August 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
11. "Import quartet complete - Tigers sign Finnish forward Aleksi Saarela". swisshockeynews.ch. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
12. "Check and Mate! Charlotte wins Calder Cup". American Hockey League. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database