Ex-Jets goalie prospect signs short-term with SaiPa
© James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports - Ex-Jets goalie prospect signs short-term with SaiPaWith the team’s starting goaltender sidelined for at least half of the season, Finnish Liiga club SaiPa Lappeenranta announced on Sunday that it has signed free-agent goalie Oskari Salminen to fill the gap on a short-term basis.
“We have reacted to the situation and it is great that we can get Oskari to correct the team’s situation in goal,” said SaiPa goaltending coach Antti Ore. “Oskari is a well-positioned goalie who makes excellent use of his large size for saves. Oskari is excellent at handling the puck, which is evidenced by the fact that he has already scored two goals during his (professional) career.”
One of Salminen’s goals occurred late last season in a victory that helped the Norfolk Admirals clinch an ECHL playoff berth.
Salminen, 24, has 91 games of previous Liiga experience with KooKoo Kouvola and Jukurit Mikkeli. He has spent the last two seasons in the Winnipeg Jets organization, playing 55 games for the AHL Manitoba Moose and 14 games for Norfolk. Salminen played two pre-season games for the Jets last season.
SaiPa urgently needed a new goalie after starter Filip Lindberg was injured, and will reportedly be out of action for three to four months. The club was not more specific about the nature of the injury. Salminen’s contract only runs until November 3, but since Lindberg is not expected back by that time, it’s likely that Salminen will be extended if he performs well. Other goalies SaiPa has under contract include 23-year-old Kari Piironen, who played 34 of the team’s 60 Liiga games last year, and 18-year-old Ville-Veikko Hiltunen, who has yet to make his professional debut.
SaiPa has finished dead-last in each of the last two Liiga seasons and has not made the post-season since 2018-19. The team’s head coach is former NHLer Raimo Helminen.
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