| Birth Date: | 2001 6, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Laitila, Finland |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 183 |
| Position: | Winger |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Team: | Chicago Blackhawks |
| League: | NHL |
| Prospect Team: | Lukko |
| Prospect League: | Liiga |
| Former Teams: | Ilves |
| Draft: | 123rd overall |
| Draft Year: | 2019 |
| Draft Team: | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Career Start: | 2018 |
Antti Saarela (born June 27, 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger currently playing with Lukko in the Liiga on loan as a prospect for the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 123rd overall by the Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
Saarela made his Liiga debut for Lukko, playing one game during the 2017–18 Liiga season. He followed up by playing in twenty-four regular season games for Lukko during the 2018–19 Liiga season, scoring two goals and eight assists for ten points.[2] [3] On April 3, 2019, Saarela signed an optional three-year contract for fellow Liiga club, Ilves.[4]
At the conclusion of his contract with Ilves, Saarela returned to his original club, Lukko, agreeing to a one-year contract on 30 April 2022.[5]
Following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season with Lukko, Saarela was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks to a two-year, entry-level contract on 28 March 2023.[6]
In the 2023–24 season, Saarela moved to North America and played exclusively with the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. With the campaign blighted with injury, he posted 5 goals and 6 points through just 27 appearances.
On 18 July 2024, Saarela was loaned by the Blackhawks to return to former club Lukko of the Liiga to continue his development for the 2024–25 season.[7]
His father, Pasi Saarela, was a professional hockey player who enjoyed a lengthy career in the SM-liiga, most notably as a star player for local club, Lukko.[8] Antti was also coached through his junior career by Pasi at Lukko. His older brother Aleksi is also a professional hockey player currently playing with the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League.
| Team | League | GP | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Lukko | Jr. A | 25 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Lukko | Liiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Lukko | Jr. A | 21 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Lukko | Liiga | 24 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ilves | Liiga | 40 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ilves | Liiga | 47 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ilves | Liiga | 37 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Lukko | Liiga | 41 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 27 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 190 | 32 | 41 | 73 | 117 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Finland | U17 | 6th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Finland | HG18 | 7th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Finland | U18 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2020 | Finland | WJC | 4th | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | ||||