| Saku Salminen | |
| Played For: | Jokerit HPK SaiPa Anglet |
| Position: | Forward |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 3 |
| Weight Lb: | 205 |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Birth Date: | 20 October 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Helsinki, Finland |
| Draft: | 184th overall |
| Draft Team: | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Draft Year: | 2013 |
| Career Start: | 2012 |
| Career End: | 2019 |
Saku Salminen (born October 20, 1994) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He most notably played in the Liiga.
Salminen was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 7th round (184th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
Salminen made his SM-liiga debut playing with Jokerit during the 2012–13 SM-liiga season.[2]
Salminen has two hockey-playing brothers, older brother Sami who played for Northern Michigan University and in the Mestis, and younger brother Samu, who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils and as of the 2024–25 season plays for the University of Denver.[3] [4] Their father Pekka was a minor professional hockey player in Finland before switching to coaching.[5]
| Team | League | GP | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | HIFK | Jr. A | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 44 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Jokerit | SM-liiga | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Kiekko-Vantaa | Mestis | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Kiekko-Vantaa | Mestis | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Jokerit | Jr. A | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | HPK | Liiga | 36 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Jokerit | KHL | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | TUTO Hockey | Mestis | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | SaiPa | Liiga | 39 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | SaiPa | Liiga | 45 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Anglet Hormadi Élite | FRA | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | ECDC Memmingen | Ger.3 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | ESV Kaufbeuren | DEL2 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Vimmerby HC | HockeyEttan | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Liiga totals | 133 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 67 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||
| KHL totals | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Finland | U18 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2013 | Finland | WJC | 7th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | ||||