Eetu Mäkiniemi (born 19 April 1999) is a Finnish professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

for HC TPS in the

Liiga The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mesti ...

. He was drafted 104th overall by the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and has previously played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) with the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

Playing career

Europe

As a youth, Mäkiniemi played minor hockey for Kiekko-Vantaa before playing junior hockey for

Jokerit Helsingin Jokerit (, English: Joker (playing card), Jokers or Jesters of Helsinki) is a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland, which competes in Mestis. Jokerit plays its home games at the Helsinki Ice Hall and Helsinki Halli in ...

. He represented Jokerit U20 in 2016–17 and 2017–18 for the Junior Club World Cup (JCWC). Mäkiniemi was transferred to Kiekko-Vantaa for the 2018–19 Mestis season, however, he was out for part of the season with a hip injury. In April 2019, Ilves signed Mäkiniemi to a two-year contract with a one-year extension option. On 28 December 2019, he made his

debut in a 2–1 win against KooKoo. On 28 November 2020, he recorded his first Liiga

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

against

KalPa Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu, Olvi Areena. Team history Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club r ...

with 24 shots saved.

North America

On 1 May 2021, the

signed Mäkiniemi to a two-year, entry-level contract. Mäkiniemi in his first 14 appearances for the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena ...

, posted a sparking 11–2–1 mark with a .922 save percentage and two shutouts, and he yielded two goals or less nine times, including a 41-save performance at Milwaukee on 22 October 2021, to earn a 3–2 win in his AHL debut. On 13 July 2022, Mäkiniemi,

Steven Lorentz Steven Lorentz (born April 13, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Carolina Hurricanes selected him in the seventh round, 186th overall, at the 2015 NHL Entry D ...

and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft were traded to the

in exchange for Brent Burns and

Lane Pederson Lane Pederson (born August 4, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Pe ...

. He made his NHL debut on 7 December 2022, in a 6–5 overtime loss to the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

. In June 2023, he re-signed with the Sharks on a one-year contract. At the conclusion of his contract with the Sharks, Mäkiniemi left as a free agent and was un-signed over the summer. On 30 August 2024, he accepted an invitation to attend the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

training camp for the season on a professional tryout, later agreeing to a one-year contract on 24 September. Mäkiniemi signed a one-year contract with HC TPS on 11 June 2025.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mäkiniemi, Eetu 1999 births Living people Carolina Hurricanes draft picks Chicago Wolves players Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Finnish ice hockey goaltenders Ice hockey people from Vantaa Ilves players Kiekko-Vantaa players KOOVEE players Lehigh Valley Phantoms players San Jose Barracuda players San Jose Sharks players Wichita Thunder players 21st-century Finnish sportsmen