Leevi Meriläinen

Leevi Meriläinen (born 13 August 2002) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Meriläinen previously played with the Oulun Kärpät of the top-tier Finnish Liiga and at the major junior level with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was selected 71st overall in the third round of the 2020 NHL entry draft by Ottawa. He made his North American professional debut with Ottawa in April 2023.

Playing career

Finland and junior

Meriläinen joined Oulun Kärpät of Finland's top-tier Liiga as a young player, rising quickly within the team's development ranks. He was with Kärpät's under-20 team playing in 22 games and registering .934 save percentage in the 2020–21 season in Finland. Following his season in Finland, he was selected by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) 71st overall in the third round of the 2020 NHL entry draft. He was named a second team All-Star in his junior league, but was told by Kärpät that they intended to seek out a more veteran presence and that Meriläinen would play in the second-tier Finnish league. On 14 June 2021, Meriläinen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Ottawa.

The Senators asked Meriläinen if he would join the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for one season. The Frontenacs had selected Meriläinen in the Canadian Hockey League's Import Draft. He agreed and joined the Frontenacs for the 2021–22 OHL season. He experienced mixed results with the Frontenacs becoming one of the league leaders in wins and saves but posting a less than desirable sub-.900 save percentage and a 3.29 goals against average (GAA). Following the conclusion of the OHL season, Meriläinen returned to Finland.

During the 2022–23 Liiga season, Meriläinen rejoined Oulun Kärpät and established himself as the starter, having a terrific year with the team. He posted a 2.02 goals against average and a .918 save percentage while setting the league record for most shutouts by a rookie with eight. However, he was injured towards the end of the season and missed the playoffs where his team was eliminated.

Ottawa Senators

Following the conclusion of Oulun Kärpät's season, Meriläinen returned to North America to join Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators. He played his first game on 2 April 2023, with Belleville against the Toronto Marlies, posting a 41-save shutout. Following the game he was recalled by Ottawa after goaltender Mads Søgaard fell ill. He played in his first NHL game on 4 April 2023, against the Carolina Hurricanes, posting 34 saves in a 3–2 overtime loss. His play was good enough to earn another start against the Florida Panthers on 6 April. However, neither he nor his replacement in net, Søgaard, played well and Ottawa lost the game 7–2 to the Panthers and were officially eliminated from the playoffs. On 7 April, Meriläinen, along with Ridly Greig, was sent back to Belleville.

Meriläinen was invited to Ottawa's training camp in 2023. However, he did not make the team and was assigned to Ottawa's ECHL affiliate, the Allen Americans, to start the 2023–24 season. Meriläinen was re-assigned to Belleville on 28 October. With the return of Søgaard from the NHL, Meriläinen was re-assigned to Allen on 29 November. He split the season between Belleville and Allen, playing in 13 games for Allen with a record of 9–4–0 and a .926 save percentage and a 2.97 GAA and 24 games with Belleville, with a record of 10–9–1 with a .906 save percentage and a GAA of 2.87. He made one appearance in the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, a loss to the Toronto Marlies, stopping 27 of 29 shots he faced and letting in only two goals.

He was assigned to Belleville to start the 2024–25 season. After Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg was injured, Meriläinen was called up to NHL on 15 December 2024. Meriläinen started his third NHL game on 21 December, versus the Vancouver Canucks and recorded his first NHL victory. On 11 January 2025, Meriläinen recorded his first NHL shutout in a 5–0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Days later, after giving up a goal from Alex Ovechkin in a 1–0 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, Meriläinen became the 179th unique goaltender to allow a goal from Ovechkin, breaking the NHL record for most unique goaltenders scored against by one player.

International play

Meriläinen joined Finland junior team for the 2022 World Junior Championships. Meriläinen began the tournament as Finland's starting goaltender, but was replaced by Juha Jatkola for the semifinal against the Swedish junior team and the gold medal game against the Canadian junior team. Finland lost to Canada in the final game and took silver in the tournament.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meriläinen, Leevi
2002 births
Living people
21st-century Finnish sportsmen
Allen Americans players
Belleville Senators players
Finnish ice hockey goaltenders
Ottawa Senators draft picks
Ottawa Senators players
Oulun Kärpät players