DENVER – The University of Denver hockey team announced on Monday that forward Samu Salminen is set to join the Pioneers for the 2024-25 campaign as a transfer student.
 
Salminen heads to Denver after spending the previous two seasons with the University of Connecticut of Hockey East. He recorded 34 points (16g/18a) in 62 games with the Huskies, registering 17 points each campaign.
 
The Helsinki, Finland, native tied for third on UConn with seven goals and added 10 assists to finish fifth on the team in points as a sophomore in 2023-24. He also had a plus-3 rating and 10 penalty minutes in 35 outing as a sophomore. As a freshman in 2022-23, he produced nine goals, eight assists, 14 penalty minutes and had a plus-4 rating.
 
Selected by the New Jersey Devils at No. 68 overall in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Salminen is a product of the Jokerit organization in Finland. He played three seasons with the under-20 junior squad from 2019-2022 and was named to the first all-star team of the league in 2021-22 after totaling 48 points on 19 goals and 29 assists in 44 games.
 
Salminen played a full season with the under-18 squad from 2018-19, recording 18 goals and 18 assists in 33 contests and helped the team win the league championship. He also played 20 games with Jokerit's U-16 squad (20g/37a) and won a silver medal with the squad after totaling seven goals and 15 points (7g/8a) in seven postseason outings.
 
Internationally, Salminen represented Finland at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship, where he recorded seven goals and two assists in seven contests as the team captain and owning the best overall faceoff percentage in the tournament at 70.2 percent. He also competed at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he had five points (3g/2a) in five games.
 
TICKETS: Fans can purchase a season-ticket deposit for the 2024-25 season today by clicking here.