2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster
Jersey Number 11
Samu Salminen
- Position:
- Forward
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-2 / 205
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Helsinki, Finland
- NHL:
- New Jersey Devils | 3rd Round | 68th Overall | 2021 NHL Draft
- Last Team:
- Connecticut Huskies (Hockey East)
NHL: Selected by the New Jersey Devils in Round 3 (68th Overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Honors & Awards: 2026 NCAA National Champion … NCHC Forward of the Week (March 3, 2026) … 2x NCHC Academic Honor Roll (2024-25, 2025-26) … NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete (2024-25)
2025-26: Named an alternate captain prior to the season on Oct. 3 and helped guide the Pioneers to the NCAA National Championship … Registered career highs with 11 goals and 29 points and matched a personal best during the season with 18 assists … Played in all 43 games and led the team with four game-winning goals, 399 faceoff wins and a .547 faceoff-winning percentage … Added 77 shots on goal and 18 penalty minutes while his +22 plus/minus rating was fourth-best on the squad and second among forwards … Ranked fourth on the team with a .143 shooting percentage … Had three multi-goal games and registered multiple points in six contests during the season … Went on a pair of season-long, four-game point streaks from Oct. 11-24 (2g/2a) and Feb. 13-28 (4g/5a) … Recorded seven points (3g/4a) in a three-game stretch from Nov. 21-29 … Matched career highs with three assists and four points (1g/3a) on Nov. 21 at Arizona State for the most assists (tied) and points in a game during the season by a DU player … Also tied a personal best with three assists on Feb. 13 at Omaha, which included the 50th helper of his career … Scored twice on Nov. 29 vs. Minnesota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Ball Arena for his first multi-goal game of the season … Both of his tallies vs. Minnesota came in the third period, one of three times during the year that a Pioneer tallied multiple times in a period … Played in his 125th career game on Dec. 13 at St. Cloud State … Tied teammate Rieger Lorenz for the NCHC lead in goals (4) and points (9) in the month of February (six games) … Earned his first career weekly honor as the NCHC Forward of the Week on March 3 after scoring two goals in both games against Arizona State on Feb. 27-28 and finishing the weekend series with five points (4g/1a) … Scored his first career overtime goal in the NCHC Semifinals vs. Western Michigan on March 14 … Won a career-high 20 faceoffs and had an assist on March 21 vs. Minnesota Duluth in the double-overtime victory in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship … Tallied in the NCAA West Regional Final vs. Western Michigan on March 29 in Loveland, Colo. … Won 15-of-22 faceoffs against Michigan in the NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals on April 9 … Had two shots on goal and won 8-of-14 faceoffs in the National Championship Game vs. Wisconsin on April 11 … Finished his collegiate career with 91 points (37g/54a), 259 shots, 94 penalty minutes and a +50 plus/minus rating in 149 games across four seasons with Denver and Connecticut … Totaled 57 points on 21 goals and 36 assists in 87 contests during his two years at DU from 2024-2026.
2024-25: Posted career bests in his first season with Denver with 10 goals and 18 assists for 24 points while appearing in all 44 games … Finished with the highest plus/minus rating among all forwards on the team at +21 and was fifth in shooting percentage (.169) … Ranked second on the squad in faceoff-winning percentage (.555) and third in overall draw victories (325/586) … Added 59 shots on goal and 24 penalty minutes … Made his debut with the Pioneers on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage and picked up his first point at DU with a goal on Oct. 6 … Scored in back-to-back games by also tallying on Oct. 8 against Northeastern in his home debut … Registered his first multi-point game with the Pioneers on Oct. 26 vs. Wisconsin (1g/1a) … Went on a career-long five-game assist/point streak (0g/5a) from Nov. 2-16 … Scored the tying goal on Dec. 7 at Western Michigan with 1:06 left in the third period to force OT and help the Pioneers win 3-2 … Was one of two Pioneer players to score short-handed goals during the year, as he tallied two such goals during man disadvantages in the first period on Dec. 13 at Colorado College in what was also his first multi-goal game at DU … Became just the sixth DU player in program history to score two short-handed goals in the same game and only the fourth to do so in the same period, as Tyler Bozak was the last to do so on Nov. 4, 2007 at Minnesota (3rd) … It was his first multi-goal contest as a Pioneer and was the fastest two goals by a DU player during the year, with him scoring each in a matter of 2:36 … Produced his 50th career point and recorded a career-high three assists and four points (1g/3a) on Feb. 1 vs. Omaha ... Tied a team-season high for points in a game and a period with three assists (0g/3a) in the third frame … Played in his 100th career NCAA game on March 15 in Game 2 of the NCHC Quarterfinals vs. Colorado College … Had two points (1g/1a) on March 16 vs. CC in Game 3 of the Quarterfinals … Produced five points (1g/4a) in a five-game span (March 16-30) and went on a three-game point streak (0g/3a) during the postseason with assists in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship vs. Western Michigan on March 22 and NCAA Regionals against Providence and Boston College on March 28-30 … Made his NCAA Tournament debut in the Northeast Regional Semifinals on March 28 vs. Providence ... Attended the New Jersey Devils’ development camp in summer 2024.
2023-24 (Connecticut): Finished fifth on the team with 17 points while appearing in 35 games … Tied for third on UConn with seven goals and also added 10 assists … Had a +3 plus/minus rating and 10 penalty minutes during his sophomore campaign … Had five multi-point outings, including scoring twice and tallying his first career game-winner in the season opener on Oct. 7 at Colgate … Fired six shots on Nov. 4 at Vermont … Had an assist at Boston College in the Hockey East Quarterfinals on March 16 … Had a season-long, three-game point streak from March 1-7 (1g/4a) … Recorded seven points (2g/5a) in the final seven games of the season.
2022-23 (Connecticut): Recorded 17 points on nine goals and eight assists and added 14 penalty minutes and had a +4 plus/minus rating … Had six power-play goals and fired 49 shots in 27 games as a freshman … Scored in back-to-back games on three occasions … Joined the team after the start of the season, making his collegiate debut on Oct. 27 vs. Boston College … Scored his first career goal and picked up his first NCAA point on Nov. 12 vs. Providence … Also had the most faceoff wins of the season in that game vs. PC by going 13-for-18 on draws … Recorded his first assist on Nov. 19 vs. UMass Lowell … Had three multi-point outings during the season, with his first of his career coming on Dec. 2 vs. Merrimack (1g/1a) … Also had a goal and an assist on Jan. 27 vs. Yale and recorded his first two-assist contest on March 4 vs. Boston College … Recorded points in three straight games on two occasions: Jan. 27-Feb. 3 (2g/2a) and Feb. 25-March 4 (2g/2a).
International: Served as team captain of Finland at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship, recording nine points (7g/2a) in seven games and finished with the best overall faceoff percentage in the tournament (70.2%) … Had five points (3g/2a) in five games at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Before College: Product of the Jokerit organization in Helsinki, Finland, which included playing for the under-16 and under-18 squads and the under-20 junior team … Played three seasons with the U-20 squad from 2019-2022 and was named to the first all-star team of the league in 2021-22 after totaling 48 points (19g/29a) in 44 games as a team captain … Was an alternate captain for the junior unit in 2020-21 and posted 26 points (10g/16a) in 17 outings … Registered 20 points (7g/13a) in 23 games with Jokerit under-20 junior and had 23 points (8g/15a) in seven outings with the U-18 squad in 2019-20 … Played a full season with the under-18 squad from 2018-19, recording 36 points (18g/18a) in 33 contests and helped the team to the league championship … Also played 20 games with Jokerit’s U-16 squad in 2018-19 (20g/37a) and won a silver medal with the squad after totaling 15 points (7g/8a) in seven postseason outings.
Personal: Has two older brothers, with one playing college hockey at Northern Michigan before turning pro in Finland while the other played pro in both Finland and Germany … Father previously played pro hockey in Finland’s second-tier league … Graduated high school from PHYK in 2022 … Hobbies include playing the guitar and piano and going fishing.
Honors & Awards: 2026 NCAA National Champion … NCHC Forward of the Week (March 3, 2026) … 2x NCHC Academic Honor Roll (2024-25, 2025-26) … NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete (2024-25)
2025-26: Named an alternate captain prior to the season on Oct. 3 and helped guide the Pioneers to the NCAA National Championship … Registered career highs with 11 goals and 29 points and matched a personal best during the season with 18 assists … Played in all 43 games and led the team with four game-winning goals, 399 faceoff wins and a .547 faceoff-winning percentage … Added 77 shots on goal and 18 penalty minutes while his +22 plus/minus rating was fourth-best on the squad and second among forwards … Ranked fourth on the team with a .143 shooting percentage … Had three multi-goal games and registered multiple points in six contests during the season … Went on a pair of season-long, four-game point streaks from Oct. 11-24 (2g/2a) and Feb. 13-28 (4g/5a) … Recorded seven points (3g/4a) in a three-game stretch from Nov. 21-29 … Matched career highs with three assists and four points (1g/3a) on Nov. 21 at Arizona State for the most assists (tied) and points in a game during the season by a DU player … Also tied a personal best with three assists on Feb. 13 at Omaha, which included the 50th helper of his career … Scored twice on Nov. 29 vs. Minnesota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Ball Arena for his first multi-goal game of the season … Both of his tallies vs. Minnesota came in the third period, one of three times during the year that a Pioneer tallied multiple times in a period … Played in his 125th career game on Dec. 13 at St. Cloud State … Tied teammate Rieger Lorenz for the NCHC lead in goals (4) and points (9) in the month of February (six games) … Earned his first career weekly honor as the NCHC Forward of the Week on March 3 after scoring two goals in both games against Arizona State on Feb. 27-28 and finishing the weekend series with five points (4g/1a) … Scored his first career overtime goal in the NCHC Semifinals vs. Western Michigan on March 14 … Won a career-high 20 faceoffs and had an assist on March 21 vs. Minnesota Duluth in the double-overtime victory in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship … Tallied in the NCAA West Regional Final vs. Western Michigan on March 29 in Loveland, Colo. … Won 15-of-22 faceoffs against Michigan in the NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals on April 9 … Had two shots on goal and won 8-of-14 faceoffs in the National Championship Game vs. Wisconsin on April 11 … Finished his collegiate career with 91 points (37g/54a), 259 shots, 94 penalty minutes and a +50 plus/minus rating in 149 games across four seasons with Denver and Connecticut … Totaled 57 points on 21 goals and 36 assists in 87 contests during his two years at DU from 2024-2026.
2024-25: Posted career bests in his first season with Denver with 10 goals and 18 assists for 24 points while appearing in all 44 games … Finished with the highest plus/minus rating among all forwards on the team at +21 and was fifth in shooting percentage (.169) … Ranked second on the squad in faceoff-winning percentage (.555) and third in overall draw victories (325/586) … Added 59 shots on goal and 24 penalty minutes … Made his debut with the Pioneers on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage and picked up his first point at DU with a goal on Oct. 6 … Scored in back-to-back games by also tallying on Oct. 8 against Northeastern in his home debut … Registered his first multi-point game with the Pioneers on Oct. 26 vs. Wisconsin (1g/1a) … Went on a career-long five-game assist/point streak (0g/5a) from Nov. 2-16 … Scored the tying goal on Dec. 7 at Western Michigan with 1:06 left in the third period to force OT and help the Pioneers win 3-2 … Was one of two Pioneer players to score short-handed goals during the year, as he tallied two such goals during man disadvantages in the first period on Dec. 13 at Colorado College in what was also his first multi-goal game at DU … Became just the sixth DU player in program history to score two short-handed goals in the same game and only the fourth to do so in the same period, as Tyler Bozak was the last to do so on Nov. 4, 2007 at Minnesota (3rd) … It was his first multi-goal contest as a Pioneer and was the fastest two goals by a DU player during the year, with him scoring each in a matter of 2:36 … Produced his 50th career point and recorded a career-high three assists and four points (1g/3a) on Feb. 1 vs. Omaha ... Tied a team-season high for points in a game and a period with three assists (0g/3a) in the third frame … Played in his 100th career NCAA game on March 15 in Game 2 of the NCHC Quarterfinals vs. Colorado College … Had two points (1g/1a) on March 16 vs. CC in Game 3 of the Quarterfinals … Produced five points (1g/4a) in a five-game span (March 16-30) and went on a three-game point streak (0g/3a) during the postseason with assists in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship vs. Western Michigan on March 22 and NCAA Regionals against Providence and Boston College on March 28-30 … Made his NCAA Tournament debut in the Northeast Regional Semifinals on March 28 vs. Providence ... Attended the New Jersey Devils’ development camp in summer 2024.
2023-24 (Connecticut): Finished fifth on the team with 17 points while appearing in 35 games … Tied for third on UConn with seven goals and also added 10 assists … Had a +3 plus/minus rating and 10 penalty minutes during his sophomore campaign … Had five multi-point outings, including scoring twice and tallying his first career game-winner in the season opener on Oct. 7 at Colgate … Fired six shots on Nov. 4 at Vermont … Had an assist at Boston College in the Hockey East Quarterfinals on March 16 … Had a season-long, three-game point streak from March 1-7 (1g/4a) … Recorded seven points (2g/5a) in the final seven games of the season.
2022-23 (Connecticut): Recorded 17 points on nine goals and eight assists and added 14 penalty minutes and had a +4 plus/minus rating … Had six power-play goals and fired 49 shots in 27 games as a freshman … Scored in back-to-back games on three occasions … Joined the team after the start of the season, making his collegiate debut on Oct. 27 vs. Boston College … Scored his first career goal and picked up his first NCAA point on Nov. 12 vs. Providence … Also had the most faceoff wins of the season in that game vs. PC by going 13-for-18 on draws … Recorded his first assist on Nov. 19 vs. UMass Lowell … Had three multi-point outings during the season, with his first of his career coming on Dec. 2 vs. Merrimack (1g/1a) … Also had a goal and an assist on Jan. 27 vs. Yale and recorded his first two-assist contest on March 4 vs. Boston College … Recorded points in three straight games on two occasions: Jan. 27-Feb. 3 (2g/2a) and Feb. 25-March 4 (2g/2a).
International: Served as team captain of Finland at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship, recording nine points (7g/2a) in seven games and finished with the best overall faceoff percentage in the tournament (70.2%) … Had five points (3g/2a) in five games at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Before College: Product of the Jokerit organization in Helsinki, Finland, which included playing for the under-16 and under-18 squads and the under-20 junior team … Played three seasons with the U-20 squad from 2019-2022 and was named to the first all-star team of the league in 2021-22 after totaling 48 points (19g/29a) in 44 games as a team captain … Was an alternate captain for the junior unit in 2020-21 and posted 26 points (10g/16a) in 17 outings … Registered 20 points (7g/13a) in 23 games with Jokerit under-20 junior and had 23 points (8g/15a) in seven outings with the U-18 squad in 2019-20 … Played a full season with the under-18 squad from 2018-19, recording 36 points (18g/18a) in 33 contests and helped the team to the league championship … Also played 20 games with Jokerit’s U-16 squad in 2018-19 (20g/37a) and won a silver medal with the squad after totaling 15 points (7g/8a) in seven postseason outings.
Personal: Has two older brothers, with one playing college hockey at Northern Michigan before turning pro in Finland while the other played pro in both Finland and Germany … Father previously played pro hockey in Finland’s second-tier league … Graduated high school from PHYK in 2022 … Hobbies include playing the guitar and piano and going fishing.
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