Once upon a time, Samu Salminen was considered one of the New Jersey Devils' best prospects. After all, the third-round selection from 2021 put up an unexpected point-per-game campaign in the U20 Nationell in his draft-plus-one season before matriculating to the NCAA in the subsequent season. In that inaugural campaign, he played to the tune of 0.63 points per game as a rookie in the NCAA's toughest division, Hockey East.
Ultimately, though, he stagnated somewhat in terms of his offensive on-ice performance, never surpassing 0.674 points per game in his four-year collegiate career. That said, he certainly improved defensively and as a leader in the locker room. When it was all said and done, Salminen was one of the NCAA's top faceoff-takers, winning nearly 55% of his draws in 2025-26. He was defensively responsible, earning a stalwart reputation over the course of his NCAA career, though he is still regarded as a playmaker more than anything else.
Salminen ended up earning an 'A' on his chest in his final campaign with the University of Denver, leading them to a National Championship. Despite the college success, he was never handed an entry-level contract (ELC) with the New Jersey Devils organization.
Samu Salminen is no longer a New Jersey Devils prospect
On Sunday, he departed the Devils' organization, signing a two-year ELC with the Florida Panthers with a cap hit of $980,000. He is not expected to push for an NHL spot this season, instead being regarded as an AHLer at this point in time. With the Charlotte Checkers, he will be joining former Devil prospect Angus Crookshank, who was traded over the summer in the deal that sent goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Panthers. Salminen will also be joining Casey Fitzgerald, son of former Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald.
In totality, though Salminen was generally a well-respected prospect for New Jersey, he was not in the plans for a completely overhauled Utica Comets roster. Utica rebuilt from the top down, with a brand-new GM (Braden Birch) and a completely redesigned roster. There was simply no fit for Salminen in a very crowded room. Even with their lack of centers in the organization, Utica already has a full room.
All the best to him with the Checkers.
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