Last week, 2021 third-round New Jersey Devils draft pick Samu Salminen decided not to file the necessary paperwork to pursue unrestricted free agency. With that, the Devils retained his rights rather than having them expire, and he remains a piece of the organization indefinitely.
For the last week or so, the question has remained as to whether Salminen would exercise his ability to pursue a fifth year of college hockey given the NCAA's new eligibility model, sign an entry-level deal with the Devils, sign an AHL contract with the Utica Comets, or sign overseas. On Friday, we learned that a new court injunction could stop the college route from being feasible for him, and now we're learning the professional route is the one Salminen is pursuing
As first reported by James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now, Salminen is now down to two options: signing an AHL contract or signing a professional contract in Europe. He noted that Salminen's agent, Markus Lehto, informed him that the 23-year-old would not be returning to the University of Denver for a fifth year. The 6'3, 205-pound forward most recently put up a 29-point campaign in 43 games while being a mainstay in the Pioneers' top-six. With an 'A' on his jersey, he helped lead Denver to an NCAA title.
Samu Salminen is still an option for the New Jersey Devils
Playing professionally on either continent has its merits. If Salminen pursues an AHL contract with Utica, he'll have a better opportunity to push for an NHL contract in due time, perhaps proving himself worthy of being a call-up candidate in a few years. Organizations tend to value his attributes highly -- he's a natural leader, has two-way intelligence, and has flashes of legitimate skill (including the ability to pull off a Michigan). The AHL is tailor-made for developing players into NHL-quality prospects, focusing on improving habits rather than just winning.
Playing overseas could give Salminen experience against higher levels of competition -- as great a league as the AHL is, there are two better European leagues in the SHL and KHL. Heck, the NL is pretty close to rivaling the AHL and is trending upward to boot; if he's looking to play against strong professional competition, Europe very well may be the place to be.
Regardless, Salminen is likely to reach a conclusion on what he is going to do relatively shortly. The 2026-27 season isn't very far off at this point, and I'm sure he wants to settle into where he'll be next.
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