GOTTA SEE IT: Devils Prospect Hits The Michigan

New Jersey Devils forward prospect Samu Salminen hit “The Michigan” on Friday night in an NCAA matchup.

Playing for the University of Connecticut, Salminen gave UConn a 1-0 lead over Sacred Heart with a lacrosse-style goal.

Here is a look at the smooth, flawlessly executed goal that Mike Legg made so famous in the ’90s that Anaheim Ducks forward, Trevor Zegras revived more recently.

WE HAVE A MICHIGAN GOAL IN CT‼️

Hello Samu Salminen🔥🔥@hockey_east | @NCAAIceHockey pic.twitter.com/UxVdYv0bii

— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC) January 26, 2024

Salminen is an unsigned Devils prospect that New Jersey drafted in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, 68th overall. With so much talent in the Devils’ prospect pool, such as Seamus Casey and Lenni Hameenaho, it might have been easy to overlook Salminen. However, he promptly shifted everyone’s focus with Friday night’s display of skill.

The Devils drafted Salminen out of Finland’s U20 league. After he wrapped up his final year overseas, Salminen crossed the pond to play with UConn. In 2022-23, through 27 games in the NCAA, Salminen scored nine goals and 17 points. This season, Salminen’s Michigan goal is his sixth goal and 11th point in 24 games of the 2023-24 season.

According to EliteProspects, Salminen’s prospect profile reads, “The hallmark of his game is his intelligence. Salminen sees plays developing several steps in advance and plans his every step accordingly, whether he has possession or not. He has that goal-scorer’s knack for finding the right place to set up shop, and his one- and two-touch finishing game never fails him. He’s every bit the credible shooting threat without the puck as he is with it.”

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