Future Watch: Sami Niku Rookie Hockey Cards, Jets – Sami Niku was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets with the 198th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Winnipeg has good player development so getting a seventh rounder to the NHL doesn’t seem like an impossible task for them.
Niku had played over in Finland before he embarked on playing in North America. He played on some of their national teams making this defenseman a player to watch.
In 2015-16, he was a part of the U20 team that struck gold in the World Junior Championship playing for Team Finland. In seven games he had a goal and an assist. This was the second time he took part in this great tournament showing he has a pedigree.
After a strong year in 2016-17 playing in SM-Liga, he would embark on North America. He had five goals and 27 points in 59 games and three in nine playoff games.
In 2017-18, he played a full season with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL. In 76 games he had 16 goals and 54 points. He added three in nine playoff games as well. He won the Eddie Shore Award (Best AHL Defenseman), was voted to the All-Rookie team and was on the First All-Star team. He was rewarded with a game with the big club that season as well. And he got his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.
Here’s a look at his first NHL goal:
In 2018-19 he saw more NHL ice time than in the AHL. With the Moose, he had 12 points in 20 games. With the Jets, he had four points in 30 games. Offensive defenseman move cards in the hobby and now at the age of 22, we may be starting to see his. Don’t miss out on him. He’ll be an everyday defenseman in the NHL soon enough.
Future Watch: Sami Niku Rookie Hockey Cards, Jets – Stats
| Scoring | Goals | Assists | Shots | Ice Time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | EV | PP | SH | GW | EV | PP | SH | S | S% | TSA | TOI | ATOI | FOW | FOL | FO% | BLK | HIT | TK | GV | Awards |
| 2017-18 | 21 | WPG | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.0 | 3 | 15 | 15:13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018-19 | 22 | WPG | NHL | 30 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5.3 | 46 | 418 | 13:55 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 10 | 3 | 11 | ||
| Career | 2 yrs | NHL | 31 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 9.5 | 49 | 433 | 13:58 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 10 | 4 | 11 | |||
Future Watch: Sami Niku Rookie Hockey Cards, Jets – More Resources
Future Watch: Sami Niku Rookie Hockey Cards, Jets – Image Gallery
For more from Russ Cohen, follow him on Twitter @sportsology.
Russ Cohen
is the author of several top-selling sports related books.
Baseball’s Best Rookies
Numbers Don’t Lie: Mets: The Biggest Numbers in Mets History
100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters
100 Things Rangers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die
“Strike Three!” – A Player’s Journey through the Infamous Baseball Strike of 1994
The Winter Classic: The NHL’s Savior
The Philadelphia Flyers: Images of Sports
Pioneers of Baseball
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