Jets Assign Two Players To AHL
While Winnipeg’s season came to an end on Thursday, a pair of players that were up with the Jets will see their campaign continue a little while longer. The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltenders Oskari Salminen and Arvid Holm were returned to Manitoba of the AHL.
Salminen is in the first year of an entry-level deal signed last May. The 23-year-old was recalled to Winnipeg at the beginning of the playoffs but didn’t see any game action while up with the big club. Salminen had a decent first season in North America, posting a 3.06 GAA along with a .896 SV% in 39 games, leading the Moose in appearances by a goaltender.
As for Holm, the pending RFA served as the backup for the Jets at the end of their series against Vegas after being brought up last weekend. The 24-year-old was the better of the two netminders in the minors this season, posting a 2.67 GAA and a .911 SV% in 35 appearances, a strong improvement from his rookie campaign in 2021-22.
The assignments are a welcome one for Manitoba with their best-of-five second-round series getting underway yesterday. Having their regular goalie tandem intact instead of emergency options can only help their chances of advancing this postseason.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Oskari Salminen
The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms on a two-year entry-level contract with Oskari Salminen, a deal that will start with the 2022-23 season. The contract carries an average annual value of $925K and adds another interesting goaltender to the mix for Winnipeg.
Salminen, 22, spent this season with Jurkurit of the Finnish Liiga, posting a .920 save percentage and 29 wins (which led the league) in 55 appearances. While the club struggled in the playoffs, it was obviously good enough to get the attention of the Jets. Undrafted, the 6’4″ netminder has been slow developing, never really included in the top prospects out of Finland at any level. He has never represented his country at a high level internationally, and before this season had middling success at the Liiga level.
Still, the frame and development this season do suggest that perhaps this is just a late-bloomer that is finally reaching an entirely new level of play. An entry-level contract poses very little risk for the Jets, though where he goes now is unclear. Still signed through next season by his Finnish club, he could be loaned back by Winnipeg to continue playing at a top level overseas.
The Jets already have Connor Hellebuyck entrenched in the starting role and two other goaltenders under contract for next season, including Arvid Holm, who will likely take the starting job for the Manitoba Moose if Mikhail Berdin graduates to take the backup spot in the NHL. Either way, Salminen represents another interesting prospect for the pipeline, even if his impact isn’t felt immediately.