Saku Mäenalanen
| Saku Mäenalanen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
29 May 1994 Tornio, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Carolina Hurricanes Charlotte Checkers (AHL) Oulun Kärpät Lahti Pelicans | ||
| National team |
 Finland | ||
| NHL draft |
125th overall, 2013 Nashville Predators | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Saku Mäenalanen (born 29 May 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing with the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in the National Hockey League (NHL). Mäenalanen was selected by the Nashville Predators in the 5th round (125th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Mäenalanen played junior hockey within the Oulun Kärpät organization. Following his selection in the NHL draft by the Predators, he made his professional debut in the Liiga with Oulun Kärpät during the 2013–14 season.
Unsigned by the Nashville Predators, Mäenalanen continued in the Liiga with Oulun Kärpät, also enduring a shortened loan stint with fellow Liiga club, Lahti Pelicans in the 2014–15 season.[1]
In the 2017–18 season, Mäenalanen enjoyed a breakout season in totalling 17 goals and 46 points in 59 games, ranking 11th among scorers in Liiga. He added 10 points in the postseason, helping Oulun capture the league championship. On May 18, 2018, Mäenalanen gained NHL interest and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. In signing with the Hurricanes he was reunited with former Finnish junior teammate, Sebastian Aho.[2]
International play
Maenalanen made his senior debut for Finland, at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. In a fifth place finish, he posted 2 goals and 3 assists in 8 contests.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Oulun Kärpät | Jr. A | 45 | 23 | 35 | 58 | 43 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 18 | ||
| 2013–14 | Oulun Kärpät | Jr. A | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2013–14 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 25 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Jokipojat | Mestis | 15 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Oulun Kärpät | Jr. A | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 20 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Lahti Pelicans | Liiga | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Hokki | Mestis | 17 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 22 | ||
| 2015–16 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 46 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2016–17 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 34 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Oulun Kärpät | Liiga | 59 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 26 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 | ||
| Liiga totals | 192 | 43 | 53 | 96 | 48 | 40 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 22 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Finland
| ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2014 Malmö | |
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Finland | WJC | 
|
7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Finland | WC | 5th | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Senior totals | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Jr. A SM-liiga | ||
| All-Star Team | 2012–13 | [3] |
References
- ^ "Maenalanen loaned to Pelicans" (in Finnish). Oulun Kärpät. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Canes sign Maenalanen to one-year contract". Carolina Hurricanes. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "All-Star Team announced". eliteprospects.com. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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