Sami Niku
| Sami Niku | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
10 October 1996 Haapavesi, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Winnipeg Jets Manitoba Moose (AHL) JYP Jyväskylä | ||
| NHL draft |
198th overall, 2015 Winnipeg Jets | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Sami Niku (born 10 October 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing with the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect under contract with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Niku was selected by the Jets in the 7th round (198th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
Playing career
Niku made his Liiga debut playing with JYP Jyväskylä during the 2014–15 Liiga season.[2]
Following the 2016–17 season with JYP, having played his first full season in the Liiga in posting 27 points in 59 games, Niku agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets on May 15, 2017.[3] He played most of the 2017–18 season with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He was called up by the Jets on April 1, 2018, and scored his first goal in his NHL debut in a Jets' win over the Montreal Canadiens on April 3.[4] At conclusion of the 2017–18 regular season, Niku was voted as the AHL's top defenseman,[5] as well as earning AHL First All-Star team[6] and the AHL All-Rookie honours.[7]
Internationally, Niku played in the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships, the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | JYP Jyväskylä | Jr. A | 30 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | JYP Jyväskylä | Jr. A | 20 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 30 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 39 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | JYP Jyväskylä | Liiga | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | JYP Jyväskylä | Liiga | 38 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | JYP Jyväskylä | Liiga | 59 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 76 | 16 | 38 | 54 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Liiga totals | 109 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 34 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Finland
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| IIHF World U20 Championship | ||
 |
2016 Finland | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Finland | U17 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2013 | Finland | IH18 | 5th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Finland | WJC18 | 6th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Finland | WJC | 7th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WJC | 
|
8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 27 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 14 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| AHL | ||
| Eddie Shore Award for Top Defensemen | 2018 | [5] |
| First All-Star team | 2018 | [6] |
| All-Rookie Team | 2018 | [7] |
References
- ^ "The Winnipeg Jets draft Sami Niku and Matteo Gennaro in the seventh round". Arctic Ice Hockey. 27 June 2015.
- ^ "Sami Niku player profile" (in Finnish). jatkoaika.com. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Jets sign Sami Niku to entry-level contract". Winnipeg Jets. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Jets recall Sami Niku". NHL.com. 1 April 2018.
- ^ a b "NIKU VOTED AHL'S TOP DEFENSEMAN FOR 2017-18". American Hockey League. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ a b "2017-18 AHL FIRST, SECOND ALL-STAR TEAMS UNVEILED". theahl.com. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ a b "2017-18 AHL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM NAMED". theahl.com. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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