Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-3, 186 lbs |
| Birthplace: Oulu, Finland |
| Age: 24 |
| Experience: 3 |
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1:01Oilers Goaltending Continues to Struggle in Win
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1:34Oilers Come Up Short In 1st Game Under Mike Babcock
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0:50Highlights: Canucks at Oilers (9/29)
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0:48Oilers Enter Mike Babcock Era
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0:48Oilers Hire Mike Babcock as Head Coach
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8:04How Tortorella's Departure Impact The NHL Coaching Carousel
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1:04Jordan Staal Lifts Hurricanes To Win Game 4
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1:06Surplus of Goals Defining Stanley Cup Final
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1:40John Tortorella In 1st Cup Final Since Winning In 2004 With Lightning
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10:14Reasons Why the Golden Knights Can Win the Stanley Cup
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1:14NHL Coaching Matchmaker: Kings
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0:51NHL Coaching Matchmaker: Canucks
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0:48Breaking: Canucks Fire Head Coach Adam Foote After One Season
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1:16Maple Leafs Job Open After Craig Berube Firing
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1:00Gavin McKenna: The NHL Draft's Likely No. 1 Pick
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0:36Canucks Favorites to Land No. 1 Pick in NHL Draft
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1:19Newhook's Game-Winner Sends Canadiens to 2nd Round
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1:26Why Do the Oilers Always Fall Behind in the Playoffs?
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1:04How Does Hughes Trade Shake Up The Western Conference?
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1:14"Minnesota Made A Statement Trade," Pierre McGuire says
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2026 Goaltending
| STATS |
W
Wins
|
L
Losses
|
OTL
Overtime Loss
|
GAA
Goals Against Average
|
SV%
Saves Percentage
|
SO
Shutout
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2.95 | .917 | 0 |
Top Leevi Merilainen News
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Humbled by defending champs
Merilainen stopped 38 of 43 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.
Merilainen was under siege for much of the game as the Canucks got out-shot 44-17. It's the fourth outing in a row where Merilainen has faced more than 30 shots. That's likely to happen a lot behind a shaky and young defense. Merilainen is 1-2-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .917 save percentage over seven outings this season. He's starting to gain an edge over Kevin Lankinen for playing time, but neither goalie is a reliable fantasy option in most formats. The Canucks are set to host the Red Wings on Thursday.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face Hurricanes
Merilainen will guard the home crease in Tuesday's contest against the Hurricanes, per Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor.
After a three-outing stretch where he allowed just one goal, Merilainen has yielded three goals across each of his last three outings. Regardless, the 24-year-old netminder has far outplayed Kevin Lankinen in the 2026-27 campaign, which has led to the former securing the majority of opportunities between the pipes as of late. Overall, Merialinen holds a 1-1-1 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .925 save percentage across six appearances. He'll have his work cut out for him Tuesday against the defending champs, relegating Merilainen's fantasy value to being a spot start for fantasy managers in a pinch. If he can come out with the win Tuesday, Merilainen would be a priority waiver-wire addition for teams in all deep leagues.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Tough loss in south Florida
Merilainen made 36 saves in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers.
The 24-year-old netminder took a shutout into the third period as the Canucks threatened a road upset, but Merilainen couldn't stop the red-hot Brady Tkachuk from striking twice in the final nine minutes of regulation, including the game-tying goal with just 13 seconds left on the clock. Tkachuk then finished his hat trick with a slick move into the slot in OT to create an open look on Merilainen. The former Ottawa goalie has started three of the last four games for Vancouver, stopping 102 of 111 shots (.919 save percentage) over that stretch, and on the season he's 1-1-1 in six appearances with a 2.51 GAA and .926 save percentage. Merilainen's strong play appears to be earning him an audition in the top spot on the depth chart ahead of the struggling Kevin Lankinen.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Starting against Florida
Merilainen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Florida.
Merilainen will draw a second consecutive start after he allowed three goals on 38 shots during a 3-2 regulation loss to the Islanders on the road Tuesday. He's appeared in five games to begin the regular season, going 1-1-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .927 save percentage.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Battles in narrow loss
Merilainen halted 33 of 36 shots on net in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.
While the end result of Tuesday's contest didn't go his way, Merilainen continued to be a bright spot for the Canucks with his performance in net. He allowed just three goals against 36 shots on net, which helped Vancouver have a chance at winning throughout the entire contest. With Tuesday's contest in the books, the 24-year-old goalie now has a 1-1-0 record, a 2.40 GAA and a .926 save percentage across five appearances. He's proven to be the more-reliable option between the pipes for the Canucks compared to Kevin Lankinen, who has struggled mightily to open the 2026-27 campaign. If Merialinen's rise in production continues, he'll not only be on the fantasy radar in standard formats, but also one of the best waiver claims in recent memory. For now, he's a solid spot start in deep fantasy leagues with a bundle of upside.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Tending twine Tuesday
Merilainen will patrol the road paint in Tuesday's clash against the Islanders, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.
Merilainen will return to action Tuesday after avoiding his first loss of the season in Saturday's clash, where he was off the ice having his skate repaired when Kevin Lankinen allowed the game-winning goal. Outside of Saturday's game, the 24-year-old Merilainen has fared well to begin the new season, where he has a 1-0-0 record, a 2.18 GAA and a .929 save percentage across four appearances. While the young netminder's fantasy stock is on the rise, he'll have to prove himself in a tough matchup with the Islanders on Tuesday. He's a spot start option for fantasy managers in a pinch, but he should be left on waivers for the time being in standard formats.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Busy day in New Jersey
Merilainen stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Canucks during a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Saturday.
The 24-year-old netminder managed to avoid having the loss go on his record -- Merilainen left the ice late in the first period to get his skate repaired, and Kevin Lankinen wound up allowing the game-winning goal during his brief relief stint. All three pucks that got past Merilainen came on Devil power plays, and he made a number of big saves just to keep the game as close as it was. Through four appearances (two starts) this season, he boasts a .929 save percentage, compared to Lankinen's woeful .783 mark in five outings (four starts). Lankinen should get the start for Sunday's road contest against the Rangers, but Merilainen is making a strong case to take over the larger share of the workload in the crease for Vancouver.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Guarding road goal
Merilainen is set to start on the road against the Devils on Saturday, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
Merilainen has a 1-0-0 record, 1.62 GAA and .941 save percentage across three appearances this season. That's in stark contrast to Vancouver's other goaltender, Kevin Lankinen, who is 1-3-0 with a 7.06 GAA and a .786 save percentage in four outings. With that in mind, there might be an opportunity here for Merilainen to earn a bigger share of Vancouver's starts. New Jersey has gotten off to a slow start offensively, averaging just 2.00 goals through three games.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Needed in relief again
Merilainen turned aside 15 of 16 shots after replacing Kevin Lankinen to begin the third period of Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Hurricanes.
It's already the second time this season that Lankinen has gotten an early hook, and Merilainen has looked sharp in a low-pressure relief situation. While Lankinen has faced the tougher assignments, the difference in their numbers so far couldn't be more stark -- Merilainen has won his only start while producing a 1.62 GAA and .941 save percentage in five periods of action, while Lankinen is 1-3-0 with a hideous 7.06 GAA and .786 save percentage. The Canucks play back-to-back games this weekend on the road against the Devils and Rangers as they continue an east coast swing, and if Merilainen outplays Lankinen once again, he could make a quick push to the top of the depth chart.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Keeps Flames under control
Merilainen stopped 23 of 24 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flames.
Getting away from the Oilers made things look a lot better for the Canucks. Merilainen presumably got the start as a reward for his decent relief performance versus Edmonton on Thursday. The 24-year-old netminder has allowed just two goals on 35 shots over his two appearances for the Canucks. He probably won't be that good in the long run, given the rebuilding team in front of him, but he could unseat Kevin Lankinen for the No. 1 job. It'll likely be Lankinen who gets the harder matchup of the weekend Sunday at home versus the Golden Knights.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Making first start with Canucks
Merilainen was the first goalie off the ice at Saturday's morning skate, indicating that he'll start the team's home matchup against the Flames, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.
Merilainen is in line to make his first start for the Canucks after he was claimed off waivers from Ottawa in late September. The 24-year-old backstop made his Vancouver debut in Thursday's 9-7 loss, where he stopped 10 out of the 11 shots he saw in relief. He's looking to bounce back after a tough 2025-26 campaign, where he posted an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage across 20 regular-season outings. He'll face off against a Calgary offense that was kept to just one score in their Opening Night matchup.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Makes team debut in relief appearance
Merilainen stopped 10 of 11 shots in relief of Kevin Lankinen in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.
Merilainen did his part in the latter half of the game, almost allowing the Canucks to put together a comeback. Lankinen has struggled heavily to start the campaign, though it's tough to expect Merilainen to do any better behind a roster that will be outmatched most of the time. Both goalies should get a start this weekend since the Canucks will host the Flames on Saturday and the Golden Knights on Sunday.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Claimed off waivers
Merilainen was claimed off waivers by Vancouver from Ottawa on Friday.
Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2025-26. While he clearly didn't have an ideal campaign, he's still just 24 years old and showed promise in 2024-25 with an 8-3-1 record, 1.99 GAA and .925 save percentage across 12 regular-season outings with the Senators. Thatcher Demko (hip) might not be ready for the start of the campaign, which presents Merilainen with an opportunity to compete with Kevin Lankinen for starts. The addition of Merilainen is also likely to result in Nikita Tolopilo beginning the upcoming campaign in the minors. Vancouver might also be more likely to decide against signing Chris Driedger, who has been attending the Canucks' training camp on a tryout basis.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Lands on waivers
Merilainen was put on waivers by Ottawa on Thursday, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with the Senators in 2025-26. Samuel Ersson signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract with the Senators over the summer, and he's expected to begin the season as the No. 2 goaltender behind Linus Ullmark. If either of Ersson or Ullmark suffers an injury during the campaign, then Merilainen might be summoned.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Struggles in preseason start
Merilainen allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Merilainen played into the third period, but he was pulled after giving up a sixth goal. He may get one more chance to audition during preseason action, but this wasn't a particularly encouraging effort put forth for a goalie who needed to impress to win a roster spot. Expect Merilainen to start 2026-27 with AHL Belleville.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Getting start in road game
Merilainen will draw the start on the road in Wednesday's split-squad preseason game, per the NHL media site.
Merilainen will be backstopping what is largely a minor-league group on the road. Merilainen may start the 2026-27 campaign with AHL Belleville if he goes on waivers, as Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson are expected to be the NHL goaltending duo.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Re-signs Thursday
Merilainen signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Senators on Thursday.
Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2025-26. While those results leave plenty to be desired, the 23-year-old has the potential to bounce back. However, he'll have to compete with Samuel Ersson during training camp to earn the No. 2 job behind Linus Ullmark. If the 23-year-old Merilainen doesn't do enough to win an NHL roster spot, then he'll return to the minors to continue to hone his game.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Up from minors
Merilainen was called up by Ottawa on Friday.
Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. He's joining Ottawa as the squad's No. 3 goaltender going into its first-round series against Carolina. Merilainen shouldn't be expected to man the net in a 2026 playoff game for the Senators unless Linus Ullmark and James Reimer run into injury problems.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Logs shutout Friday
Merilainen posted a 26-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 5-0 win over Manitoba on Friday.
This was his second shutout of the AHL campaign. Merilainen is up to 8-7-1 with a 2.87 GAA and a .905 save percentage through 18 appearances. He's had a down year compared to 2024-25, which is why he's stayed in the AHL since he was sent down in January.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Regaining confidence in Belleville
Merilainen posted a 40-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 1-0 win over Springfield on Saturday.
Merilainen improved to 4-1-0 this season in the AHL, with wins in each of the last two games since he returned to Belleville. This was his first shutout of the season, and he's allowed just 13 goals on 166 shots for a .927 save percentage with Belleville. That said, his chances to return to the NHL don't look great at this time, as the Senators are carrying three goalies and have Linus Ullmark (personal) on the non-roster list.
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