Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-3, 186 lbs |
| Birthplace: Oulu, Finland |
| Age: 24 |
| Experience: 3 |
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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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1:12Initial Reactions To Wild Acquiring Quinn Hughes
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Top Leevi Merilainen News
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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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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Shipped down to minors
Merilainen was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Tuesday.
Merilainen appeared in 11 straight games for the Senators coming out of the Christmas break, but now finds himself headed down to the minors. In those outings, the 23-year-old netminder went 4-5-1 with a 3.61 GAA, including giving up six goals on 19 shots versus Montreal on Saturday. Hunter Shepard was recalled from Belleville in a corresponding move and figures to serve as the No. 2 option behind James Reimer for Tuesday's tilt with Columbus.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Falls in OT
Merilainen stopped 13 of 19 shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canadiens.
Merilainen allowed at least one goal in each period leading up to overtime, where he surrendered the winning tally to Montreal's Cole Caufield. With the OT loss, Merilainen now has an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage across 20 appearances this season. He has appeared in each of Ottawa's last 11 games in the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). With Ullmark back at practice, Merilainen could shift to a much lighter workload over the next few games, which would diminish the latter's already modest fantasy value. The Senators will be right back in action Sunday in Detroit.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Tending twine Saturday
Merilainan will be between the home pipes versus Montreal on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.
Merilainen has won two straight games despite allowing five goals on 42 shots. He has been mediocre since the start of December, posting a 5-7-0 record with a 3.35 GAA and an .864 save percentage. Merilainen will have a tough matchup as the Canadiens are fifth in league scoring, generating 3.33 goals per game in 2025-26.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Takes advantage of easy matchup
Merilainen stopped 18 of 22 shots in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Rangers.
The Senators took care of business early, which made Merilainen's poor third period (three goals against) a non-issue. He's won his last two starts, but he has allowed five goals on 42 shots in that span. The 23-year-old is at an 8-10-0 record with a 3.37 GAA and an .868 save percentage over 19 appearances. Merilainen's time as the Senators' primary starter should be nearing a close, as James Reimer is now with the team and Linus Ullmark (personal) should be approaching his return. It's unclear if the Senators will keep Merilainen on the roster for a weekend back-to-back with games at home versus the Canadiens on Saturday and in Detroit on Sunday.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting again Wednesday
Merilainen is slated to start on the road versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.
Merilainen will start back-to-back games, but James Reimer is set to back him up in this one after Hunter Shepard was reassigned to AHL Belleville earlier in the day. Merilainen stopped 19 of 20 shots in Tuesday's win over the Canucks, but he received an early hook the last time he started consecutive days, which was versus the Avalanche on Jan. 8.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: First win in five games
Merilainen made 19 saves in a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Tuesday.
The young netminder hadn't won since Jan. 3, so the victory was a huge weight lifted off. Merilainen has played eight straight, but he could get time off this week. There is a good chance free agent signee James Reimer will play this week, and Linus Ullmark (personal) skated Tuesday. Merilainen's future remains bright, but he could be sent down to the AHL for a more structured development experience.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Protecting home net
Merilainen is drawing the home start against the Canucks on Tuesday, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen has seen workhorse usage since Linus Ullmark left the team for personal reasons. This will be the 23-year-old Merilainen's eighth consecutive start Tuesday -- he's 2-4-0 with a 3.56 GAA and an .853 save percentage over his last seven outings. The Finnish netminder should have a favorable matchup against a Vancouver club that lost in Montreal on Monday by a 6-3 score, while the Senators haven't played since Saturday.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Allows trio of goals Saturday
Merilainen turned away 18 of 21 shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers.
Merilainen struggled across the middle of Saturday's contest as he allowed three consecutive goals en route to the loss. Overall, he now has a 6-10-0 record with a 3.48 GAA and an .866 save percentage across 17 appearances this season. The 23-year-old goaltender has lost each of his last three outings amidst the Senators' four-game losing streak. With Linus Ullmark (personal) still away from the team, Merilainen should continue to see a decent chunk of starts but remains a risky option in fantasy.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Expected to start Saturday
Merilainen is slated to defend the home crease versus Florida on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.
Merilainen has struggled of late, as he has been pulled in two of his last three starting assignments. Merilainen is 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage, a far cry from last season, when he was 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA. The Panthers are 19th in NHL scoring, generating 3.02 goals per game.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Bad performance in Colorado
Merilainen allowed three goals on 18 shots in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Avalanche.
Merilainen was initially pulled after giving up a goal to Cale Makar at 2:35 of the second period. That stood as the game-winner, but after Mads Sogaard gave up five goals in the middle frame, Merilainen returned to crease in the third and finished the contest. The Senators are in an untenable position in goal while Linus Ullmark (personal) is away from the team. Merilainen has allowed at least three goals in five of his last six outings and is now 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage over 16 appearances. The Senators return home Saturday for another tough matchup against the Panthers.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face Colorado
Merilainen is set to start on the road against Colorado on Thursday.
Merilainen has a 6-8-0 record, 3.46 GAA and .868 save percentage in 15 appearances this campaign. He has allowed at least three goals in four of his past five outings. Colorado leads the league in goals per game with 3.95.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Gives up three goals in loss
Merilainen stopped 18 of 21 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Mammoth.
Merilainen has allowed at least three goals in four of his last six outings. It's tough to blame him too much for this loss, but he dug the Senators an early hole that the offense couldn't get out of. The 23-year-old netminder is 6-8-0 with a 3.47 GAA and an .868 save percentage over 15 appearances this season. The Senators' next game is Thursday versus the Avalanche, which will be a brutally tough matchup for either of Merilainen or Mads Sogaard.
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