The third (and final) of the most recent draftees to make the countdown could be the most impactful. The Lightning went with another undersized forward teeming with talent in Joona Saarelainen, a Finnish forward that never stops skating.
| Name | Joona Saarelainen |
| Position | Center |
| Age (as of October 1) | 18 |
| Height/Weight | 5’9″, 183 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | KalPa (Liiga) |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2024, 5th Round (149 overall) |
| Previous Rankings | Not Applicable |
| Writer’s Ranking | 19 |
| Reader’s Ranking | 22 |
| Final Rank | 19 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
Have you ever come across a little dog, like a Corgi or a Scottish Terrier that acts like the biggest dog in a room? The type of dog that will bark its head off at a larger dog until that dog backs away? Well, let us introduce you to the littlest big dog in the Lightning’s 2024 draft class – Joona Saarelainen. Despite standing just 5’9″, the 18-year-old center has absolutely no problem playing in front of the net.
Not only that, he’s pretty good at that. Just because a player is short, doesn’t mean they are easy to knock off of the puck, and so far in his short career, Saarelainen has shown that he is more than happy to take a hit or two (or throw a hit or two) to make a play. Add in above-average skating and a keen hockey sense and you have the Lightning’s most intriguing prospect of the 2024 class.
So why did he fall to the Bolts’ at pick 149? Size is one thing, but more and more undersized players are hearing their names called earlier in the draft. We’ve seen over the past few years, teams are starting to look past that if a player has talent. Connor Bedard is 5’10”, Logan Cooley is 5’10”, Alex DeBrincat is 5’8″, and Braden Point is 5’10”. The days of needing to be the size of Eric Lindros in order to catch a scout’s eye are fading into the past.
So it isn’t just stature that drove Saarelainen down into the later rounds. It’s a perceived lack of any special skills that stand out in his draft class. His skating is good, really good, but not elite or as explosive as you see among top prospects. His wrist shot is good, but not great. He has a quick release and it’s accurate, but he’s not picking the fleas off of a mutt at 100 yards with it. So, without that trait that really stands out, teams aren’t willing to take a flyer on a prospect that might not develop to more than a really good European player.
That’s where the Lightning come in. They can, and need to, take these types of chances with their prospects. Because they don’t have high picks, they need under-the-radar types that, if everything breaks right, can become the next Point, Ondrej Palat, Anthony Cirelli, or Yanni Gourde.
Gourde? Hmm, there’s a name from the past that comes to mind when perusing the highlights of young Mr. Saarelainen. The young Finn is smaller than most, but enjoys the play in front of the net and along the boards. He has a high work rate and will skate his opponents to the point of exhaustion. After garnering early notice as a skilled playmaker, he’s become more of a 200-foot player that can be trusted on the penalty kill as well as the power play. Sounds a lot like Mr. Gourde, doesn’t it. He isn’t quite the rapscallion that drives opponents into a penalty-taking rage that Yanni is, but Saarelainen is only 18, give him some time.
Okay, so comparing a young kid to Yanni Gourde might be a stretch, but Gourde was passed over in the draft because of his size and perceived lack of transferable skills to the pros. He’s proven the doubters wrong and there is a chance for Saarelainen to do the same. In the latest World Juniors Summer Showcase, the KalPa product was one of the best players with three goals and an assist in four games. He’s probably going to be one of the top forwards in the upcoming Under-20 World Junior Championships for Finland this winter and will get a chance to show his skills to a larger audience.
For now, he’s going to start the season for KalPa Under-20 team after he failed to make the roster for the main squad. That’s not a huge concern considering he just turned 18 this April. Last year he put up 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 41 games for the U20 team while adding an assist in eight games with the main squad. He’s started this season off with a hat trick already (see the highlights below) so it’s probably not going to be long until he’s with the big squad.
When he does get the call-up, he will have to show the Lightning scouts that his skills will adapt to larger competition. The fact that he is a better-than-average skater will help, but he’ll need to still be able to leverage his play when he’s battling along the boards with bigger individuals. Chances are he’ll spend at least the next two seasons over in the Liiga getting used to bigger and better competition. His development will probably be along the same lines as his countryman Niko Huuhtanen, who spent two seasons with Jukerit before crossing the pond.
Kyle Pereira had a really good write-up on Saarelainen and what he needs to work on to improve. Basically, the stats show that he doesn’t drive a lot of play to the middle of the ice or the dangerous areas. He may like to score from there, but he isn’t setting up his teammates with prime scoring chances. That may be a bit of nit-pick for a player that is pretty good at all the other areas, but it is something that will help him continue his success as he moves up the ranks.
Our friend Lauren Kelly had him ranked as the Bolts’ 12th-best prospect in her most recent rankings, and is a big fan of his transition game,
“With an above-NHL average skating projection, Saarelainen leverages his speed and unrelenting motor to be a top-end player in transition. He supports his teammates on the rush, carries the puck through traffic, and cuts back to avoid checks before forcing his way to the inside with pucks.”
Corey Pronman at The Athletic likes his game, but has some doubts,
“Saarelainen is a very good skating forward with a strong individual skill level. At the junior level he’s shown he can be a play driver with how well he creates offense at fast tempos. He competes well enough and seems to be around the play a lot. He has offensive talent, but for a 5-9 forward, it isn’t standout talent, and I have some doubts about whether it’s going to translate to the point where he’ll be the outlier small forward who makes it.”
Time will tell if Saarelainen is indeed a true NHL prospect or just a really good European player. Based on the highlights we’ve seen, and the reports we’ve read about him, if he doesn’t make it, it won’t be for lack of trying, and those types of players tend to do alright.
Highlight Videos
He got the puck in the neutral zone and was able to evade two opponents. He had enough speed to get inside the defender and then finished it off with a nice play down low.
Here he made a nice play out to his teammate in front of the net. Then he is the only one who doesn’t stop playing before poking the puck past the prone goaltender.
On the power play he read the play nicely. By drifting down low he gave his teammate a nice target and the quick release easily beat the goaltender.
There is a lot to like on this player. First, the defensive play in his own zone. He read the play and got his stick low on the ice to block the pass. Next, the acceleration through the neutral zone. He doesn’t look like he’s skating all out, but pulled away from the trailing skater. The backhand pass wasn’t great, but it with some quick hands he was able to knock his own rebound into the net.
Again, another display of his skill with the stick. This pass handcuffed him a bit, but he was still able to put it on his stick and shoot. These are the types of plays that will likely get tougher moving forward. The space he had to back out to the crease will get shut down a lot faster and usually end with the shaft of a stick right into his lower back. If he can still make the play when that’s happening, good things will come for him.
