tbl-2026 Tampa Bay Lightning Top 20 Under 25: #14 Joona Saarelainen

Summary

Could Joona Saarelainen make the leap from Europe to North America this season? A strong 2025-26 has him on that path. Name Joona Saarelainen Position Forward Age (as of October 1, 2026) 20 Height/Weight 5’9″, 187 lbs. Expected 2026-27 Team KalPa (Liiga) Draft – Year, Round 2024, 5th Round (149) Previous Rankings 19th ( 2024 ), 18th ( 2025 ) JustinG. Ranking 7 Final Rank 14 Stats: Our Thoughts: Unlike his fellow countryman, Benjamin Rautelainen, Joona Saarelainen didn’t have a breakout season in the Liiga in 2025-26. What he did have was a fairly solid season as a 19-year-old in a pretty competitive league. For the first time in his career he spent the entire season (minus a stint with the U20 World Junior team for Finland) at the top level. He responded with 8 goals and 16 assists in 51 games. In KalPa’s 11 playoff games he added another 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists). He’ll spend at least one more season in Finland, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him sign his entry-level contract and cross the Atlantic at some point to join the organization. The Lightning (and Crunch) could always use a few more playmakers and that’s what Saarelainen projects out as. KalPa doesn’t have the deepest line-up in the league so there is a chance that the fifth-round pick can find himself in the top six this season. Saarelainen isn’t the biggest player on the ice, standing at 5’9″ (allegedly), but he plays a lot bigger than his size. He’s not the type of player that shies away from the front of the net, and at 187 lbs. he can be tough to move once he sets up just outside of the crease. Stationed at the front or the side of the net, Saarelainen uses his hand-eye coordination to tip pucks home or dig out rebounds. He also has a really nice wrist shot that crosses up goaltenders. His 15.4% shooting percentage was sixth on the team last season. Playing in front of the net like he does leads to a lot of solid scoring chances (he posted a 9.31 expected goals) and he has a goal-scorers knack of getting into solid scoring areas. That was on display during the World Junior Championship when he posted four goals and two assists in seven games. He’s not a one-dimensional player as he works just as hard in his own zone as he does in the offensive zone. Saarelainen is a tireless skater and can sort out what is happening in the defensive zone in order to move into the right spot to break up plays. On turnovers, he has the wheels to turn defense into offense fairly quickly, an asset that helps him kill penalties. Keep an eye on his playing time this season. Last season he averaged just over 15 minutes per game. He should have a bigger role with KalPa this season and that should lead to some more production. Expect some more time on the power play and among the top-six. If he can parlay that extra time into points on the board, it’ll be a nice sign that he’s on the right track. He has the skills to produce in any league, hopefully he’ll be showcasing them with Syracuse as early as this spring. He’s off to a decent start with a couple of assists in five pre-season games so far. (Oh, look, old friend Otto Somppi will be a teammate this season). Your Thoughts: There were no direct mentions of Saarelainen in the comments. The highest spot for Saarelainen was fifth while over 23.3% of the voters locked him in at the 14th spot. Highlight Videos: Joona Saarelainen levels it for @leijonat ! 🚨 #WorldJuniors #IIHF pic.twitter.com/ufMmauf1uB — IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 5, 2026 Never. Stop. Skating. Saarelainen couldn’t reach the initial centering pass, but he didn’t give up on the play. He collected the loose puck, fed it to the point, and then circled to the net. He beat the defender to the rebound and put the puck into the net. Kapaselta maailmanluokan esityö ja Saarelainen niittaa pelin tasoihin! 🚨 #KalPa #Liiga 📺: @MTVUrheilu pic.twitter.com/SAmVFXx9p7 — KalPa (@KalPa_Hockey) April 11, 2026 This is how undersized players can be productive in front of the net. He timed a little push off of the defenseman perfectly to create space and then snapped off the one-timer. Skill can triumph over size. Härski vääntää, Joona tarjoilee ja Kona laittaa sisään! 🙌 #KalPa #Liiga 📺: @MTVUrheilu pic.twitter.com/Ve1vNsw8Fq — KalPa (@KalPa_Hockey) March 29, 2026 He is going to be fun to watch when he comes over to North America. He just barreled into two larger defensemen in order to make the play. 🍎 Joona Saarelainen (#12 in yellow) picks up assist #14 of the Liiga season. #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/jAknVfFCDh — Future Bolts (@FutureBolts_) March 6, 2026 His playmaking skills are pretty solid as well. He sold the move to the outside to turn the defender, which gave him the lane to make the pass. It’s a really subtle, but nice move, especially at speed. Rystylätty ja ohjaus putken alle. 😍 Ruotsalainen tarjoilee ja Saarelainen laittaa sisään! 🚨 #KalPa #Liiga 📺: @MTVUrheilu pic.twitter.com/bkwyiaqnbX — KalPa (@KalPa_Hockey) February 19, 2026 Just wow. The play gets better with every angle. It’s one of those plays that probably works one out of five times, but you have to admire the audacity (especially as a 19-year-old) to even try it. Joona Saarelainen ( #GoBolts ) hits the jets and nearly gives Finland their first lead of the game pic.twitter.com/J2DrXHglIP — Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) January 4, 2026 Can he work on his skating a little? Sure, but he has the jets when he needs them. Saarelainen doesn’t score here, but he does surprise the defender with a nice little burst of speed. He doesn’t necessarily have top end speed, but he does a good job of adjusting his pace to keep opponents off-balance.