Just Who Is Jere Sallinen?

It was middle of March. While other teams where battling for a playoff spot, the Oilers were already well out. Fans were talking about the draft, the next season, and who the Oilers would bring in to improve their fortunes. Then came a surprising bit of news. The Oilers had signed a player from the KHL to an entry-level contract. Jere Sallinen. Oiler fans everywhere heard the news and responded with a resounding… “who?” After a mad rush to the Google, most then responded with… “Huh. Him?”

Signed to a reasonably small cap hit of $792.5K with $132.5K in potential games played bonuses (according to www.generalfanager.com), Sallinen won’t break the bank. His entry level contract is only one year long. It’s a short term gamble by the Oilers costing only a roster spot. None-the-less, information is relatively slim about this guy.

So… Who IS Jere Sallinen?

At 6’1” and 196 lbs (according to the KHL website), Sallinen is around average size for an NHL winger. He shoots left and will be turning 26 years old this October, making him about the same age as Jordan Eberle. At this point in his development, he is who he is. We shouldn’t be expecting any major progress from him.

Looking through his Hockey’s Future page (www.hockeysfuture.com), Jere Sallinen was a prospect of note back in 2008. He got a few games in the SM-Liiga at the age of 17 (no easy feat), was a scorer for his junior team and made the Finnish World Junior roster. Unfortunately, he lost most of his draft year (2009) to a back injury requiring surgery. His draft stock plummeted, though the Minnesota Wild took a 6^th round flyer on him.

Injuries continued to bother Sallinen for the next couple years and he never got an Entry Level Contract. He mostly stuck around the SM-Liiga getting modest scoring numbers. He did have one strong year getting 42 points in 57 games in 2012/13, though was unable to follow it up.

For the last two years he’s been playing in the KHL on Jokerit, a team with a number of Oiler connections from years past, including Linus Omark, Jani Rita, Philip Larsen, and Jesse Joensuu. In his first season Sallinen played largely 4^th line minutes. He finished 8^th on his team in scoring among forwards. Despite playing just under 12 minutes a game, he managed to lead his team in hits, which may give you an idea of his playing style.

This last year, he moved up to 3^rd line minutes and produced at about that level. He was 7^th on his team in TOI, 7^th in scoring, and 7^th in shots per game. Once again, he racked up the hits, ending up second on his team to newcomer Jesse Joensuu (yes, that Jesse Joensuu).

Basically, he was a bottom six winger these last two seasons.

What Can We Expect From Him?

Sallinen is a depth signing. If he makes the NHL, it’ll be in the bottom six and likely on the 4th line. He won’t get many points but he’ll know how to use his body. Hockey’s Future notes that he “has some stick handling skill and skates well for a player of his size”. I’m always a bit skeptical when a scouting report notes a player skates well “for his size”, especially if his size is around league average. That said, given McLellan’s style and how he likes to have a guy putting on heavy pressure on the forecheck, I imagine Sallinen can skate. His job will be to get into the corners, bang a few bodies and play a gritty game.

Overall, I think his upside is something along the lines of a less skilled Jesse Joensuu or a more physical Lennart Petrell. If he turns out to be a left shooting Iiro Pakarinen, that might be the top end of what we should expect.

We can also expect that he’ll play some games in the AHL and may very well start there to get adjusted to the North American game. He can also take up a 13^th or 14^th forward roster spot and cost fairly minimally against the cap.

Will He Be an Oiler Long-Term?

It’s too soon to say, but it’s unlikely. At most he might get a one-year extension if he shows well, but this player is at his peak right now. As a gritty bottom-sixer, his hold on an NHL career will always be tenuous.

That said, I think Oiler fans will like him. A gritty Finn who can hit? Yeah, he’ll do just fine in this town. Good luck Jere and welcome to Edmonton!

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