When Linus Ullmark injured his back in the first period against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22, many of the Ottawa Senators’ worst fears were realized. Without their starting goalie, the team’s six-game win streak came immediately to a halt. Anton Forsberg, who has served as a capable replacement in the past, put up two losses and an overtime loss over his next three starts while posting a .861 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.63 goals-against average (GAA). Rookie Mads Sogaard was even worse, posting a .826 SV% in his sole appearance after the injury, allowing four goals against the Winnipeg Jets.
With Forsberg and Sogaard unable to handle a bigger workload, all of the Senators’ hopes turned to Leevi Merilainen. Two years Sogaard’s junior, there was a lot of pressure on the rookie goalie with only three games of previous NHL experience. However, five games later, he now leads Ottawa’s active goalies with a .913 SV% and his 2.34 GAA is better than Ullmark’s. This past week, he stepped up his game even further, recording his first NHL shutout and back-to-back wins. There’s no question that he is the Senators’ Prospect of the Week for the week of Jan. 6-13, 2025.
Merilainen’s Emergence as a Top Prospect
When Merilainen was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft, a lot of fans were wondering where the Senators found this goalie. He wasn’t ranked by any major scouting services and was primarily a backup in his draft year, playing behind Niklas Kokko and Joel Blomqvist at the U18 and U20 levels, respectively. His numbers were solid, but he didn’t jump off the page as a third-round pick. However, he was 6-foot-4, and since a bigger goalie covers more net, the Senators decided to take the swing.
After middling performances in the Ontario Hockey League and the World Juniors, Merilainen returned to Finland in 2022-23 and finally found himself in a starting role with Karpat. Over the next 42 games, he was easily one of the best Finnish netminders in the Liiga, leading the league with eight shutouts and his .918 SV% and 2.02 GAA ranked fifth-best of any goalie with at least 10 starts. In the blink of an eye, he had gone from a virtual unknown to one of Ottawa’s most intriguing prospects.
That was all but confirmed when Merilainen journeyed over to North America for the second time after the Liiga season concluded. In his first American Hockey League (AHL) game with the Belleville Senators, he recorded a 41-save shutout. Before he could play another game, the Senators called him up to replace Sogaard, who was too sick to play the following night. Merilainen was given his very first NHL start, and with just one AHL game under his belt, proceeded to turn away 34 of 37 shots en route to a 3-2 overtime loss against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Since then, Merilainen and Sogaard have been locked in a battle as to who will start in Belleville. Last season, the prize went to the towering Dane, forcing the younger Finn to spend some time in the ECHL with the Allen Americans. It’s not as though Merilainen’s numbers were bad; Sogaard just was better, which earned him some NHL call-ups. But this season, it’s been all Merilainen. In 13 AHL starts, he leads the team with a .901 SV% and a 2.43 GAA, which placed him as the first name the Senators looked to when seeking a replacement for Ullmark.
Merilainen’s first game in 2024-25 didn’t go super smoothly. Despite recording his first NHL win, he came away from it with a .840 SV% after allowing four goals on 25 shots. He was then thrown in the next night when Ullmark left injured and struggled to keep the game close, allowing two more goals on 14 shots to give the Oilers a 3-1 win. The Senators looked elsewhere to see if they could find more consistency in their other goaltenders, but on Dec. 29, they went back to Merilainen, and this time, he was ready.
Related: Ottawa Senators Midseason Prospect Awards
Over his next four starts, Merilainen faced 111 shots from the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and Pittsburgh Penguins, but he only let seven goals slip by him, giving him a .937 SV%. He was remarkably consistent, prompting the Senators’ general manager, Steve Staios, to praise his performance on TSN Ottawa 1200, “I think his differentiator is his demeanour and his calmness and the moment doesn’t seem too big for him. Certainly, a great young goaltender and he continues to develop. You throw him into a situation against Pittsburgh, who’s been playing great hockey, and he was just a calming influence.”
With Ullmark still out for the next little while, the Senators seem very comfortable to run with Merilainen as the starter. After a shutout and three wins, their confidence sure seems well-placed.
Senators Honourable Mentions & Check-Ins
Had Merilainen not stepped in just when the Senators needed him most, Blake Montgomery would have taken home his third Prospect of the Week title. He’s continued to dominate the OHL, and last week, he added another four goals and five points to his impressive total in just two games. He now has 17 goals and 32 points in 23 games and still shows no signs of slowing down; if anything, he’s picking up even more momentum in the second half of the season.
A trio of AHL players had some strong performances, which may give them a leg up with all of the Senators’ recent injuries. Wyatt Bongiovanni scored three times in his last two games in Belleville, while Stephen Halliday, who has won a previous Prospect of the Week, put up three points in the same span. Tyler Boucher has looked much better since the holiday break, with the 2021 first-round pick scoring three points in his first five games back. He only played once last week and didn’t find the scoresheet, but if he keeps up this pace, he could finish this season on a strong note, setting himself up for better opportunities in 2025-26.
Tyler Kleven scored his second goal last week, putting away the first goal of the game against the Penguins on the first shot of the game. He’s had a strong rookie campaign so far, sitting third on the team in takeaways and has the third lowest goals-against per 60 minutes with an average of 2.0. The only thing that hasn’t come as easy is offence; in 42 games, he has just three points. Of course, he was never projected to be a big point producer, but it’s always great when he can show off his cannon of a slapshot.
Tune in next week to see which prospect stood above the rest.
