What do the Ottawa Senators have in Leevi Meriläinen?

Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen (1) makes a save while taking on the Boston Bruins during third period NHL hockey action in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

What makes Leevi Meriläinen so impressive? Is it his nonchalant attitude that, at the end of the day, being an NHL goalie is just his job? Is it his ability to ensure his movements stay crisp, ergonomic, and technical? Or is it that he’s a 23-year-old, third-round pick from the 2020 NHL Draft who is now a full-time NHL backup? When it’s laid out like that, it’s extremely difficult to pick just one, but let’s dive into all three and see what conclusion you come to.

After back-to-back wins last year, he was interviewed by Claire Hanna and gave an excellent quote in front of thousands of Sens faithful: “This is my job. I have to do this. I’m just happy to be here.” The NHL is the most difficult league in the world, where you’re facing off against Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, or Nathan MacKinnon on any given night, and you have to do your best to win games. Having this approach to your game as a goalie is so impressive because, when you boil it down, being the goalie makes you the last line of defence. It is arguably the most stressful position in sports, and many goalies don’t hit their stride until they are in their mid-twenties, unless their potential is elite.

When Meriläinen was drafted, there wasn’t much information out there about his personality or his style of play, but his stats spoke for themselves. He had only one season between 2017 and 2020 where he posted below a .900 sv%, with his highest coming at the U18 level with a .942 SV%. It felt premature post-draft to bring him over to the OHL to get acclimated and, despite playing a whopping 53 games in junior, he mustered a .891 SV% which in the OHL is average. One of the most impressive stats from that year was that Meriläinen never surrendered a shootout goal the entire season. Meriläinen went back to Finland in the 2022–23 season and was incredible, putting up a .918 SV% in 42 games. Why does all of this matter? Mostly because it shows a pattern of a player who consistently succeeds at every level he plays at. The step up in quality of hockey from the OHL to Liiga is staggering, and Meriläinen did it as a 21-year-old.

Now, what makes Meriläinen so successful at these levels is his technical ability in the crease. When watching Meriläinen, it becomes abundantly clear that he tries not to overcomplicate his game. He’ll minimize his movements with small, purposeful shuffles in order not to be caught moving when a shot is taken. He uses his frame to his advantage and plays at the top of his crease when he can. Another part of his game that shines is his lateral movement in the butterfly; it has so much purpose and never looks rushed, while still being quick. Finally, his hands are typical for Finnish goaltenders; for decades, there has been an emphasis on ensuring control of the puck with their gloves. This article from ESPN goes deeper into why Finns are more well known for having “good hands.”

Finally, he is doing this as a 23-year-old. There are currently five goalies who are 23 and under playing in the NHL right now. Two are considered elite-level prospects: Yaroslav Askarov (San Jose) and Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild), who are finding their footing as backups. Carl Lindbom in Vegas is playing due to the injury issues that Vegas is having, and Sergei Murashov in Pittsburgh is also considered a top-tier prospect. Meriläinen has never been considered a top-10 goalie prospect, or even a top-20 in past years, yet he earned the backup role based on the play that kept Ottawa afloat last season. For him to be one of a handful of goalies playing at this age is extremely impressive.

What is Meriläinen’s ceiling? At this rate, the sky is the limit for him and what he can accomplish. Ullmark and Meriläinen have been able to right the ship since their struggles at the start of the season with both goalies putting up steady stats. As we mentioned in a piece about the Scandinavian tandem at the beginning of the season, the two have the potential to replicate the success and mentorship Ullmark had with Jeremy Swayman. On potential alone, Meriläinen has the makings of being a starter in the NHL, and a damn good one at that.