Confirmed with Link: Leevi Merilainen (G) signed to a three-year, entry-level contract

[Emerica]

Interesting. Was he drafted pretty early on? Maybe someone who is more familiar with the import draft can correct me but I think teams mostly draft guys early if they think the player has a pretty good chance of coming over or if they have unofficial agreements in place for them to come over if picked by said team.

Wouldn't mind seeing him in the CHL over a Jr league in Finland. What are his chances of playing in Liiga this upcoming season if he stays in Finland?

 

[Korpse]

Interesting. Was he drafted pretty early on? Maybe someone who is more familiar with the import draft can correct me but I think teams mostly draft guys early if they think the player has a pretty good chance of coming over or if they have unofficial agreements in place for them to come over if picked by said team.

Wouldn't mind seeing him in the CHL over a Jr league in Finland. What are his chances of playing in Liiga this upcoming season if he stays in Finland?

Liiga seems pretty unlikely for him at this point. As long as he is with Karpat, he will likely be behind fellow 2020 draftee Joel Blomqvist. Best case for Merilanien in Finland next season is that he gets loaned to a Mestis team and gets a game or two in Liiga like Blomqvist did last season.

 

[cudi]

 

[mianjo]

1

48

Kingston

Merilainen, Leevi

6.02

170

2002-08-13

G

Karpat Oulu U20

Finnish

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Ottawa becoming a goalie factory. So many potential high quality goalies being developed.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Picked up by Kingston in the CHL import draft, could play behind a strong team lead by Shane Wright.

If he doesn't get a big role in Liiga he should come over imo

 

[aragorn]

I hope he comes over & gets to play on a good team in Kingston, they took him 48th OA in the import draft & passed on their next selection.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

If he doesn't get a big role in Liiga he should come over imo

I think he should come over, he’d be close to Ottawa, and Kingston really needs a goalie. He’d play a ton of minutes on one of the projected best teams in the CHL.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

If he doesn't get a big role in Liiga he should come over imo

I'm not sure but i have a strong feel of that
Meriläinen's next season team is strongly depend on that what Pekka Rinne will do.

Only goalies what Kärpät has signed are Blomqvist and Meriläinen.
So basically Meriläinen is right now 2nd goalie in Kärpät which means that
he'll get some games in SM Liiga but how much.

Rinne has said only team where he wants retire is Nashville.
So if Rinne signs with predators later this summer then Meriläinen is not coming to OHL.

But if Rinne retires in NHL and he returns to Kärpät
( there has been some fantasy speculations on that )
then it is possible Meriläinen plays in OHL next season.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I'm not sure but i have a strong feel of that
Meriläinen's next season team is strongly depend on that what Pekka Rinne will do.

Only goalies what Kärpät has signed are Blomqvist and Meriläinen.
So basically Meriläinen is right now 2nd goalie in Kärpät which means that
he'll get some games in SM Liiga but how much.

Rinne has said only team where he wants retire is Nashville.
So if Rinne signs with predators later this summer then Meriläinen is not coming to OHL.

But if Rinne retires in NHL and he returns to Kärpät
( there has been some fantasy speculations on that )
then it is possible Meriläinen plays in OHL next season.

Playing in Kigston is better than playing 2nd fiddle to Blomqvist imo. To me its all about playing time not .. Hey I backed up this team to a championship

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Playing in Kigston is better than playing 2nd fiddle to Blomqvist imo. To me its all about playing time not .. Hey I backed up this team to a championship

I get your point but for now Meriläinen is 2nd goalie in Kärpät
at least so long when there really is updates of Pekka Rinne's situation ( will he retire his whole career or is he coming back to Oulu ). Or official announcement of that Kärpät has signed veteran goalie in free agent market.

I know it's risky to play whole SM liiga season
with two young rookie goalies ( Blomqvist and Meriläinen )
which are both inexperienced in men's SM liiga and likely U20 WJC goalies for team Finland.

If i should guess when there is some information of Meriläinen's reporting to OHL
i would say early August when pre-season starts in Finland.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

And we've got confirmation.

 

[Sweatred]

And we've got confirmation.

Great news …

 

[EXTRAS]

Would prefer he stays in Finland. Could even get a chance in liiga.

 

[BondraTime]

Would prefer he stays in Finland. Could even get a chance in liiga.

Blomqvist and Rinne are going to be in Karpat

 

[Burrowsaurus]

When he’s ready we will trade big for a finished goalie. So he can earn his spot

 

[EXTRAS]

Blomqvist and Rinne are going to be in Karpat

Then I'd rather him AHL than junior. Not a fan of CHL for goalie development.