SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers signed forward Samu Salminen to a two-year, entry-level contract, General Manager Bill Zito announced, adding a 23-year-old Finnish center who helped lead the University of Denver to a national championship in 2025-26.
“Samu is a reliable playmaking forward who played a significant role on Denver’s national championship team,” Zito said. “We are looking forward to his growth within our organization as he begins his professional career.”
Salminen, a native of Helsinki, Finland, posted career-high numbers in his final college season, recording 11 goals and 29 points (11-18-29) in 43 games while serving as an alternate captain for the Pioneers. He also led Denver with 376 faceoff wins, a 54% success rate that underscores his value as a two-way center.
Over four NCAA seasons split between the University of Connecticut (2022-23 to 2023-24) and Denver (2024-25 to 2025-26), the 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward accumulated 91 points (37-54-91) across 149 total games. Before coming to North America, Salminen logged 94 points (36-58-94) in 85 games for Jokerit’s U20 team in Finland, serving as team captain in 2021-22.
Salminen also has international experience, captaining Finland at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship, where he led the tournament with seven goals and totaled nine points (7-2-9) in seven games. He was originally selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third round, 68th overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft before his rights were acquired by Florida.
Salminen is expected to compete for a roster spot when the Panthers open the 2026-27 season. Single-game tickets for that campaign are on sale now at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.