Antti Saarela (born June 27, 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger playing with Lukko in the Liiga. He was drafted 123rd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL entry draft.
Playing career Saarela made his Liiga debut for Lukko, playing one game during the 2017–18 Liiga season. He followed up by playing in twenty-four regular season games for Lukko during the 2018–19 Liiga season, scoring two goals and eight assists for ten points.Antti Saarela profile - eurohockey.com On April 3, 2019, Saarela signed an optional three-year contract for fellow Liiga club, Ilves.
After his contract with Ilves, Saarela returned to his original club, Lukko, agreeing to a one-year contract on 30 April 2022.
Following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season with Lukko, Saarela was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks to a two-year, entry-level contract on 28 March 2023.
In the 2023–24 season, Saarela moved to North America and played exclusively with the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. With the campaign blighted by injury, he posted 5 goals and 6 points through just 27 appearances.
On 18 July 2024, Saarela was loaned by the Blackhawks to return to former club Lukko of the Liiga to continue his development for the 2024–25 season. After the season, Saarela was not tendered a qualifying offer to remain within the Blackhawks organization, continuing his tenure permanently with Lukko in the Liiga.
Personal His father, Pasi Saarela, was a professional hockey player who enjoyed a lengthy career in the SM-liiga, most notably as a star player for local club, Lukko. Antti was also coached through his junior career by Pasi at Lukko. His older brother Aleksi is also a professional hockey player playing with the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League.
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2017–18 Lukko Jr. A 25 6 9 15 6 — — — — — 2017–18 Lukko Liiga 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2018–19 Lukko Jr. A 21 7 8 15 32 — — — — — 2018–19 Lukko Liiga 24 2 8 10 20 4 0 0 0 0 2019–20 Ilves Liiga 40 4 8 12 12 — — — — — 2020–21 Ilves Liiga 47 7 7 14 51 5 0 3 3 42021–22 Ilves Liiga 37 12 7 19 24 — — — — — 2022–23 Lukko Liiga 41 7 11 18 10 6 2 0 2 22023–24Rockford IceHogsAHL 27 5 1 6 11 — — — — — 2024–25 Lukko Liiga 59 12 19 31 39 8 2 2 4 4 Liiga totals 249 44 60 104 156 23 4 5 9 10
International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2017 Finland U17 6th 5 2 2 4 4 2018 Finland HG18 7th 3 0 0 0 2 2019 Finland U18 7th 5 1 2 3 6 2020 Finland WJC 4th 7 0 0 0 6 Junior totals 20 3 4 7 18
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