Saarelainen has taken a real step this season. After attending Tampa Bay’s development camp in late June 2025, he returned to KalPa and stayed in the men’s picture, with KalPa listing him on its 2025-26 roster and under contract through 2026. The most convincing part of the update is that this was not just survival hockey. He was still impacting games late in the year, including a power play goal against HIFK on March 10, and the offensive confidence carried into the biggest international stage available to him. At the 2026 World Juniors, Saarelainen produced six points in seven games for Finland, and coach Lauri Mikkola said after the Jan. 2 win over the United States that he had played well through the whole tournament and got rewarded for it. He still wins more with pace, pressure, and detail than with pure skill, but he looks more comfortable getting inside against men now, turning second-effort touches into actual possession and offense. The NHL path still looks like an energy forward, likely in a bottom-six role, but this season made that projection more believable and gave him a better secondary-offense argument than he had a year ago.

Saarelainen was selected 149th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

DRAFTPRO – 2024 7-ROUND CONTRIBUTOR MOCK DRAFT

172. Buffalo Sabres – Joona Saarelainen C KalPa U20 (U20 SM-sarja)

SUMMARY: The Sabres look to Europe with this selection of the two-way skilled playmaking center that has some time before he is expected to be ready to make the jump to the NHL level. – Dan Stewart

DRAFTPRO – 2024 IIHF U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW – FINLAND

#24 Joona Saarelainen, F, Finland U18, L, 5’9”, 176, DOB 5.5.2006

Saarelainen is a very strong skater who can effectively drive the puck through the neutral zone. He is a player who can dictate the pace of the game and change it mid shift. He is a game breaker who can change the dynamics of the game when he steps on the ice. The puck finds Saarelainen on the ice and sticks to him, particularly in the offensive zone. He has an excellent shot with a very deceptive release that is hard to read. He found the back of the net three times and was just under a point a game. He is a very good passer and can find the lanes and pass quickly or delay to open it up. More consistency would help elevate his selection status. He could become a second line player with a few years of development and be a third round option at the draft. His play at the tournament was good but he didn’t consistently stand out which matches what has been seen up until now, inconsistent play.

DRAFTPRO – 2023 FALL INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT REVIEW

#24 C Joona Saarelainen, Finland (U18 Five Nations), 5’9”, 176, L, DOB 04.04.2006

Joona plays a relatively safe and productive game as a 200-foot centerman. He takes pride in being a reliable and defensively minded player who doesn’t take many risks with and without the puck. Joona’s hockey sense is on full display in his quick decision making and in-game reads in his own end. Picks his spot when to jump into the rush or when to stay back based on the number of players pursuing the play and stamina left in his shift. Saarelainen has a good habit of not over skating and gliding out of position to get to pucks and puck battles. His stops and starts is what stands out in his skating ability along with his above average footstep and edgework when turning suddenly. Glides extremely deep in his defensive end when his team is breaking out, always supporting the puck carrier in all three zones. This constantly makes him an available passing option up the middle of the ice. His active stick is phenomenal in his end, constantly swiping at the opposition’s stick causing turnovers. His competitive spirit allows him to continue to be ferocious on the puck even when his gas tank is near empty. His positional game is excellent, eliminates tons of plays from occurring through the middle of the ice and forces the puck to the outside. Getting to loose pucks is a strength of his as his small stature gives him additional agility other players lack. Fantastic at the faceoff circle, he tends to get really low to the ice giving him great leverage when the puck hits the ice. Joona moves the puck through the neutral zone with speed. His fast hands and stick handling allow him to quickly change his puck protection stance moving forward. Skates into open ice but lacks that on-ice vision through traffic. Has a hard time reading the play occasionally as he can’t see over or through the opposition. His shot and scoring instincts are not fully developed, he tends to have a pass first mentality even in danger areas. Other Weaknesses of Saarelainen’s game are on the physical side of the game. He gets outmuscled on the puck but has decent lower body strength to keep his balance. Surprisingly, Joona does throw his body around once a while and isn’t afraid to engage physicality along the boards or even open ice. Overall, he has great attributes a two-way centerman should have but is missing that offensive spark. – Steven Pratas

June 2024 An undersized center with an unrelenting motor, a tendency to play his best hockey when it matters most, and an ability to elevate his linemates all the while facilitating their games, there’s a lot to like in Saarelainen’s game. His projection is a bit murkier than his on-ice value was this season, however. At 5-9 and lacking stand-out elite skill(s), the Finnish pivot will need to work about twice as hard to make the NHL than most of his peers, but if he does beat the odds, a team could have landed a fan-favourite bottom-six facilitator who brings exactly the same energy every single night: everything he has. (Final Ranking: 90) Sebastian High