Saarelainen was selected 149th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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
| Season | Type | League | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | SHG | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Regular | U16 Mestis | Jukurit U16 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 2 | ||||
| 2020-21 | Regular | U16 SM-sarja | Jukurit U16 | 29 | 26 | 17 | 43 | 16 | ||||
| 2021-22 | Regular | U18 SM-sarja | Jukurit U18 | 26 | 19 | 13 | 32 | 8 | ||||
| 2021-22 | Regular | U16 SM-sarja | Jukurit U16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 64 | ||||
| 2021-22 | Regular | U20 SM-sarja | Jukurit U20 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2022-23 | Regular | U20 SM-sarja | Jukurit U20 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -2 | 4 | |||
| 2022-23 | Regular | Hlinka Gretzky Cup | Finland U18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 2022-23 | Regular | WHC-17 | Finland U17 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| 2022-23 | Regular | U18 SM-sarja | Jukurit U18 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||||
| 2022-23 | Regular | U20 SM-sarja | KalPa U20 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 5 | -9 | 2 | |||
| 2022-23 | Regular | U18 SM-sarja | KalPa U18 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | ||||
| 2022-23 | Playoffs | U20 SM-sarja | KalPa U20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 2023-24 | Regular | Liiga | KalPa | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023-24 | Regular | Hlinka Gretzky Cup | Finland U18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||||
| 2023-24 | Regular | U20 SM-sarja | KalPa U20 | 41 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 11 | 20 | |||
| 2023-24 | Regular | U18 SM-sarja | KalPa U18 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2023-24 | Regular | Spengler Cup | KalPa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023-24 | Regular | WJC-18 | Finland U18 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |||
| 2023-24 | Playoffs | U20 SM-sarja | KalPa U20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023-24 | Playoffs | U18 SM-sarja | KalPa U18 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 2 | ||||
| 2023-24 | Playoffs | Mestis | IPK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024-25 | Regular | Liiga | KalPa | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 2024-25 | Regular | U20 SM-sarja | KalPa U20 | 15 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2024-25 | Regular | WJC-20 | Finland U20 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 2024-25 | Regular | Mestis | Hokki | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7 | 2 | |||
| 2024-25 | Playoffs | Liiga | KalPa | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 2024-25 | Playoffs | U20 SM-sarja | KalPa U20 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | |||
| 2025-26 | Regular | Liiga | KalPa | 51 | 8 | 16 | 24 | -1 | 12 | |||
| 2025-26 | Regular | Champions HL | KalPa | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||
| 2025-26 | Playoffs | Liiga | KalPa | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 4 |

































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