| Intro | Finnish ice hockey player | ||
| Is |
Athlete Ice hockey player |
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| From | Finland | ||
| Type | Sports | ||
| Gender | male | ||
| Birth | 10 October 1996, Haapavesi, Northern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency, Finland | ||
| Age: | 23 years | ||
| Star sign | Libra | ||
| Stats |
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| Sports Teams |
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Sami Niku (born 10 October 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Niku was selected by the Jets in the 7th round (198th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Niku made his Liiga debut playing with JYP Jyväskylä during the 2014–15 Liiga season.
Following the 2016–17 season with JYP, having played his first full season in the Liiga in posting 27 points in 59 games, Niku agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets on May 15, 2017. He played most of the 2017–18 season with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He was called up by the Jets on April 1, 2018, and scored his first goal in his NHL debut in a Jets’ win over the Montreal Canadiens on April 3. At conclusion of the 2017–18 regular season, Niku was voted as the AHL’s top defenseman, as well as earning AHL First All-Star team and the AHL All-Rookie honours.
International play
Internationally, Niku played in the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships, the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | JYP Jyväskylä | Jr. A | 30 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | JYP Jyväskylä | Jr. A | 20 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 30 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 39 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | JYP Jyväskylä | Liiga | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | JYP Jyväskylä | Liiga | 38 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | JYP-Akatemia | Mestis | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | JYP Jyväskylä | Liiga | 59 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 76 | 16 | 38 | 54 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 20 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 30 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 18 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 17 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | |||||||
| Liiga totals | 109 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 34 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||||
| NHL totals | 48 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Finland | U17 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2013 | Finland | IH18 | 5th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Finland | WJC18 | 6th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Finland | WJC | 7th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WJC | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Junior totals | 27 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 14 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| AHL | ||
| Eddie Shore Award for Top Defensemen | 2018 | |
| First All-Star team | 2018 | |
| All-Rookie Team | 2018 | |