Juuse Saros
Juuse Saros, nicknamed "Juice", is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League. Saros was selected by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL entry draft.
Growing up in Finland, Saros played his entire youth career and first three professional seasons with his hometown club, HPK of the Liiga. After the conclusion of the 2014–15 season, Saros joined the Nashville Predators organization in North America and was immediately assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Saros found early success with the Admirals and was added to the AHL All-Rookie Team and the AHL All-Star Game. Upon joining the Predators full time in 2018, he became the Predators' new full-time starter following an injury to Pekka Rinne. He finished his rookie season with a 17–10–2 record, a 2.62 goals against average, and a.915 save percentage.
Internationally, Saros has represented Finland at both the junior and senior levels at various tournaments. He has won a silver medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, a bronze medal at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships, and a gold medal at the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. During the 2013 tournament, Saros was named the tournament's Best Goaltender and was later recognized locally as Hämeenlinna's Male Athlete of the Year. At the senior level, Saros has won two silver medals at the 2014 and 2016 IIHF World Championships.Personal life
Saros was born on 19 April 1995, in Forssa, Finland, to parents Pekka and Leila. His parents both come from athletic backgrounds as his father is a basketball official while his mother swam collegiately in the United States. He grew up with his older brother Eemeli and the two often played hockey together, with Saros being the goaltender. In 2021, Saros became engaged to his longtime girlfriend Minna Varis. They were married in July 2023.
Saros is a well-known dog lover, with his own dogs appearing on his goalie masks and tattoos. He has raised and donated thousands of dollars to pet related charities. He also serves as the ambassador of the Preds Pet Club, a regular meeting of Predators fans and their pets at Nashville-area parks.Playing career
Finland
While Saros was born in Forssa, he played his entire youth career and first three professional seasons with his hometown club HPK of the Liiga. He started playing ice hockey at the age of nine and originally participated in the role of a defenceman before switching to goaltending at the age of 13. As a teenager, Saros was also enrolled at Hämeenlinna Lyceum High School, a specialized sports high school in Hämeenlinna. The school enabled him to take morning courses, allowed for extended absences due to hockey, and helped him to graduate in three years. During his 2011–12 season with the HPK Jr. team in the U18 SM-sarja, Saros maintained a 2.53 goals against average and.910 save percentage through 31 games. He then represented Team Finland for the first time on the international level at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships as a backup goaltender for Joonas Korpisalo. In August, he represented Team Finland at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament where he helped them win a silver medal.
Saros returned to the HPK Jr. team for the 2012–13 season, which was one of his best in the league. He maintained a 1.86 GAA and.933 SV over 37 games and was named to the Jr. A SM-Liiga All-Star Team at the end of the season. As a result, he was named the best player in the league and awarded the Jorma Valtonen Award as the league's top goaltender. In April, Saros was again selected to represent Team Finland at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he outperformed nearly every goaltender at the tournament. He finished second among goaltenders with a 1.86 GAA and.946 save percentage to lead Finland to a bronze medal. As a result, Saros was named the tournament's Best Goaltender and recognized locally as Hämeenlinna's Male Athlete of the Year. Due to his performance at both the local and national level, Saros was considered the best European goaltender available at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. However, his short stature resulted in numerous teams passing on him. Saros later recalled one team requested he get an x-ray scan of his bones to see if he would grow beyond his 5'11 stature. Saros was eventually drafted in the fourth round, 99th overall, by the Nashville Predators but was expected to return to the HPK for the 2013–14 season.
Following the NHL draft, Saros joined the HPK for his first professional season in the Liiga. As a rookie, he maintained a 1.76 GAA and.923 SV through 44 games to be named the league's Rookie of the Year. He also participated in the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for Team Finland, where he helped lead them to their third World Juniors gold medal. During the tournament, Saros led all goaltenders with a 1.57 GAA and was voted to the tournament all-star team. After the season concluded, Saros was named to his first senior level tournament with Team Finland although he never played in the 2014 IIHF World Championship. In June 2014, Saros began his mandatory military service in Finland but was temporarily allowed to compete in USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp.
Saros returned to the HPK for his second professional season but struggled early on to return to his rookie form. Through five games in September, Saros maintained a.896 SV which improved to a.929 SV through seven games in October. He finished the 2014–15 season with a.929 SV, 2.14 GAA, and six shutouts through 47 games. He was also drafted by the Dinamo Minsk in the 2015 Kontinental Hockey League Draft.North American career
2015–2016
Upon concluding the 2014–15 season in Finland, Saros signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators to begin his professional career in North America. After attending the Predators training camp, Saros was assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, to begin the 2015–16 season. Saros recorded an impressive 8–2–0 record, a 2.40 goals-against average, a.919 save percentage through 10 games with the Admirals. As a result of his play and various injuries to the lineup, Saros was recalled to the NHL level on 28 November 2015. He subsequently made his NHL debut that night and stopped 20 shots in a 4–1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Upon returning to the AHL, Saros continued his winning streak and recorded an eight-game win streak from 5 November to 5 December. Saros picked up another five game winning streak in late February and early March while also leading all rookies with a 2.34 goals-against average. He finished his rookie season compiling a 29–10–0 record while also making over 1,000 saves in 40 games. As a result of his impressive rookie season, Saros was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team and won a silver medal with Team Finland in the 2016 IIHF World Championship.2016–2017
Following his impressive rookie season, Saros participated in the Predators prospect tournament and training camp before being reassigned to the AHL for the 2016–17 season. In his first three games with the Admirals, Saros posted a 3–0–0 record with a.964 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average. He earned his first emergency callup of the season on 22 October and made his NHL season debut the following night. Saros made 34 saves in his first NHL win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on 23 October 2016. Immediately following the game, Saros was one of three players reassigned to the AHL. His next recall would come weeks later on 8 November. At the time of the recall, he had earned three more wins and one loss while posting a 1.99 goals-against average and.929 save percentage. Saros was returned to the AHL on 16 November but was recalled again on 24 November. Despite his numerous recalls in November, Saros earned the AHL's CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month award for going 5-0-0 with a 1.37 goals-against average and.955 save percentage during the month. He eventually earned his first career NHL shutout in his seventh NHL game on 30 December 2016 by making 25 saves against the St. Louis Blues. Despite only playing in 13 games for the Admirals, Saros was named to the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic on 5 January. While remaining at the NHL level through January, Saros recorded a career-high 35 saves on the way to his fourth victory of the season in a 2–1 win over the Boston Bruins. Throughout his eight starts of the season, Saros recorded a.950 save percentage by allowing only 12 goals on 242 shots. After playing in two more games for the Predators, Saros was assigned to the AHL on 4 February. He was recalled again later in the month and played two more games before rejoining the Admirals on 12 February. Saros later tied his career high 35 saves, including 19 in the first period alone, to lift the Predators to a 4–3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on 19 February. By the end of February, Saros sported a 7–5–3 record and his 2.21 goals against average eighth among NHL goalies. Throughout the month of March, Saros improved his record to 9–8–3 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a.924 save percentage. As the Predators clinched a spot in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, Saros finished the regular season with a 10–8–3 record, a 2.35 goals-against average, and.923 save percentage in 21 games. He served as backup to Pekka Rinne throughout the Predators playoff berth and did not play a minute until the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. Saros made his NHL postseason debut during Game 2 after Rinne was pulled after allowing four goals on 25 shots. Saros made two saves in his debut as the Predators fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1. He played his second postseason game in Game 5 of the Finals after Rinne let in three goals on nine shots in the first period.2017–2018
Leading up to the 2017–18 season, Saros was listed as a Rookie To Watch by NHL.com. He was expected to continue serving as backup for Rinne and play around 25–30 games. Saros started in net three times in October but all ended with poor results. He earned his first win of the season on 4 November against the Los Angeles Kings but was reassigned to the Admirals on 16 November. Saros appeared in two games for Milwaukee during the reassignment, losing both games, before he rejoined the Predators on 20 November. He made one more start in November, with the Predators losing in overtime, before rejoining the Admirals. Saros appeared in two more games for the Admirals before rejoining the Predators on 3 December. Upon returning to the lineup, Saros recorded a career-best 43 saves in a 5–2 win over the Dallas Stars on 5 December. After another assignment to the Admirals, Saros beat his career-high by setting a franchise record for the most saves in a shutout on 14 December 2017. During the 4–0 win over the Edmonton Oilers, Saros recorded 46 saves to clinch the franchise record and lead the Predators to their 15th win in 19 games. By the end of the month, Saros had a record of 3–0–1 by allowing only five goals and stopping 169 of 174 shots against in five appearances. He also maintained a 1.54 goals-against average and a.956 save percentage over seven games. Saros ended 2017 with a shutout to help the Predators end their three-game losing streak and move into first place in the Central Division. During the Predators five-day bye week, Saros was assigned to the Admirals. He went 2–1–0 in a three-game stint with Milwaukee, stopping 94 of 97 shots against, before returning to the NHL. By mid-February, Saros had a 6–5–5 record, a.926 save percentage, and a 2.39 goals-against average. He earned praise from Predators' coach Peter Laviolette who stated that the team had confidence in him. By mid-March, Saros helped the Predators match their franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least a point and clinch a playoff spot in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. On 29 March, Saros made 39 saves to help the Predators set a new franchise point record with 111 points. Saors subsequently concluded the 2017–18 regular season with an 11–5–7 record, a 2.44 goals-against average, and.925 save percentage. He also finished the season ranked ninth among all NHL goaltenders in save percentage. Saros became the second Predators player to be named to the All-Rookie Team since Filip Forsberg in 2014–15. During the playoffs, Saros did not allow a goal in 65:11 before replacing Rinne in Game 7 of their Western Conference Second Round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. After Rinne let in two goals, Saros allowed one goal in the second period and one in the third, making 14 saves in the 5–1.