The Winnipeg Jets seem to have an endless supply of good young players coming through the system, and today have recalled another potential NHL talent. Sami Niku, the reigning AHL Defenseman of the Year, is on his way up from the minor leagues. This comes on the heels of an injury to Dmitri Kulikov that will keep him out of the lineup for at least a month.
Niku, 22, is one of the more impressive stories of any prospect in the minor leagues. Selected in the seventh round, 198th overall, in the 2015 draft, the undersized defenseman quickly broke out after making the jump to the highest level of play in Finland. He was a part of the dominant 2016 World Junior squad that won gold, and then ended up scoring 26 points in 59 games as a teenager for his club team. That success continued after making the jump to North America last season, as Niku produced immediate and outstanding results in the AHL by scoring 54 points in 76 games as a rookie and taking home the Eddie Shore award as the best defenseman in the league. He was also part of the All-Rookie team, and named a First Team All-Star.
All that, plus a goal in his NHL debut, came during an outstanding 2017-18 campaign that has catapulted him to the top of the Jets’ prospect system. With five points already in his first 12 games for the Manitoba Moose this season, he’ll now be given the opportunity to show that he’s ready for the next step. That kind of trajectory is uncommon even from high picks, and certainly unlikely from those chosen just a few picks from the end of the draft. Niku is a testament to the Winnipeg scouting and development system, and could pay off as soon as tonight if the team decides to insert him into the lineup against the New Jersey Devils.