Eetu Mäkiniemi (born 19 April 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League (AHL), while under contract to the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 104th overall by the Hurricanes in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
| Eetu Mäkiniemi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
(1999-04-19) 19 April 1999 (age 23) Vantaa, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
San Jose Sharks San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Ilves | ||
| NHL Draft |
104th overall, 2017 Carolina Hurricanes | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
As a youth, Mäkiniemi played minor hockey for Kiekko-Vantaa before playing junior hockey for Jokerit. He represented Jokerit U20 in 2016–17 and 2017–18 for the Junior Club World Cup (JCWC).[1]
Mäkiniemi was transferred to Kiekko-Vantaa for the 2018–19 Mestis season, however, he was out for part of the season with a hip injury.[2]
In April 2019, Ilves signed Mäkiniemi to a two-year contract with a one-year extension option.[3] On 28 December 2019, he made his Liiga debut in a 2–1 win against KooKoo.[4] On 28 November 2020, he recorded his first Liiga shutout against KalPa with 24 shots saved.[5]
On 1 May 2021, the Carolina Hurricanes signed Mäkiniemi to a two-year entry-level contract.[6] Mäkiniemi in his first 14 appearances for the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate in Chicago posted a sparking 11–2–1 mark with a .922 save percentage and two shutouts, and he yielded two goals or less nine times, including a 41-save performance at Milwaukee on 22 Oct to earn a 3–2 win in his AHL debut.
On 13 July 2022, Mäkiniemi, Steven Lorentz and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft were traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Brent Burns and Lane Pederson.[7]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2016–17 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2.68 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.03 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9.00 | .735 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Kiekko-Vantaa | Mestis | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 773 | 38 | 1 | 2.92 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | KOOVEE | Mestis | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 1592 | 80 | 1 | 3.01 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Ilves | Liiga | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 352 | 9 | 0 | 1.53 | .936 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ilves | Liiga | 34 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 2039 | 88 | 2 | 2.59 | .907 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 298 | 15 | 0 | 3.02 | .915 | ||
| 2021–22 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 843 | 29 | 2 | 2.06 | .922 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Liiga totals | 41 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 2391 | 97 | 2 | 2.43 | .911 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 298 | 15 | 0 | 3.02 | .915 | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Mestis | ||
| Best Goaltender | 2019–20 | |
| Second All-Star Team | 2019–20 | |