Arttu Ruotsalainen

Arttu Ruotsalainen (born 29 October 1997) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for HC Lugano. He most recently played for EHC Kloten of the National League (NL).

Arttu Ruotsalainen
Born (1997-10-29) 29 October 1997
Oulu, Finland
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
team
Former teams		 HC Lugano
Ässät
Ilves
Buffalo Sabres
EHC Kloten
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2015–present

Playing career

Ruotsalainen first played as a youth within hometown club, Oulun Kärpät. As a 14-year old he played at the Under 16 level in 2011–12, edging out team-mate and future NHL'er Sebastian Aho, to lead the team in scoring with 24 goals and 59 points. He shared fourth place in the C Junior Championship with Alex Olkinuora of Tappara.[1]

In the following 2012–13 season, Ruotsalainen played the majority of the year at the Under 18 level, returning to strengthen the under 16 team for the post-season where he won the C Youth Championship series in the spring of 2013 with 27 points in just 11 games.[2] Ruotsalainen continued his ascension up the junior levels playing the majority of the 2013–14 season at the under 20, Junior A Championship.

Showing early offensive potential, Ruotsalainen was selected 47th overall at the 2014 KHL Entry Draft by Metallurg Novokuznetsk. He continued to play at the Junior A level in the 2014–15 season. At the conclusion of the year, he secured his first professional Liiga contract, agreeing to an optional three-year contract with Ässät on 17 June 2015.[3]

In the 2015–16 season, Ruotsalainen made his Liiga debut in the opening round on 11 September 2015, against rival club Lukko. He went scoreless in 9 minutes of ice time.[4] He later registered his first professional goal in a 3-1 defeat to the Espoo Blues on 24 November 2015.[5] By seasons' end, he totalled 5 goals and 10 points in 51 regular season games. He split the year continuing to play at the under 20 level, registering 32 points in just 18 games, to lead the league in points-per-game with 1.78.

In the 2016–17 season, Ruotsalainen played in a reduced role with Ässät, he posted just 1 goal in 34 games, with a solitary appearance in the post-season.

In order to continue his development, Ruotsalainen left Ässät to sign a one-year contract with fellow Liiga club, Ilves Tampere on 7 April 2017.[6] In the 2017–18 season, he blossomed by his change of scenery producing 9 goals and 20 points in 60 Liiga games. During the campaign he was signed to an improved two-year deal before again extending his tenure with Ilves on another two-year contract in the early stages of the 2018–19 season to remain contracted through 2022.[7]

In his second season with Ilves, Ruotsalainen accelerated his development in the Liiga, leading the club in scoring with 21 goals and 42 points at the center position, finishing 9th in League scoring. During the season he scored his first career hat-trick, notching the feat in a 6-5 victory over HIFK on 23 January 2019.[8] In the playoffs, Ruotsalainen continued to lead Ilves with 7 points in as many games.

Undrafted, Ruotsalainen gained the interest of the NHL, using an out-clause in his contract with Ilves to sign a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres on 8 March 2019.[9] He made his NHL debut with the team on 9 April, in a game against the Washington Capitals.[10] Ruotsalainen scored his first career NHL goal on 11 April in a 5–3 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.[11]

As a restricted free agent from the Sabres following the 2021–22 season, Ruotsalainen opted to return to Europe by agreeing to a one-year contract with Swiss champions, EHC Kloten of the NL, on 22 July 2022. On 6 April 2023, HC Lugano communicates an agreement with the player for a two-years contract. [12]

International play
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Finland
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2021 Latvia
IIHF World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place2015 Switzerland

Ruotsalainen played at the junior level for Finland at the 2017 World Junior Championships and the 2015 U18 World Championships, where he won silver in Switzerland. He also featured at the under 18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2014, where he was the captain of Finland.

Ruotsalainen was called into the Finnish national team, added to the roster in the Karjala Tournament on 8 November 2018 at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki against Russia. While he did not end up with ice time, he made his debut in the next game on 10 November 2018 against the Czech Republic. Ruotsalainen was among the last cuts from the national team for the 2019 World Championships.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Ässät Jr. A 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2013–14 Ässät Jr. A 39 13 18 31 16 7 0 1 1 2
2014–15 Ässät Jr. A 46 12 21 33 55 5 2 1 3 0
2015–16 Ässät Jr. A 18 12 20 32 14 3 1 1 2 0
2015–16 Ässät Liiga 51 5 5 10 4 — — — — —
2016–17 Ässät Liiga 34 1 0 1 10 1 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Ässät Jr. A 7 6 3 9 8 6 3 7 10 0
2017–18 Ilves Liiga 60 9 11 20 12 — — — — —
2018–19 Ilves Liiga 59 21 21 42 14 7 2 5 7 6
2019–20 Ilves Liiga 44 15 28 43 14 — — — — —
2020–21 Ilves Liiga 19 16 11 27 8 — — — — —
2020–21 Rochester Americans AHL 13 5 8 13 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Buffalo Sabres NHL 17 5 1 6 8 — — — — —
2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 18 2 2 4 6 — — — — —
2021–22 Rochester Americans AHL 57 18 33 51 26 10 8 4 12 4
2022–23 EHC Kloten NL 52 18 24 42 36 3 1 0 1 6
Liiga totals 267 67 76 143 62 8 2 5 7 6
NHL totals 35 7 3 10 14 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Finland IH18 5th 4 1 1 2 18
2015 Finland U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 0 2 2 0
2017 Finland WJC 9th 6 0 0 0 0
2021 Finland WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 4 1 5 2
Junior totals 17 1 3 4 18
Senior totals 10 4 1 5 2

References
  1. "Jr C SM Series stats 2011-12". eliteprospects.com. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  2. "Jr C SM Series stats 2012-13". eliteprospects.com. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  3. "Assat announce new roster acquisitions" (in Finnish). Ässät. 17 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  4. "Game Summary Lukko 1 Assat 0" (in Finnish). Liiga. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  5. "Game Summary: Blues 3, Assat 1" (in Finnish). Liiga. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  6. "Ilves sign prospect Ruotsalainen" (in Finnish). Ilves. 7 April 2017. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  7. "Extension agreements reached with two" (in Finnish). Ilves. 30 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  8. "Game Summary: Ilves 6, HIFK 5" (in Finnish). Liiga. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  9. "Sabres sign Finnish forward Arttu Ruotsalainen". The Buffalo News. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  10. Vogl, John (9 April 2021). "Sabres' future begins to arrive as Arttu Ruotsalainen makes NHL debut". The Athletic. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  11. "Ruotsalainen scores first NHL goal, Sabres rally to 5-3 win". News 4 Buffalo. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  12. "Arttu Ruotsalainen" (in German). EHC Kloten. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  13. "Final cuts made to Finnish World Cup team" (in Finnish). is.fi. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
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