Juuse Saros

Juuse Saros (born 19 April 1995), nicknamed "Juice", is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).

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.

In 2021, Saros became engaged to his longtime girlfriend Minna Varis.

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 (GAA) and .910 save percentage (SV) through 31 games.

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.

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.

Saros was selected by the Predators in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Growing up in Finland, Saros played his entire youth career and first three professional seasons with hometown club, HPK of the Liiga.

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.

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.

Upon concluding 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 Admiral and was added to the AHL All-Rookie Team and the AHL All-Star Game.

At the senior level, Saros has won two silver medals at the 2014 and 2016 IIHF World Championships.

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.

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, a .915 save percentage.

Internationally, Saros has represented Finland at both the junior and senior levels at various tournaments.