Well, it happened.
Otto Salin wrapped up his season in Finland and signed an NHL entry level contract last week. Originally selected by Los Angeles at the 2022 Draft, he marks the fourth guy from that seven-player class to have already earned an ELC — joining Angus Booth, Kenny Connors, and Kaleb Lawrence. The Kings could potentially even add a fifth player to the group, forward Jared Wright, who is set to compete in the NCAA Frozen Four on Thursday. That’s a different story for a different day, though.
Salin is revved up and ready to go. He’s been to SoCal before, having participated in Development Camp each of the past two summers. The 21-year-old native has been playing plenty of hockey over that time period, as well. In addition to his regular responsibilities in Liiga (aka the Finnish pro league), he’s also logged heavy minutes for his native country at multiple international tournaments.
To provide just a small taste of how revered he is among his age group back home, Salin captained Finland’s team at the 2023 Five Nations tournament. He also represented his country twice at the World Juniors, leaving in pure heartbreak on both occasions. In 2023, Finland was up 2-1 with less than four minutes to play, where a win would have guaranteed he’d play for a medal. Instead, Sweden tied it and then scored a short-handed goal to steal the 3-2 victory.
One year later, he suffered a similar fate. Finland was leading Czechia with only two minutes remaining in regulation, only to see the bronze medal slip right through their hands.
Let’s bring the story back to a more uplifting tone.
Salin is arriving in town on a bit of a high note, even though his Liiga team was recently eliminated from the playoffs overseas. In their final regular season game, he scored the game winning goal in overtime that sent TPS Turku into the postseason. He then added two more goals in Game 1 of their just completed playoff series.
“It was fun,” he stated, proud of the run he was on just prior to flying over. “When the team needed me to be hot, I was hot. We ended up with a 3-2 loss in that series, though. So, it ended too quick for me. I wasn’t done, though. Now, I’m just trying to keep it up here.”
That opportunity is expected to come soon enough. Technically, his ELC doesn’t kick in until next season. So, Salin signed a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO) with the Reign; this allows him to get into games over the next few weeks — or as long as the Reign keep playing once their playoff run begins.
He has quite the personality too, as evidenced when we asked about him signing his new deal with the Kings.
“When the guys in LA told me that they wanted to sign me, of course I said yes,” he remarked without any hesitation. “This is a better place than Finland. It’s cold and dark [there], and LA is sunny and warm. So, it was an easy choice.”
Sally, as he’s allegedly referred to by teammates, clearly said that rather tongue in cheek.
He was also rather glib when asked why he’s choosing to wear No. 10 for the Reign — “There’s no story, actually. I was out with my friend when I spoke to the equipment manager and we just decided to go with 10, but there’s no reason behind it.”
Fine, but we’re going to need a brief pause for a moment; let’s spend a few minutes on that nickname.
“It’s from my former teams in Finland, all the Canadians and Americans called me Sally or Salin,” he said. “Not because ‘Otto’ is that tough, it’s just easier to call me Sally.”
Um, ok.
There was a Sally in ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ who said — Breaking free from your comfort zone is the first step towards discovering your true potential.
With that in mind, did Christian Ruuttu — a fellow Finn and current Kings scout — offer him any solid advice before signing?
“He just told me that when I get here, the games are tougher,” Salin began. “The guys are bigger and stronger here, and the game is faster. So, I have to work on that to [earn playing time]. Other than that, he believes I’m pretty good right now. I’m just waiting for my first game.”
Salin isn’t expected to wait much longer. From what we’re hearing, the right-shot defender is expected to draw in this weekend for the Reign; perhaps as early as Friday’s contest in San Jose.
He should come in with plenty of confidence too. Salin established new career highs in goals (8) and points (28) back home this season. Scouts we’ve spoken with in recent months have noted his increased willingness to join the rush. They also say his skating is very good and his compete level is top tier. There are no issues there. At 5-foot-11 and 191 lbs., he just needs time to adjust — both on and off the ice.
“The first week was pretty tough because we were traveling all the time,” Salin admitted. “But now that we’re back in LA, I’m getting adjusted pretty well.”
Early indications are, reconnecting with fellow Reign defensemen Angus Booth and Jakub Dvorak has also helped ease with his transition. After all, they become buddies of sorts back at the aforementioned Dev Camps.
There is also another Finnish player in Ontario, one that Salin knows all too well, having played against him for several years in Liiga.
“When we were watching one of the games up in Calgary last week, I was telling one of the guys about Aatu Jamsen,” added Salin. “In Finland, we don’t hit as much as we do here; so, Jamsen was pretty nasty in Finland.”
Perhaps the two Finns can connect on the ice this weekend, with Jamsen showing off some of those eye-popping skills on a play where Salin joins the rush. We’ll assume coach Marco Sturm may even crack a smile as it all unfolded.
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