The Senators have added one Black Ace to their roster for the time being. The team announced that they’ve recalled Leevi Merilainen from AHL Belleville. He’ll likely serve as Ottawa’s third-string goaltender for the playoffs.
The 22-year-old certainly impressed in his limited NHL action this season. When Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg were both injured, Merilainen briefly took over as Ottawa’s starter. Instead of merely holding his own while waiting for Ullmark to come back, Merilainen put up a stellar 1.99 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage in a dozen appearances with Ottawa. Instead of the team faltering during that stretch, he picked up eight wins, which played a crucial role in their making the playoffs this season.
Merilainen spent the rest of the year in the minors with Belleville. While his numbers weren’t quite as strong there, they were still above average as he posted a 2.36 GAA and a .913 SV% in 35 outings with them. A restricted free agent this summer, he could be in line for a full-time spot with Ottawa next season as Ullmark’s backup with Forsberg slated to reach unrestricted free agency in July.
Belleville’s season will come to an end Saturday night after it was eliminated from playoff contention Friday night. Accordingly, Ottawa should be bringing up a much bigger group of players as soon as Sunday.
