Total Season Stats: 17-11-4; .892 SV% and 3.61 GAA in 33 games played
Age: 24
Drafted: 2017, 2nd round, 23rd pick (54th Overall)
Contract Status: Signed through 2024; $837,500 AAV
This past season was a big one for Finnish goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as he finished with 33 games – the most he has ever played in the NHL. In the two seasons prior to that (2020-2021 and 2021-2022, respectively), he had accumulated only 13 played games total for the Sabres. This may be hard to believe since Buffalo sports fans have been tracking his every move for a while, but he has certainly faced his fair share of adversity over the last few years. Most notably, his multiple injuries spanning several years and a double hip surgery in 2019 set his development back quite a bit – not to mention the pandemic, too.
It is time now, though, to take a closer look at how he did for the Sabres during his first full season on the team.
After being called up from Rochester back in November, fans’ expectations of UPL were, simply put, very high. The buzz around the then-23-year-old had been brewing for years. Because of this, it is inconceivable that this was still only his rookie season, so the critics and skeptics (myself included) need to keep that in mind. He may not turn into the all-star starter we had hoped for (or maybe he still can?), but the best-case scenario is that he becomes a solid backup in tandem with Devon Levi (down the road, obviously), who has already given Sabres fans some goaltending hope.
But back to UPL.
Inconsistency seems to be his big demon. He can make some truly incredible saves (as seen below) but will fail to stop the “easy” ones. Many of the wins the Sabres racked up this past season had more to do with scoring five or six goals and less to do with UPL playing well.
Even though he was very difficult to watch during some poor performances, when he shined…he shined. Since Ryan Miller during 2005-2006, Luukkonen was the first Buffalo rookie goaltender to earn at least 16 wins in a regular season. He earned an NHL Rookie of the Month proverbial badge back in January when he tallied six wins in nine starts with a .907 SV% on the month. Both December and January were probably his best months of the season, too. During that time, he allowed three goals or less in 13 games and won big games against future playoff teams like the Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche, to name a few.
Overall, even though he just finally completed his rookie season, he struggled a lot. His average save percentage is well below the league average of .904. However, the good news is that he knows the importance of an off-season and understands his need to improve:
“I can’t say there’s one thing I need to be better [at]. It was pretty much my first year in the NHL. There were really really good games and then there were games that weren’t that good…Overall I just need to be a better goalie physically and mentally.”
This pessimist would be willing to give him one more full season before giving up hope on his development. How about you?
Season Grade: C