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Photo by: Team Shred Photography

Photo by: David Silverman Photography

Samuli Niinisaari

Class:
Freshman
Position:
Defenseman
Height:
6-1
Weight:
187
Hometown:
Hamina, Finland
Last Team:
Lincoln (USHL)

2022-23: Academic All-Ivy … Assistant captain … Skated in all 30 games as a senior defenseman … Finished the campaign with eight assists … Recorded two assists in Brown’s wins over LIU (Dec. 3) and in Brown’s win at #8 Merrimack (Jan. 7) … Finished the season with 67 blocked shots and 34 shots on goal.

2021-22: Earned Second Team All-Ivy and Academic All-Ivy honors after skating in 29 games … Finished the campaign with one goal and 11 assists for 12 points … Led the team in assists and finished fifth on the team in scoring … Blocked 48 shots to finish second on the team … Posted assists in three straight games in February … Played in nine Ivy League games and finished with a goal and five points … One of nine Ivy defensemen with four or more assists … Finished with 23 blocks in Ivy play – the second most behind Krys.

2020-21: Season canceled due to COVID-19.

2019-20: Skated in 29 games as a rookie defenseman … finished with one goal and three assists … scored his first career goal at Colgate (3/7) in the ECAC first round series … blocked 26 shots … appeared in 20 conference games … took 20 shots.

BEFORE BROWN: Played the 2018-19 season with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League … finished the season with seven goals and 13 assists … earned the Team MVP award at the end of the season as well as the Most Likely to Succeed award … previously played for KooKoo in Finland, where he served as team captain in 2017-18, and finished with 16 assists and 20 points that season.

PERSONAL: Son of Sanna Vallittu-Niinisari and Risto Niinisari … has one brother, Joona, and one sister, Emilia.