With the 149th overall pick, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected forward Joona Saarelainen from KalPa of the Finnish junior league. He was ranked 49th overall in the NHL Central Scouting's final rankings for leagues based outside of North America.
A native of Mikkeli, Finland, Saarelanien recorded 13 goals and 36 points in 41 games as an alternate captain with KalPa last season. The 5-foot-9, 183-pound center represented Finland as an alternate captain in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and tallied three goals and four points in five games.
