Harri Sateri

History

2007-08: Harri Sateri was the No. 2 ranked European goaltender heading into his draft, with his draft stock rising exponentially at the last World Junior Championships. Originally slated as the backup for team Finland, Sateri worked his way into a tandem role and was the starter for their pivotal quarterfinal match against Team Canada. Sateri was outstanding in that game, making 29 saves on 32 shots, in a losing effort. Nevertheless his role in Finland’s sixth-place finish didn’t go unnoticed.  Sateri established himself as the top Finnish goalie among the 1989-born goalies at a young age and was teamed with Helenius on the WJC team in the Czech Republic.  Sateri went 13-17-0 with Tappara Tampere Jr. (FIN-Jr), claiming one shutout and a 2.99 goals against average.

2008-09: Sateri made his debut in the SM-Liiga in 2008-2009, appearing in 22 games with Tappara. His 6-12-3 record may have left some hoping for more, but Sateri’s .921 save percentage and 2.30 GAA only proved that Sateri has what it takes to be a starter in the SM-Liiga. Sateri also appeared in the World Junior Championship, appearing in two games for Team Finland.

2009-10: Sateri played for Tappara Tampere in Finland.  Following a strong rookie campaign for Tappara, Sateri took the reigns for his SM-Liiga squad, appearing in 49 games. With increased playing time came a slight dip in Sateri’s stats. He still managed a .915 save percentage and GAA of 2.73, while maintaining a 21-22-4 record. In 9 playoff games with Tappara, Sateri saw his game slip a little, dropping his save percentage to .896 and his GAA to 2.83.

2010-11: Sateri made his North American pro debut – playing in seven AHL games with Worcester after completing the season with Tappara Tampere in Finland's SM-Liiga. He was 1-4 with one of the losses coming in overtime and had a 2.56 GAA and .918 save percentage for Worcester. Sateri skated in 37 of 68 games for Tappara, sharing the goaltending duties with former HIFK prospect Jani Nieminen. He finished the season 9-19-8 with 2 shutouts and had a 2.96 GAA and .910 save percentage. Tappara finished 11th in the 14-team league; missing the playoffs.

2011-12: Sateri struggled to start his rookie season in the AHL but still managed to start a little more than half of Worchester's games putting up solid numbers due a late season surge as the Finish-born netminder adjusted to the game. He had a record of 15-20-1 along with a 2.86 goals against average and a.908 save percentage in 38 AHL starts.

2012-13: Sateri skated for the AHL's Worcester Sharks in his second pro season in North America – splitting the goaltending duties with fellow San Jose prospect Alex Stalock. In 39 games he was 14-21-3 with 1 shutout and had a 2.89 goals against and .903 save percentage. Worcester missed the AHL playoffs after finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division. Sateri was re-signed to a one-year contract by San Jose as a restricted free agent in July, 2013.

Talent Analysis

A butterfly netminder, Harri Sateri brings terrific quickness and athleticism to the goaltending position. He plays similar to the Sharks current starter, Antii Niemi in that the two play a very strong post-to-post game and are capable of making out-of-this-world saves.

The Finnish goalie has tremendous net coverage, and plays his angles on initial shots with great skill. His rebound control, particularly from high shots needs work, but it is not a substantial issue. Much of this issue could be the result of a subpar glove hand that did improve over the course of the season. Teams capitalized on this shortcoming and Sateri will have to correct this if he hopes to make it to the NHL.

Undeniably, Sateri is the best potential NHL goaltender in the Sharks system. He has all the tools to one day be a starting goaltender in the league.

Future

Sateri signed with the Vityaz Podolsk (KHL) for the 2014-15 season.