As a 17-year-old, Roni Salmenkangas was just another goalie in Finland, toiling in Junior B with unimpressive numbers in 2016-17. Not surprisingly, the altitude of his career track was well below the radar of North American scouts. Last season, however, the slender goalie put up extraordinary numbers in Finland’s Junior A League for HPK, which got his club into the playoffs, but was too late to generate feelers from U.S. colleges or major junior squads. 

Undeterred, Salmenkangas began his own letter-writing campaign, emailing half a dozen Division I schools before landing in Big Rapids, Michigan, where he is now a critical prospect of Bob Daniels’ Ferris State Bulldogs.

In the case of email applications, Daniels normally farms them out to his assistants, but something caught Daniels’ eye: specifically, a 1.58 goals against average and .930 save percentage. 

“Wait a minute, his numbers are crazy,” remembered Daniels. 

He needed confirmation that HPK played in a legitimate league. He asked his Swedish transfer Oskar Andren, a player well-versed in the Nordic landscape. 

“He said, ‘That league’s a very good league,’ so I emailed him [Salmenkangas] back and said, ‘We have an interest.’” 

Daniels shook his head at the events from this past offseason. 

“I still don’t know to this day how this all transpired. We set up a phone call, and on a gut feel, I said— ‘Let’s get him.’ It’s truly a bizarre situation.” 

On the other side of the Atlantic, Salmenkangas’ being accepted to Ferris was a dream that had been germinating since he was 16. 

“The idea of playing here [in the U.S.] was in my mind for a few years,” said the 19-year-old freshman. One of his hometown buddies, Aapali Rasanen, a sophomore at Boston College, helped guide Salmenkangas. 

“I was talking to him about this NCAA thing, he really loved it in Boston,” Salmenkangas said. “He said, ‘It’s a smart choice for your career, you can be here for four years, get used to North American hockey, and obviously get your education.’ He’s a big reason why I came here.”

Salmenkangas represents a missing piece to a Ferris State team that has a wealth of returning talent and newcomers expecting to play. Coach Daniels has said he will enter this season having his two goalies — junior Justin Kapelmaster and freshman Salmenkangas — split games. That will give the freshman one game per week. But the Finn hungers for more.

“I want to play a lot of games; last year I played like 50 games,” said Salmenkangas, whose memory is perfect. “I know that is good for my development, to play a lot of games. That’s how I keep myself hot.” 

The competition for precious starts will be settled on the ice. If the Bulldogs are going to return to national contention, they will need a stalwart in goal, something Kapelmaster hasn’t quite achieved. Due to a long-shot hunch from the veteran Daniels, Ferris may have found their man between the pipes, a slender teen from the goaltending-rich nation of Finland.

Tim Rappleye is the author of "Jack Parker's Wiseguys" and the forthcoming book: "Hobey Baker, Upon Further Review," set for release in November. He can be reached @TeeRaps.