Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was watching the Buffalo Sabres’ game Monday night when an injury occurred at Madison Square Garden that altered the organization’s goaltending plan.
Carter Hutton, the Sabres’ 35-year-old goaltender, suffered a lower-body injury that forced him to exit in the first period of a 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers. Dustin Tokarski, thrust into a backup role when Jonas Johansson was traded, took over and stopped 33 of 37 shots in his first NHL action since Oct. 28, 2016.
With Hutton in Buffalo for medical testing and starting goalie Linus Ullmark still working his way back from a lower-body injury, Sabres management called on Luukkonen to join the team in Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old top prospect was added to the taxi squad and participated in an optional morning skate Wednesday in PPG Paints Arena ahead of a game against the Penguins.
“First of all, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can here,” said Luukkonen, a second-round pick in 2017. “It has been a great experience to be here. We have a lot of great players here, all the coaching staff is really good. There’s a lot to learn from them, and, of course, seeing Linus back on the ice, there’s a lot to learn from him, too. So, I will try to focus on those things they tell me do.”
This is not how the Sabres planned to introduce Luukkonen to the National Hockey League. He’s only appeared in 42 professional games between the ECHL and American Hockey League, including eight this season with the Rochester Americans.
Luukkonen has not appeared in a game since March 10, a 3-2 shootout loss at Utica that preceded a Covid-19 pause. He practiced in Rochester for the first time Wednesday before leaving for Pittsburgh to join the Sabres.
Ullmark, 27, has skated each of the past two days and interim coach Don Granato expressed hope that Ullmark can play Thursday night against Pittsburgh.
This is an opportunity for Luukkonen to work with goalie coach Mike Bales and take shots from the Sabres in morning skates and, potentially, practices. In eight starts in Rochester this season, Luukkonen totaled a 3.19 goals-against average and .904 save percentage.
His game has been much better technically because he had a full offseason to train on and off the ice. That wasn’t the case in the summer of 2019 as Luukkonen was still recovering from double hip surgery, a procedure that impacted his play last season. The surgery came after a season in which Luukkonen captured a gold medal with Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship and earned Ontario Hockey League MVP honors for his outstanding performance with Sudbury.
“I think all the positioning, the game is all around more solid,” Luukkonen said. “I feel like the positioning and being in the right place and not overreacting or overplaying situations, I think that is the base for being more – I don’t know – reactive in the goal and being more comfortable with the shots. I think coming from Europe where the ice is bigger, too, kind of getting into the smaller ice here I feel like having the better positioning and more stable game has helped me a lot.”
With improved lower-body strength, Luukkonen set out for Finland’s Liiga during the NHL’s pause last fall, producing a .908 save percentage in 13 games with TPS Turku before his loan agreement ended in December. Instruction from Sabres goalie development coach Seamus Kotyk and TPS goalie coach Ari Moisanen helped Luukkonen clean up the areas of his game impacted by the surgery.
It’s unclear how long Luukkonen will remain with the team. The Sabres would prefer he play games in Rochester as opposed to taking shots in Buffalo’s practices. This also isn’t the ideal time or situation for Luukkonen to make his NHL debut. Regardless of how long he’s around, Luukkonen can use this introduction as a learning experience for when he’s finally called upon to play in a game.
“Every moment you’re with the NHL team is big,” Granato said. “You have to acclimate and feel that you belong and take ownership of being at that level, and when you do, those players flourish, they play to their actually potential at that time. So, confidence is an enormous part of it, that self-projection. So, the more time a prospect can get around it, the easier it becomes for them to associate, ‘Yes, I belong here.’ It moves from a dream to a reality for every player in that regard. So, it’s a big moment.”
Filling in
If Luukkonen remains with the Sabres this week, the Amerks will likely turn to goalie Stefanos Lekkas for their scheduled game Friday night against Syracuse in Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena.
Lekkas, 25, joined the Amerks on a professional tryout shortly after the team returned to practice from the Covid-19 pause. He previously appeared in nine games this season with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets, posting a 6-1-2 record and .920 save percentage. Lekkas played collegiately at the University of Vermont, totaling a. 918 save percentage in 134 NCAA games.
During the PHPA Annual Meetings, Executive Director Brian Ramsay surprised Bert Villarini by naming him the latest recipient of the Curt Leichner Distinguished Member Award.
PHPA.com’s Tony Androckitis talks to Marcus Crawford and Michael DiPietro after they were named the inaugural winners of the Doug Messier Award
The FIRST LINE program is helping PHPA members enhance mental wellness, reduce stigma, and support one another beyond the game.
Copyright © 2026. Professional Hockey Players' Association. All rights reserved.