Oilers’ All-Time Top 3 European Goalies

While Edmonton was swept by the Dallas Stars in Round 1, Salo’s brilliant performance against the eventual Stanley Cup champions showed that the Oilers had their goalie of the future. Salo posted a 2.23 GAA and .926 SV% over the course of the four-game series and solidified his reputation during Edmonton’s Game 4 triple-overtime loss, as he stopped 53 of 56 shots in what remains the longest game in franchise history.

From thereon, Salo owned the crease in Edmonton, playing at least 65 games in every season from 1999-00 to 2002-03. He was selected to the NHL All-Star Game in both 2000 and 2002, though his finest campaign may have been 2000-01, when Salo became the second goalie in Oilers history to win more than 35 games in a season while tying the franchise single-season record with eight shutouts.

After five years in Edmonton, Salo’s time with the Oilers came to an end on March 8, 2004, when he was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche. After the 2004 NHL Playoffs, Salo went back home to Sweden, where he played the final three seasons of his career.

On Edmonton’s all-time leaderboard, Salo ranks third for wins (147) and saves (7,659), and is first in shutouts (23).

Jussi Markkanen (Finland)

Drafted 133rd overall by Edmonton in 2001, Jussi Markkanen made his NHL debut that November and quickly established himself as Salo’s backup. That marked the first time the Oilers had two European goalies on their roster at the same time.

The Imatra native was excellent in a supporting role, going 13-12-5 with a 2.29 GAA and .914 SV% over the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons combined. During the 2003 offseason, Markkanen was dealt to the New York Rangers. However, eight months later, the Finn was traded back to Edmonton, just days before Salo was sent to Colorado.

For the first several months of the 2005-06 season, Markkanen held Edmonton’s starting job until the Oilers acquired veteran Dwayne Roloson at the trade deadline.

Edmonton handed the keys to Roloson, who started 19 of the team’s final 20 games as the Oilers made a late push to clinch a playoff spot. Roloson then played every minute of the first three rounds of the playoffs, leading Edmonton on a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Oilers faced the Carolina Hurricanes.

Roloson, however, suffered an injury in Game 1 that knocked him out of the championship series. The Oilers turned to Markkanen, who at that point hadn’t played in 14 weeks.

After getting lit up for five goals on 26 shots in Game 2, Markkanen locked in and stood on his head for the rest of the Stanley Cup Final. His heroic efforts helped Edmonton rally from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to force Game 7, where the Oilers ultimately came up just short.

Markkanen remained with the Oilers for the 2006-07 season, playing 22 games as Roloson’s backup. When his contract expired, Markkanen went back to Finland and spent the rest of his career in Europe.

Mikko Koskinen (Finland)

Koskinen signed a one-year contract with the Oilers on July 1, 2018, returning to the NHL after having spent the prior six seasons in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

The Vantaa native began his tenure in Edmonton as a backup to Cam Talbot, but that didn’t last long, as Koskinen consistently outperformed his fellow netminder, earning more starts as the season wore on. 

On Jan. 21. 2019, the Oilers signed Koskinen to a three-year contract extension. Less than a month later, Talbot was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers. Koskinen wound up playing in 25 of Edmonton’s final 27 games of the season. He finished 2018-19 with a 21-25-6 record to go with a 2.93 goals-against average and .906 save percentage (SV%).

During the 2019 offseason, the Oilers signed Mike Smith with the intention of making the veteran their No. 1 netminder. But once again, Koskinen regularly outplayed his colleague in net.

For the next three seasons, 2019-20 to 2021-22, Koskinen and Smith effectively split time between the pipes. During that span, Koskinen made 102 starts, eight more than Smith.

In 2021-22, Koskinen went 27-12-4 to set a career high for wins. When his contract expired at the end of that season, he returned to Europe.

Over 164 regular-season games with the Oilers, Koskinen compiled a GAA of 2.98 and SV% of .907. He ranks seventh in wins (83) and is tied for eighth in shutouts (6) on the Oilers all-time leaderboards. Koskinen is also one of the top-performing shootout goaltenders in franchise history, with a record of 6-4 and a .811 SV%.

There has not been a European goalie to play for Edmonton since Koskinen four years ago. However, the Oilers have recently drafted a trio of European netminders: Swede Samuel Jonsson (drafted in 2022), along with Eemil Vinni (drafted in 2024) and Daniel Salonen (drafted in 2025) of Finland. So, it may not be that long before another European goalie suits up for the team.