At a young age, Salomaki was impressing on the ice. In 2007-08, he was an all-star at the Pahjola Camp, an invitation-only gathering for Finland's top players under the age of 16. He was the Finnish junior league's top rookie in 2009-10, when he helped Karpat Oulu win the title, and ranked 11th in the league in goals (18) and points (43).

Salomaki helped Finland win a bronze medal at the 2010 World Under-18 Championship. He was named one of Finland's three best players at the 2011 Under-18 World Championship after ranking second on the team in points (six). He had three points for Finland at the 2011 World Junior Championship; both of his goals were game-winners.

The Nashville Predators selected Salomaki in the second round (No. 52) in the 2011 NHL Draft. He remained in Liiga, Finland's top professional league, and was third on Karpat Oulu with a plus-nine rating in 2011-12. He represented Finland at the 2012 World Junior Championship and had three goals and six points in seven games.

Spending his third season with Karpat Oulu in 2012-13, Salomaki tied for the team lead with a plus-eight rating and was tied for third with four power-play goals. He represented Finland at the World Junior Championship for the third consecutive year in 2013, tying for eighth in the tournament with eight points.

In 2013-14 he led Milwaukee of the American Hockey League with 50 points (20 goals). He won silver with Finland at the 2014 World Championship.

Salomaki had seven goals and 18 points for Milwaukee in 2014-15 and also made his NHL debut that season on Jan. 8, 2015, scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars. He made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut April 15, 2016, in the first round against the Anaheim Ducks and scored his first NHL playoff goal eight days later, also against the Ducks.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Traded to Toronto by Nashville for Ben Harpur, February 22, 2020.
• Signed as a free agent by Colorado, October 9, 2020.