Niku, 21, made his NHL debut on Apr. 3 at Montreal and scored on his first shot. He has also played 76 games for the Moose, recording 54 points (16G, 38A) and a plus-17 rating. The native of Haapavesi, Finland won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's outstanding defenceman. He is the first Moose player and just the second rookie to win the award. Niku has also been recognized by the league as a 2017-18 First Team AHL All-Star and named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

Niku was drafted by the Jets in the seventh round (198th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.