The Calgary Flames signed defenceman Joni Jurmo to an entry-level contract in a deal announced Sunday.
The Flames obtained the rights to the 21-year-old from Espoo, Finland, in a trade on Jan. 31. They gave centre Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in the trade.
Calgary also received forward Andrei Kuzmenko, another defensive prospect in Hunter Brzustewicz, Vancouver’s first-round pick and a likely fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft in that transaction.
Jurmo’s contract with the Flames will last for two years and has an average annual value of US$850,000. He was selected in the third round by Vancouver (82nd overall) in 2020.
“We are pleased to sign Joni to his entry-level contract and look forward to his continued development in our organization,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy said Sunday in a statement.
“At 21 years old, he provides us with another young defenceman prospect with size, mobility, who skates and defends well.”
The six-foot-five, 210-pound defenceman split this season between Ilves and KooKoo in Finland’s top division. He had a goal and four assists with 14 penalty minutes and a plus-three rating.
Jurmo also played for the Finnish squad that lost 3-2 in overtime to Canada in the 2022 world junior men’s hockey championship final in Edmonton.
