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Calgary Flames sign Juuso Valimaki to entry-level contract |
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On Friday the Calgary Flames signed 2017 1st round pick Juuso Valimaki to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Valimaki's contract carries a max base salary of $925,000 and comes with a bonus package that could earn him an additional $425,000 on a yearly basis.
Valimaki, the 16th overall pick in June, is coming off a spectacular season in Tri-City (WHL) where he posted eye popping numbers with 19 goals and 61 points in 60 games.
He didn't rely heavily on the power play, either, as he finished 1st among CHL draft eligible defensemen in even-strength goals per 60 and finished 2nd only to Conor Timmins, who played on a better Soo Greyhounds team, in even-strength points per 60.
This signing gets Valimaki one step closer to the NHL, where he hopes to play this season.
That is likely a stretch but given his production is comparable to Ivan Provorov's before he made the jump, the Flames have a hole on the left side, and he already has NHL size (6'2', 205 pounds),
it may not be as far fetched as it seems.
Regardless of how things play out this fall, Valimaki will probably be an NHL regular sooner than later.
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Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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