Penguins defensive prospect Niclas Almari signs in Finland
Penguins defensive prospect Niclas Almari has signed a two-year contract with Luuko of Finland’s Liiga.
Luuko announced the signing in a release.
A native of Finland, Almari was a fifth-round pick (No. 151 overall) in 2016 and is in the final year of a three-year entry-level contract that he signed in 2019.
Almari, 24, has yet to reach the NHL level. During the 2021-22 season, he split time between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (American Hockey League), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) and Luuko.
In 13 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the left-hander had two points (one goal, one assist). With Wheeling, Almari played in six games and recorded four assists.
On Feb. 9, Almari, who was seeking more playing time, was loaned to Luuko. After appearing in 15 regular season games and recording two assists for Luuko, Almari saw action in seven Liiga postseason games and was held without a point.
Almari was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on April 19 and finished the 2021-22 season with that club.
While it is doubtful Almari will return to the Penguins, Almari is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 13 and the team could extend a qualifying offer simply to formally retain his NHL rights.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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