The Carolina Hurricanes have signed another prospect, inking Eetu Luostarinen to a three-year entry-level contract. Luostarinen has been playing in Finland for the last several years, but could now be on his way to North America if the Hurricanes decide to bring him over right away. The deal will carry an average annual value of $897,500 after bonuses, and begin in 2019-20.
Luostarinen, 20, was picked 42nd overall in 2017 but has developed into a top prospect for the Hurricanes over the last two seasons. His production in Finland has skyrocketed, to the point where he finished second in scoring on KalPa only behind Columbus Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier. The 6’3″, 178-lbs forward also recently suited up for Finland at the IIHF World Championship, where he took home a gold medal but was held scoreless.
If a Finnish forward is looking for an organization that he will feel comfortable in, there may be no better place than Carolina. The team is led by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, and has also has players like Saku Maenalanen, Aleksi Saarela, and Janne Kuokkanen on the way to being consistent contributors. The team will hope that Luostarinen can be the next Finn to make an impact on the squad, after his development takes another few steps.