The Vegas Golden Knights have signed forward Marcus Kallionkieli to a three-year entry-level contract. The 18-year old was selected in the fifth round by the Golden Knights last month, and spent last season with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL.
Kallionkieli was one of the most dangerous players in the USHL early on last season and finished the year with 29 goals and 53 points in just 58 games. A solid rookie season in North America followed his development in Finland where he built a solid skating foundation. The 6’1″ winger is a good finisher around the net but there is still some uncertainty over where his offensive ceiling will eventually land.
Nevertheless the Golden Knights apparently saw enough to sign him right away. It’s unclear where he is going to play next season, but his contract can slide forward twice and not kick in until 2021-22 if he’s not in the NHL. He could end up in the WHL where the Brandon Wheat Kings own his rights after taking him 22nd overall in the recent CHL Import Draft. That seems to make sense as his next landing spot, given the Wheat Kings organization is owned by Vegas executive Kelly McCrimmon.