Canes sign Kuokkanen to entry-level contract

The Carolina Hurricanes announced Thursday the team has agreed to terms with Finnish forward Janne Kuokkanen on a three-year, entry-level contract.

On the NHL level, the deal will pay Kuokkanen $700,000 in 2017-18, $750,000 in 2018-19 and $800,000 in 2019-20. On the American Hockey League level, he will be paid $70,000 per season. Kuokkanen also receives a signing bonus of $277,500.

“Janne was outstanding in our rookie tournament in Traverse City in September, and stayed in North America to continue his development in the Ontario Hockey League,” general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. “He’s a smart, skilled forward and we look forward to the start of his professional career.”

Kuokkanen, 18, had 26 goals and 36 assists (62 points) and a plus-23 rating, appearing in 60 of 68 regular-season games for London of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2016-17. He was tied for third among Knights skaters in goals and fourth on the team in scoring and had 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) on the power-play for London.

The Knights host the Windsor Spitfires in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Friday.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Canes sign Kuokkanen to entry-level contract."