SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Santtu Kinnunen on a two-year, entry-level contract.
“Santtu is a talented defenseman who has proven himself playing professionally in Finland with Tappara Tampere,” said Zito. “We look forward to watching him further his growth and development as he transitions to hockey in North America.”
Kinnunen, 23, skated in 54 games with Tappara Tampere (Liiga) in 2021-22. He led all Tappara defensemen with 23 points (4-19-23), while his four goals and 19 assists were tied for the most among the club’s blueliners. Kinnunen also notched two assists over 13 postseason games, helping Tappara to its 18th league championship.
The 6-foot-3, 154-pound native of Lahti, Finland has appeared in 164 career Liiga games with the Lahti Pelicans (2018-19 to 2019-20) and Tappara (2020-21 to 2021-22), amassing 50 points (10-40-50).
Kinnunen was originally selected by Florida in the seventh round (207th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
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