Philadelphia Flyers sign Eetu Mäkiniemi to PTO

A young netminder is searching for a new home.

On Thursday, WD Sports & Entertainment revealed that one of its clients, goaltender Eetu Mäkiniemi, has signed a professional tryout agreement with the Philadelphia Flyers, and will be invited to the team’s training camp in Voorhees, New Jersey next month.

Mäkiniemi has spent the last two seasons in the San Jose Sharks organization, appearing in two NHL games during the 2022-23 campaign. He earned his first and only NHL victory in his first start on Dec. 9, 2022 against the Anaheim Ducks. However, the Finnish netminder did not see any ice with the big club last season. Instead, he played the majority of the year with the Sharks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. He also played in three games for San Jose’s secondary affiliate, the Wichita Thunder.

In 2023-24 with the Barracuda, the 25-year-old went 8-8-0 with a 3.14 goals-against average, a .900 save percentage and three shutouts.

Mäkiniemi was originally taken in the fourth round, 104th overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in 2021, spending a year with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the same season the club won the Calder Cup. In July 2022, Mäkiniemi was a piece heading to San Jose as part of the trade that sent Brent Burns to the Hurricanes.

The Vantaa native made his way onto the NHL radar after establishing himself as a great prospect coming up through the Jukurit system. Before coming to North America, Mäkiniemi played one full season with Ilves during the 2020-21 Liiga season. The year before, with Koovie in the Mestis league, the second division in Finland, he was named the league’s best goaltender.

It certainly will not be easy for Mäkiniemi to sneak onto a roster spot. According to CapWages, the Flyers have five goaltenders signed to contracts for next season, with Ivan Fedotov and Samuel Ersson expected to be the duo in Philly once the 2024-25 season begins.