San Jose Sharks sign goalie Eetu Makiniemi to one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier announced Friday that the club has resigned Finnish goaltender Eetu Makiniemi to a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $775,000.

Makiniemi will become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 regular season.

“We are excited to sign Eetu,” said Grier. “He is a player who showed great promise before his injury last season. We look forward to his continued development in the upcoming year.”

The 24-year-old netminder became the youngest-ever Sharks goalie to win his first-career start, posting a 23-save effort on Dec. 9 against the Anaheim Ducks. He made his NHL debut on Dec. 7 against the Vancouver Canucks, entering in the third period of the contest and making six saves.

Makiniemi spent a good chunk of the season in the American Hockey League with the Sharks affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. In 22 games, he registered a pair of shutouts and recorded a 2.96 goals-against average with a .900 save percentage. Throughout his AHL career, he possesses a record of 19-12-4 with four shutouts, 2.60 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

Before his North American debut, Makiniemi spent most of 2019-20 with Koovee in the Mestis league in Finland. He finished the season third in wins with 14, second in save percentage and sixth in goals against average. Makiniemi earned Mestis Best Goaltender and Mestis Second All-Star Team recognition. He spent the 2020-21 season with Ilves of the Finnish Men’s League (Liiga), appearing in 34 games with a record of 13-14-7 and a .907 save percentage.

The Sharks acquired the Vantaa, Finland product along with forward Steven Lorentz and a 2023 third-round draft pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Brent Burns last summer. He was initially selected by the Hurricanes No. 104 overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.