Utah HC sign Miko Matikka to entry-level contract

The Utah Hockey Club have taken care of some internal business as the club announced on Monday they have signed winger Miko Matikka to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal carries an NHL cap hit of $950,000 and sees Matikka take home a $95,000 signing bonus at the beginning of each of the next three seasons.

Matikka was originally a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes, 67th overall at the 2022 draft. The 20-year-old played last season with the University of Denver where he was a huge part of their offense, recording 20 goals and 33 points in 43 games as a freshman. It was impressive production from the young forward and it became obvious immediately in Denver that Matikka’s game should translate well at the professional level.

Matikka hails from Helsinki, Finland, and at 6-foot-3 is not surpringsly someone general manager Bill Armstrong wants to include into their organizational depth. Utah’s GM prioritizes size when drafting and developing and is very excited about what the future may hold for the Finnish winger. Matikka will try to impress during training camp next season and appears likely to start the season in the American Hockey League. His development path has taken him through stops with the junior league in Finland, as well as playing a combined 58 games in the USHL with the Madison Capitols and Waterloo Black Hawks.

As for Utah, they continue to be busy with the 2024 offseason in full flight. The NHL’s newest franchise has re-tooled their roster, signing forwards Kevin Stenlund and adding the likes of Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino on the back end. After adding to their roster throughout the day, Utah HC has a projected $15.1 million in cap space to work with and could still be serious players in the free-agent market.