The New Jersey Devils have made a move, signing forward Lenni Hameenaho to a three-year, entry-level contract. His new deal will kick in during the 2025-26 season.
Hameenaho was selected by the Devils with the 58th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, the 20-year-old winger has been developing his game with Assat Pori of the Finnish Liiga. However, after signing this entry-level deal, he is now set to begin his professional career in North America.
Hameenaho is coming off an impressive season with Assat this campaign. In 58 games, he set new career highs with 20 goals, 31 assists, and 51 points. This is after he recorded 14 goals and 31 points in 46 games with the Finnish club in 2023-24.
Overall, Hameenaho has shown good promise overseas, and it will now be fascinating to see how much of an impact he makes with the Devils organization from here. He will likely need to spend some time in the AHL with the Utica Comets before making the jump to the Devils' roster, but there is no question that his future is bright.
Recent Devils News
Devils' Sheldon Keefe Has Powerful Message For Team
While speaking with reporters on May 8, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils">New Jersey Devils</a> head coach Sheldon Keefe had a powerful message for the team. The Devils' bench boss made it abundantly clear that he expects the team to hit another level after taking a step forward during the 2024-25 campaign.
Devils' Re-Sign Nathan Légaré
On Thursday afternoon, the New Jersey Devils announced they re-signed Nathan Légaré to a one-year, two-way contract.