Flames add some goaltending insurance
Finnish puck-stopper Waltteri Ignatjew starred in Sweden's second-tier league
With Dustin Wolf riding a threegame win streak at the NHL level, the Calgary Flames continue to shop for goaltender-of-the-future competition.
The Flames announced Monday the signing of free-agent puck stopper Waltteri Ignatjew, who hails from Finland and was saluted as the top netminder this season in Sweden's second-tier Allsvenskan.
It's a one-year, two-way deal for the 2024-25 campaign. If he earns a big-league call-up, the contract carries a cap-hit of US$870,000.
Ignatjew, 24, totalled 45 appearances this winter as the starter for Mora IK, registering a 26-18 record with a 2.34 goalsagainst average and .918 save percentage.
“He just stood out as a guy we thought we should take a chance on,” said Flames director of goaltending Jordan Sigalet. “He's a big kid at 6-foot-3 and just has an aura to him when he plays. There's this calm confidence to his game. And it's just how consistent he was all year — he played 45 of their 52 games, so he was a workhorse for Mora, and he just put the same game on the table every single night. He went on a good run in the playoffs, too, and lost in Game 6 in double overtime 1-0 in the conference final. So he was a couple wins away from going to the finals.
“He's a big kid that can move. He's calm. And he just has a confidence to him, a little bit of a swagger, but a real laid back and humble guy.”
While there are plenty of questions about Calgary's crease plan, starting with whether Jacob Markstrom or Dan Vladar will be traded in the summer to open a full-time spot for Wolf, Ignatjew can presumably be pencilled in as one of the netminding options next winter for the AHL'S Wranglers.
It's worth noting the Flames have had some success with their scouring for undrafted goaltenders in the European pro ranks. The best example is David Rittich, who was signed out of the Czech Extraliga in 2016 and spent parts of five seasons at the Saddledome and even represented the team at the NHL All-star Game. Rittich now is busy preparing for a playoff run with the Los Angeles Kings.
Impressed by what he was seeing as he studied video of Ignatjew, Sigalet made a trip to Sweden in December to scout a pair of games and to have dinner with this intriguing prospect. The Flames weren't the only team interested in bringing him to North America.
“That's been his dream is to try to make it to the NHL, and I think he sees opportunity here,” Sigalet said. “He wanted to be a Flame and we're excited about that and just looking forward to getting him over here and getting acclimated. It's going to be a bit of a different game, obviously, on the smaller ice, so it could be a little bit of an adjustment period, but we see a lot of upside. He looks like a late bloomer to me.
“I think there's a lot of NHL
attributes in his game ... You hope he's a guy that is going to come over and take off and excel. He has the tools. Now, he just has to translate it over here.”
The Flames currently have three goalies under contract for next season in Markstrom, Vladar and Ignatjew, while Wolf will undoubtedly be re-upped as a restricted free agent. The 22-year-old Wolf surrendered five goals on 35 shots Sunday but still earned the “W” in a comeback victory over the Arizona Coyotes.
The organization is also high on Connor Murphy, who is tending twine for the Wranglers on an Ahl-level deal.
BACK IN THE BIGS
Adam Klapka was included in Monday's team photo at the Saddledome — and didn't need any prodding to smile for the camera.
The towering right-winger was recalled from the AHL'S Wranglers for an end-of-season audition and will soon add to a resume that so far shows four NHL appearances.
Since his initial big league looksee in late January, Klapka has piled up 11 goals and two dozen points in the minors, bumping to the top of the Wranglers' team scoring charts.
“It really showed me that it's much more steps up than the AHL,” Klapka said of that first call-up opportunity. “When I got back down, I worked on my stuff that I thought I didn't do really well up here. So I hope I improve it and it's going to be better this time.”
With two games remaining, starting with Tuesday's clash against the Canucks in Vancouver (8 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/sportsnet 960 The Fan), the 23-year-old Klapka will be angling to make a statement that he could be ready for full-time duties in the fall.
“There's a certain role that he has to play up here,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska of this 6-foot-8, 235-pound presence. “He's a big man that has good speed and has a good skill set for his size, but we feel he's most effective when he's rumbling around in the offensive zone, hard on the forecheck, creating loose pucks. That's when we feel like he is at his best and can really help our team in the future, so that's what we're looking for out of him.”
He just has a confidence to him, a little bit of a swagger, but a real laid back and humble guy.