The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has signed goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Luukkonen (6’4″, 198 lbs., 3/9/1999) spent the bulk of the season playing professionally for Leki (Mestis) of Finland’s second division. In 24 games for Leki in 2017-18, he posted an 11-11-2 record and finished seventh in the league with a .909 save percentage. The Espoo, Finland native also represented his country at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo.
Buffalo’s second-round pick (54th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Luukkonen was rated the No. 1 European goaltender by NHL Central Scouting in 2017. During his 2016-17 campaign, Luukkonen backstopped HPK (Finland Jr.) to a championship with the league’s best goals-against average in both the regular season (1.78) and the postseason (2.01).
