The Pittsburgh Penguins announced this morning through their AHL franchise in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton that they’ve released Finnish defenseman Niclas Almari from his amateur-tryout contract and have returned him to SM-Liiga in Finland.
The 18 year-old Almari was selected by the Penguins in the 5th round of last June’s NHL Entry Draft and, while he does appear to be on a path toward the NHL, the Penguins believe he’ll require some further seasoning in Europe. In 24 games this season with HPK Hameenlinna, Almari produced three goals and two assists for five points. The 6’1”, 165 lb native of Espoo, Finland could stand to put some weight on, but at just 18 years old, it’s expected he’ll fill out his frame in short order.
Dobberprospects.com describes Almari as a “mobile defenseman with strong footwork,” and goes on to say, “He's confident offensively, showing good poise and vision with the puck. He improved defensively quite a bit and he also became more assertive with his puck management. Almari has a strong stick but he will need to add more muscle to be able to compete at the men's level. “
