Arizona Coyotes sign goaltender Erik Kallgren to entry-level deal
By James Reeve
With the Arizona Coyotes unable to make the playoffs this season, the team will unsurprisingly start turning their attention to the future.
The Arizona Coyotes have today announced that the organisation has signed Swedish goaltender Erik Kallgren to a two-year entry-level contract.
The 22-year-old from Stockholm was originally selected in the seventh round (183rd overall) by the Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
He was chosen by the Coyotes on the back of a strong 2014/15 season with Linköping HC J20 of the Swedish SuperElit.
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In 34 regular season games, Kallgren averaged just 1.75 goals against and had an impressive save percentage of .936 – both of which were league-highs that season.
Since being selected by the Coyotes, Kallgren has largely spent his time developing his game in the Allsvenskan, the second tier of hockey in his home country.
Kallgren spent two full seasons with IK Oskarshamn before joining AIK ahead of the 2017/18 season.
The now 22-year-old played 60 regular season games over the past two campaigns with AIK, with this year seeing the Coyotes prospect take a further step in his development.
In 32 regular season games, the most of any of his professional seasons, Kallgren posted a 2.02 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
The young Swedish goalie joined the Coyotes’ AHL affiliates the Tucson Roadrunners on an ATO just a few days ago and will more than likely spend next season competing for playing time in the hopes of progressing his career further.
The Coyotes now have strong goaltender depth in their system, with Adin Hill and Hunter Miska both looking promising in their own ways.
Next season will be one of intrigue for the Arizona Coyotes, especially with their goaltending situation.
Hill is expected to becoming a regular with the team in the near future and Kallgren will be tasked with taking minutes away from him next season while Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta remain the NHL club’s incumbent tandem.
As usual with the Arizona Coyotes organisation, financial details of Kallgren’s contract have not been made public, though CapFriendly will likely have further information in the coming days.
Next. Blake Murray an ideal mid-round target for Arizona. dark
What do you think Coyotes fans? Are you intrigued by the signing of Kallgren? How do you think he will handle competition with the Roadrunners next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!