George Richards, FHN Publisher
Aleksi Heponiemi will return to the Florida Panthers this coming season after signing a one-year, two-way deal with the team on Tuesday.
Heponiemi, 23, played in six games with the Panthers last season getting an assist.
A second-round pick by the Panthers in 2017, Heponiemi made his NHL debut with Florida at Detroit in 2021.
In 15 games with the Panthers, Heponiemi had a goal and three assists.
“I love the way he has developed as a player,” Andrew Brunette said of Heponiemi in January.
“I’ve seen him in junior so I knew his hockey IQ and offensive ability, but he’s a sponge for the game detail-wise. We watched him grow.”
Last season, Heponiemi led the Charlotte Checkers with 30 assists while scoring nine goals.
Heponiemi is expected to compete for a spot on the Panthers in training camp.
According to puckpedia.com, Heponiemi will have an NHL cap hit of $750,000.