Florida Panthers sign Aleksi Heponiemi to new deal

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.