The Calgary Flames have dipped into the European free agent market, signing Yasin Ehliz and Marcus Hogstrom to one-year contracts. Ehliz has signed an entry-level contract worth $650K at the NHL level, while Hogstrom has signed a two-way deal worth $700K in the NHL.
Like many of the European signings lately, the 25-year old Ehliz is an undersized forward that has still put up solid point totals for his club team. Playing in the German DEL, the 5’10” 183-lbs winger recorded 31 points in 46 games but perhaps will be better known for his international appearances. Given a chance to play in the Olympics for the first time, Ehliz recorded three points in seven games and helped the German squad take home a silver medal. Even better was his World Championship appearance where he recorded five points in seven games while competing for the fourth time.
Hogstrom, 29, has already had a long career playing in Sweden, Russia and Finland. The left-handed defenseman has good size and recorded another good season for Djurgardens in 2017-18, scoring 23 points in 50 games. Possessing a good amount of skill for a big-bodied defender, he’ll try to show that he can be an NHL player right away for the Flames. If he can’t, there’s a good chance a player of his experience will have a European Assignment Clause built in, meaning he wouldn’t be playing in the minors. If he does want to join the Flames organization and is willing to take an assignment to the AHL, the team has added a good depth piece for very little risk.