Niclas Almari

Niclas Almari (born 11 May 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] Almari was drafted by the Penguins in the fifth round, 151st overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Niclas Almari
Born (1998-05-11) 11 May 1998
Espoo, Finland
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 168 lb (76 kg; 12 st 0 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Pittsburgh Penguins
WBS Penguins (AHL)
HPK
NHL Draft 151st overall, 2016
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

Almari played as a youth in his native Finland, within the junior programs at the Jr. A level of the Espoo Blues, Jokerit and HPK. Almari secured his first rookie playing contract with HPK on 29 April 2016.[2]

After his draft selection to the Penguins, Almari split his first professional season in 2016–17 between HPK and Mestis affiliate, LeKi. He made his professional debut on 17 September 2016, against Kärpät and later scored his first Liiga goal on 5 October 2016 against Jukurit. Almari also spent 10 games with HPK’s junior club and helped contribute in winning the Jr. A SM-liiga’s title. At the conclusion of the season, Almari accepted an amateur try-out with Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on 11 April 2017. In helping his development, Almari trained with Wilkes-Barre and was a part of their extended squad into the post-season.[3]

In returning to HPK for his third season in 2018–19, Almari continued to show an upward trend in his development, appearing in 42 regular season for 5 points. In the playoffs, Almari appeared in all 18 post-season games for HPK, helping claim the Championship on May 4, 2019.

On May 10, 2019, Almari was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Espoo Blues Jr. A 26 4 4 8 16 — — — — —
2015–16 Espoo Blues Jr. A 12 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2015–16 Jokerit Jr. A 27 2 5 7 10 2 0 1 1 4
2016–17 HPK Jr. A 10 1 4 5 0 10 1 10 11 0
2016–17 HPK Liiga 24 3 2 5 10 — — — — —
2016–17 LeKi Mestis 23 1 6 7 8 — — — — —
2017–18 HPK Liiga 41 4 4 8 6 — — — — —
2017–18 LeKi Mestis 4 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
2017–18 Espoo United Mestis 9 0 3 3 16 — — — — —
2017–18 HPK Jr. A — — — — — 5 2 1 3 14
2017–18 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 0
2018–19 HPK Jr. A 2 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
2018–19 HPK Liiga 42 1 4 5 6 18 0 0 0 2
2019–20 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 51 1 6 7 18 — — — — —
Liiga totals 107 8 10 18 22 18 0 0 0 2

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Finland U17 5th 6 0 1 1 0
Junior totals 6 0 1 1 0

Awards & honors
Award Year
Liiga
Champion (HPK) 2019
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References
  1. "Eliteprospects.com – Niclas Almari". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. "HPK's team for next season". HPK. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  3. "Penguins add four defenseman". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  4. "Penguins sign defenseman Almari to three-year, entry-level contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
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