The Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday agreed to terms with defenseman Haydn Fleury, their first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, on a three-year, entry-level contract. The team says the contract will pay Fleury $832,500 per season at the NHL level or $70,000 at the American Hockey League level. He will also receive a signing bonus of $277,500.
Fleury, 18, scored eight goals, finished with 46 points and had a team-high plus-15 rating in 70 games with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League in 2013-14. He has 12 goals and 65 points in 140 games during his two seasons with Red Deer.
"We feel very strongly that Haydn is an important part of our team's future," executive vice president and general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. "He performed very well at our development camp, and we are looking forward to seeing him in Traverse City [at a rookie tournament] and during training camp in Raleigh."
Fleury, 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, was the seventh player taken in this year's draft. He is attending Canada's national junior team development camp this week in Brassard, Quebec. Fleury was named best defenseman at the 2014 IIHF Under-18 World Championships in Finland and helped Canada win the bronze medal.