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TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed goaltender Amir Miftakhov to a three-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2021-22 season, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced.

Miftakhov, 6-foot, 172 pounds, played in seven games with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League this season, posting a 4-2-0 record with a .917 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average. He also played in 17 games for Kazan's minor league team in the VHL, recording a 2.73 GAA and a .907 save percentage. Miftakhov also played in three postseason games with a 1.50 GAA and a .934 save percentage.
The Kazan, Russia native represented his country at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships and helped them take home the Silver Medal. Miftakhov appeared in five games and posted a 2.12 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He ranked tied for second, along with fellow Lightning prospect Hugo Alnefelt of Sweden, among all goaltenders for GAA and was third for save percentage.
Miftakhov, 21, was drafted by the Lightning in the sixth round, 186th overall, of the 2020 NHL Draft.