Kraken general manager Ron Francis noted at season’s end he’d like to upgrade offensively at the blue line and took a step in that direction Saturday by signing Finnish defenseman Peetro Seppala to a two-year, entry level contract.
The deal, worth an average of $762,500 annually, kicks in next season and will see Seppala, 21, who has already played five seasons in Finland’s top professional league, invited to Kraken training camp. Seppala, a 6-foot-2, 192-pound left-handed shot, is expected to push some of the team’s younger defenders for a bottom pairing spot.
“Peetro is a young defenseman who skates well and has an offensive upside,” Francis said in a release. “He’s proven himself in the highest ranks in Finland, and we’re excited to be adding him to our organization.”
Seppala scored 15 goals and added 39 assists for 54 points in 66 games spread over five seasons with the Kookoo Kouvola team of Liiga in Finland. During that time, he also played for Kookoo Kouvola’s various junior teams.
He’s represented Finland in Under-17 and Under-18 world junior competitions and at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, where his team lost to eventual gold medalist Canada in the semifinal.
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