RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Thursday that the team had signed its top draft pick, defenseman Haydn Fleury, to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The deal will pay Fleury, the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, $832,500 per season at the NHL level or $70,000 per season at the American Hockey League (AHL) level.
The deal included a signing bonus of $277,500.
“We feel very strongly that Haydn is an important part of our team’s future,” Hurricanes executive vice president and general manager Ron Francis stated in the team’s release.
“He performed very well at our development camp and we are looking forward to seeing him in Traverse City and during training camp in Raleigh.”
Fleury, 18, scored eight goals and earned 38 assists (46 points) in 70 games with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2013-14.
He led all Rebels skaters with a plus-15 plus/minus rating despite Red Deer posting a team minus-10 goal differential for the season.
Fleury’s 38 assists ranked second on the team and his 46 points were good for 17th among WHL blueliners and contributed to him posting 12 goals and 53 assists (65 points) in 140 career WHL regular-season games with Red Deer.
Currently attending Canada’s World Junior Development Camp in Quebec, he’s posted four points (1g, 3a) in two games played so far.
Fleury’s international resume includes being named Best Defenseman at the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U-18 World Championship in Finland.
During that tournament, the six-foot-three-inch, 207-pounder helped Team Canada capture the bronze medal.
He also represented Canada at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, helping his home country to win gold.