The Florida Panthers have signed prospect Aleksander Barkov to an entry-level contract, the club announced on Monday morning.
Barkov was selected with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old forward will carry a base salary of $925,000 at the NHL level. With the inclusion of performance and signing bonuses, Barkov will account for $3.575 million against the salary cap per season, according to CapGeek.com.
He spent last season with Tappara Tampere of the Finnish Elite League, recording 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists) in 53 regular season games. Barkov was ranked as the No. 1 European skater by NHL Central Scouting, No. 5 overall by the International Scouting Services and No. 4 overall by Craig Button of TSN heading into the draft.
More in the NHL:
• Kovalchuk retires: The fallout