The Calgary Flames have announced today that they have signed College prospect, Kenny Agostino to a two-year contract.
This announcement has been rumoured about these past 24 hours, and was first reported by Agostino’s cousin on Twitter, claiming that he’d been signed to a contract by the Flames and would be on his way to Buffalo, potentially making his debut against the Sabres on Tuesday night.
Agostino has spent the past four years at Yale University playing for the Yale Bulldogs, with his latest accomplishment being the NCAA Championship last season, shocking many as the underdogs in the tournament. He finished his season at Yale this year with a solid 14 goals and 18 assists in 33 games, combining for a 32 point season and nearly averaging a point-per-game pace.
The Flames are anxious to bring in Agostino and give him his opportunity to shine, but it won’t be without any pressure on the young man’s shoulders. He was acquired late last season in the infamous Jarome Iginla trade to Pittsburgh, where he joined fellow college prospect Ben Hanowski on his way to the Flames. Agostino will be expected to make an immediate impact on the team from a fans standpoint, and one can only wonder how he will be able to handle the pressure after being acquired for a superstar and hero amongst fans like Iginla.
Agostino’s contract is a two-year entry-level contract averaging at $900,000 per year. He will burn the first year of that contract by making his debut with the Flames this season, and assuming that he makes his debut in Buffalo on Tuesday night, this may be the first time that both Kenny Agostino as well as Ben Hanowski both slot into the Flames line-up, and fans will be able to get a look at the two young players who were acquired for the star in the trade administered by Jay Feaster late last season.
It’s an exciting time for the young forward, and a lot of emotions must be flowing through him at this point and time. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can adjust to the NHL ice and playing with experienced NHL players. But with how coach Bob Hartley has handled his young players so far this season, one can come to expect that he will make the young college star feel right at home in the Flames locker room. Furthermore, at 6’0” and 210 pounds, he will sure see some opportunity if Brian Burke has anything to say about it. It seems as though Agostino fits into the size and mold that Burke has been preaching about the Flames needing down the line.
One thing is for certain, if Agostino does make his debut against the Sabres Tuesday night, that will surely be a game that Flames fans will not want to miss!
Feel free to Tweet me, @LWOSAdamScharfe, your suggestions if there is any prospects you would like to see highlighted in upcoming editions of “Future ‘Spect Spotlight”.
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