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Hurricanes recall Eetu Luostarinen from Charlotte

With Erik Haula nursing an injury, the Canes will hand an NHL debut to the Finnish center.

By Brian LeBlanc
Jamie Kellner

Erik Haula’s surgically repaired knee continues to give him nagging trouble, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ recent deployment of an eleven-forward lineup has been, to say the least, a disappointment. Those factors converged to hand Eetu Luostarinen his first NHL callup on Wednesday, and he is expected to make his NHL debut when the Canes face the Rangers at PNC Arena tomorrow night.

Luostarinen, a second-round pick in 2017, is in his first season in North America, and has taken to the AHL game with relative ease so far. He has tallied five goals and seven points in his ten games with the Charlotte Checkers following a three-year stint with KalPa of the Finnish Liiga. Luostarinen will likely slot in between Ryan Dzingel and Martin Necas, in the spot that Haula would normally play, perhaps trading shifts with Lucas Wallmark from time to time.

Rod Brind’Amour said after practice Wednesday that Haula’s continued discomfort is not structural and simply requires a bit of rest to recoup. The Hurricanes will not take a morning skate tomorrow prior to the game, so Luostarinen’s first time with his new team will be in the pregame warmup tomorrow night. The release from the team is below.

CANES RECALL LUOSTARINEN FROM CHARLOTTE
Forward looking to make NHL debut

Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has recalled forward Eetu Luostarinen (EH-too loo-oh-STAR-ih-nehn) from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Luostarinen, 21, has registered seven points (5g, 2a) in 10 AHL games with the Checkers this season and is looking to make his NHL debut. The 6’3”, 186-pound forward currently leads all Charlotte skaters and ranks tied for third among AHL rookies in goals. Luostarinen played the last three seasons for KalPa (Finland), recording 63 points (24g, 39a) in 141 career Liiga games. He represented Finland at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, appearing in four games and winning gold. The Siilinjarvi, Finland, native was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round, 42nd overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft.