Flyers re-sign Niittymaki

By Sean Pollard
The Phanatic Magazine

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Flyers re-signed goaltender Antero Niittymaki to a two-year contract on Thursday. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.

Niittymaki went 9-29-9 with a 3.38 goals-against average and .894 percentage in 52 games for the last place Flyers this past season. With the acquisition of netminder Marty Biron before the trading deadline, Niittymaki will most likely be regulated as the back-up.

"We believe that Antero is a very good young goalie. He is only 26 years old and we feel that he is still on the upswing," said Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren. "We realize that last year was a down year for everybody, including Antero. We feel that our goaltending, along with Marty Biron, is strong, and we are excited to have both of them under contract."

In three seasons with the Flyers, Niittymaki owns a 35-44-15 record with a 3.12 GAA and .896 save percentage in 101 games.

Niittymaki also started for the Finnish National Team at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, leading the club to the Silver Medal while being named to the Media All-Star Team. He also was named the Best Goalie and the Olympic Tournament MVP after posting a 5-1-0 record, 1.34 GAA, .951 save percentage and three shutouts in six games.