Tappara announced six contract news - including strong reinforcements!

Tappara announced six contract news on Wednesday. Defenders Kasper Kulonummi, Niclas Almari, and Joona Karvonen, as well as forwards Michael Lindqvist, Juho Järvelä, and Ville Väärälä have signed contracts with Tappara.

Kulonummi’s and Almari’s contracts are for two years, while Lindqvist’s, Karvonen’s, and Väärälä’s contracts are for one year. Järvelä’s contract is of the 1+1 type.

Kulonummi, 22, represented Kiekko-Espoo for the past two seasons. Last season, he recorded 21 points in 42 regular season games with 7+14=21 and 2+2 in five playoff games. Kulonummi returns to Tappara after a two-year break. He has previously won two Finnish championships and a CHL championship with the club.

Almari, 28, has represented Lukko since spring 2022. Last season, he recorded 15 points in 49 games with 3+12=15. The season before that was his best in Liiga, where he scored 33 points in 60 games with 6+27=33 and had the league’s best plus/minus rating of +38. In Liiga, Almari has also represented Pelicans and HPK, where he won the Finnish championship in 2019.

Swedish forward Lindqvist, 31, has played in the SHL in recent years. In the completed season, he recorded 25 points in 31 games with Leksands IF, scoring 6+19=25. Lindqvist won the SHL championship in 2022 with Färjestad. In the 2018-19 season, Lindqvist also played in the AHL for the Hartford Wolf Pack, appearing in 16 games with 3+4.

Järvelä, 22, has previously represented Jukurit and HPK in Liiga for a total of 71 games. Last season, he recorded 23 points in 39 games with RoKi in Mestis, scoring 9+14=23.

Väärälä, 20, is a product of Tappara, returning to the club after a one-year break. Last season, he played in the US junior league USHL for the Madison Capitols, recording 14 points in 59 games with 6+8=14.

Karvonen, 20, played last season in Tappara’s U20 team, where he recorded 18 points in 42 games with 5+13=18.