Hurricanes sign 2014 1st-round pick Haydn Fleury to entry-level contract

The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with 2014 first-round draft pick Haydn Fleury, the club announced Thursday. 

Selected with the seventh overall pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the Red Deer Rebels defenseman has the size, skating ability and two-way awareness to develop into a shutdown defender at the NHL level. While the 6-foot-3, 207-pound blue-liner is something of a man-child, he admitted after the Hurricanes' summer development camp that he'd need to add more "man muscle" in order to compete in the NHL on an everyday basis. 

"We feel very strongly that Haydn is an important part of our team’s future," Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis said in a team release. "He performed very well at our development camp and we are looking forward to seeing him in Traverse City and during training camp in Raleigh."

Fleury's entry-level deal will pay him $832,500 at the NHL level and carries a $70,000 AHL salary. Fleury, 18, won't be eligible to play in the AHL until he's 20 years old per the NHL/CHL transfer agreement. Fleury also received the maximum signing bonus of $277,500.