As things currently stand in Calgary, Jonas Hiller is likely to enter the season as the Flames’ number one goaltender and Karri Ramo will challenge him for playing time. However, that doesn’t render 23-year-old goaltender Joni Ortio irrelevant.
Ortio made his NHL debut last season and went on to post a 2.51 GAA and .891 save percentage in nine games. The Flames recently signed him to a two-year deal, but the financial terms weren’t immediately disclosed. Now we know that his contract becomes one-way in 2015-16, so while he’s a long shot to make the team’s opening game roster this season, they clearly see him as a significant candidate to land a regular roster spot in the not too distant future.
“I think we’ve got three good goaltenders here who all want a bite of the apple,” Flames GM Brad Treliving said, per the team’s website. “That only makes us better and that, to me in this business, it’s a competitive business and when you have competition, it brings out the best in everyone.
“That’s the goal. Bringing Joni into the mix now, it really just makes us deeper and stronger at the position.”
Hiller’s deal with the Flames only runs through the 2015-16 campaign and Ramo is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2015, so the Flames haven’t made a long-term commitment to any of their goalies. In other words, this season is set up to be an on-the-job audition with the potential prize of being the team’s starting goaltender for years to come up for grabs.