San Jose Sharks sent 10-year veteran goaltender, Antero Niittymaki(1) down to their AHL affiliate in Worcester for a conditioning stint after starting the season with the team on injury reserve.
He last saw action in the league in 2005 as the Calder Cup winning goalie for Philadelphia Phantoms, where he won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP.
He played 161 games over 5 years for the Flyers, the team that originally picked him in the 6th round of the 1998 draft (#168 overall) before getting signing with Tampa Bay Lightning for a season. In 2010 he inked a two-year deal with San Jose, but has been hindered by the injury bug.
At 31-years old, it’s very doubtful they will re-sign him for a third year and he will probably end up playing in his home country of Finland to round out his pro career.
