RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed forward Ryan Suzuki to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Suzuki $832,500 at the NHL level or $70,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level for all three seasons. He will receive a signing bonus of $277,500.

"Ryan is a skilled center with strong playmaking ability," said Waddell. "He's an exciting young player, and we believe he has a bright future in the NHL."

Suzuki, 18, posted 75 points (25g, 50a) in 65 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) games with the Barrie Colts last season. He has tallied 119 points (39g, 80a) in 129 career OHL games, and served as an alternate captain in 2018-19. During the 2017-18 season, Suzuki was teammates with Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov after being selected first overall by Barrie in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection. The 6'1", 183-pound forward played in the 2019 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, serving as an alternate captain on Team Orr. Suzuki represented Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning gold, and also at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. The London, Ont., native was selected by the Hurricanes in the first round, 28th overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft.