Maple Leafs sign Karpat defenceman Teemu Kivihalme to contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their European signing tour by inking American-Finnish defenceman Teemu Kivihalme to a contract.

The one-year, entry-level deal was announced by the team Tuesday.

Kivihalme was drafted 140th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2013 but never played a game with the organization.

The 23-year-old was born and raised in the United States but is a dual citizen. He has spent the past two seasons with Karpat in Finland’s Liiga after a three-year stint at Colorado College.

Kivihalme is a 6-foot, 181-pound left-shot blueliner who had nine goals and 30 points in 60 games during the 2018-19 campaign.

In the past week, the Maple Leafs have also signed KHL forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Egor Korshkov.