Red Wings draft pick Vili Saarijarvi officially signs with Flint Firebirds

By @MichaelCaples –

The Flint Firebirds added a defenseman to their roster today, and he’s one that should be staying in Michigan for a long time to come.

The OHL club officially announced the signing of Vili Saarijärvi, their No. 9 overall draft pick in this past summer’s CHL Import Draft. Saarijarvi, a defenseman from Rovaniemi, Finland, was the Red Wings’ third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

“I want to thank the Firebirds organization for picking me in the [CHL] Import Draft and giving me an opportunity to play in one of the best hockey leagues in the world,” Saarijärvi said, via the Firebirds’ official site. “This is a first class organization and I could not be more excited to play in a hockey city like Flint.”

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound defenseman played in the USHL last year, which means he’s already growing accustomed to the North American style of hockey.

The Firebirds management is excited to add a player of his caliber, as well.

“The Detroit Red Wings scouting history, especially in Europe, has been second to none,” said Flint GM Terry Christensen. “Given that they felt good enough about Vili’s abilities as a player and his character and that he could potentially play for their club one day, shows a stamp of approval on a player that we were highly interested in.”