Calgary Flames Top 10 Prospect in Deep Legal Trouble

The Calgary Flames' second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Finnish forward Topi Ronni, if facing criminal charges after receiving a summons for a rape allegation in his native Finland, and has taken a leave of absence from Tappara Tampere, his Finnish league club. 

The Flames have issued a statement regarding Topi Ronni. pic.twitter.com/GDKiG7Q2Xn

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 19, 2023

The Flames released a statement saying they became aware of an "incident" following their selection of Ronni in the '22 Draft and they will be letting the legal process take its course. 

The 19-year-old spoke about the charges for the incident that took place while he was underage. 

“Today, I have received a summons application related to the matter,” Ronni said in a statement (translated from Finnish). “The last two or so years have been hard waiting for the matter to progress. I trust that the related course of events will be clarified in connection with the trial. For the time being, I’m out of the team’s activities and I’m focusing on handling the matter.” 

Ronni was selected with the No. 59 overall pick in the 2022 Draft, and is a Top 10 prospect in the Flames organization. This was supposed to be a huge season for his development, with his first full year on a pro team, while he was also expected to be a top two centre for Finland at the World Juniors. 

All of that is in question as of now.

The Flames have not yet signed Ronni to an entry-level contract. 

 Photo: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports