The Calgary Flames announced today that they have renounced the rights to 2022 second-round pick Topi Ronni. The Finnish national was found guilty today of sexual assault in his home country, where he currently plays. Here’s what happened.
What happened to Topi Ronni
It came out in October of last year that Ronni had been charged with sexual assault following an incident that took place in 2021 when he was a minor. The Flames issued a statement at the time that they “became aware of a potential legal issue… following [their] selection of him in the 2022 NHL Draft.”
He withdrew from team activities—taking some time away from the game to attend to this matter—but was back with the team less than one month later. He issued a statement at the time—commenting on the public nature of this incident and the impact it had taken on himself and his loved ones—but made no mention of the victim.
Earlier today, he was found guilty of sexual assault and was given a one-year suspended sentence as a result. He was also released by Tappara, his club in Finland.
The Flames further announced that they had renounced their rights to this pick. He will not be signed to an entry-level deal and is officially no longer a prospect of the organization.
This was a suspect pick at the time, as there were numerous high-profile prospects still on the board. The Flames chose Ronni over Lane Hutson and David Goyette, both of whom seemed like better picks at the time and would have been better picks now.
With the Flames dealing with Dillon Dube and the Hockey Canada Scandal currently, having another player dealing with a similar charge is really not a good look for the team. The team did act swiftly to remove Ronni from their organization, which is really smart work from them.
The Flames have two picks left from this draft, forwards Parker Bell and Cade Littler.
