Topi Ronni sentenced in Finland court for rape, Flames renounce rights to 2022 pick
Finland’s Topi Ronni, centre, skates between Canada goaltender Thomas Milic, left, and Nolan Allen during first period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship pre-tournament hockey action in Halifax on Friday, December 23, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)
Calgary Flames draft pick Topi Ronni has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence for rape committed as a young person by the District Court of Helsinki.
Ronni's Finnish Elite League team, Tappara Tampere, made the announcement on its website Tuesday and said it has terminated his contract.
The Flames, who drafted him in the second round (59th overall) in the 2022 NHL draft, announced later Tuesday that they have renounced the rights to the unsigned Ronni effective immediately.
The 19-year-old Ronni apologized in a statement on Tappara Tampere's website.
Ronni was first charged in October, with his Finnish team announcing he was stepping away from team activities as he was being investigated in Finland.
The incident occurred in 2021, when Ronni was a minor.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2024.
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