Firebirds trade Red Wings prospect Vili Saarijarvi to Mississauga

By @MichaelCaples –

It’s been a quiet day so far for NHL clubs as the lead-up to the 2016 draft continues.

However, one Red Wings prospect is on the move – kind of.

The Flint Firebirds announced today that they have traded Red Wings draftee Vili Saarijarvi to the Mississauga Steelheads.

“It is unfortunate that Vili was unwilling to continue here in Flint, especially with our new group in place,” said Flint Firebirds general manager George Burnett in a release. “Vili’s representation made it very clear that a move was necessary or we risked losing him to the Finnish Elite League. Therefore, we wanted to find the best move possible for our club.”

The Firebirds receive forward Everett Clark, Sudbury’s second-round pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, Mississauga’s fifth-round pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection and a conditional second-round pick from Mississauga in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection.

Clark, a Whitby, Ont., native, posted 35 points in 59 games while serving as an assistant captain for the Steelheads in 2015-16.

With a price tag like that, it seems likely that Saarijarvi will be spending another season in the OHL, after the Red Wings called him up to Grand Rapids at the conclusion of his 2015-16 campaign with Flint. Saarijarvi ended up playing in five games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, recording one goal and three assists.

Last season, his first year in the OHL after Flint claimed him in the CHL Import Draft, Saarijarvi posted 12 goals and 31 assists in 59 games.

He was selected by the Red Wings in the third round of last summer’s NHL Draft.