RALEIGH, NC. - Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed defenseman Dominik Badinka to a three-year, entry-level contract. Badinka will receive $775,000 at the NHL level and $85,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level for all three seasons, and the deal will include signing bonuses worth $282,150.
“Dominik is a puck-moving defenseman with good length and mobility,” said Hurricanes Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke. “He played very well as an 18-year-old against tough competition in Sweden last season, and we’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.”
Badinka, 18, posted four points (1g, 3a) in 33 SHL games with Malmo IF in 2023-24, and he was one of only three defensemen aged 19 or younger to record a point in the SHL last season. The 6’3”, 185-pound defenseman also skated in 17 games with Malmo’s junior team in 2023-24, tallying 13 points (2g, 11a). Badinka played in Finland in 2022-23, registering 23 points (5g, 21a) in 43 games with Jokerit’s junior team. He began his career with Pirati Chomutov in Czechia and tallied 59 points (14g, 45a) in 49 games in three seasons with Pirati’s under-17 team from 2019-22. The Chomutov, Czechia, native represented his home country at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and posted two assists in five games. Badinka was selected by the Hurricanes in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2024 NHL Draft.
