A Calgary Flames college prospect has signed a pro contract! Arizona State University defender/winger Demetrios Koumontzis, having just completed his redshirt season with the Sun Devils, has signed an ECHL contract with the Idaho Steelheads.

A product of the Phoenix area who also played hockey in Minnesota growing up, the 22-year-old Koumontzis was a fourth-round selection of the Flames in the 2018 NHL Draft. He’s spent five seasons with Arizona State – due to the pandemic, the NCAA allowed players to extend their eligibility by a season if their school had a spot for them – and he had 67 points in 142 NCAA games. Originally drafted as a forward, Koumontzis played some defence this past season due to a bunch of injuries on the Sun Devils’ blueline (and a glut of forwards on their roster), and he spent much of the back half of the season playing as a defender.

The Flames hold Koumontzis’ NHL rights through Aug. 15. All due respect to the player, but he’s a longshot to be signed to an NHL deal. His best offensive season in college was his freshman year, where he had 20 points in 35 games, and he hasn’t shown a ton of scoring progression over his time at ASU. He had 17 points in 37 games this season as one of the older and most experienced players on his team.

If we’re being honest, players sign ECHL deals because they’re not getting great offers from NHL or AHL clubs. But we’ll see if Koumontzis can impress with Idaho; stranger things have happened than late-blooming collegiate players blossoming in the ECHL.