Free-agent goaltender Antti Niemi joins San Jose Sharks on one-year contract

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose have added a Stanley Cup champion to their goal crease.

Antti Niemi has signed a one-year contract, joining the team he helped bounce from the playoffs last season.

Niemi helped the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup last June, only to become a free agent after the team walked away from a US$2.75-million, one-year contract that was awarded by an arbitrator.

Terms of Niemi's deal with San Jose were not disclosed.

The 27-year-old Finn has appeared in 42 career regular-season games, registering a record of 27-8-5. He played all but one period of the Blackhawks post-season run.

"Antti's play last season speaks for itself," Sharks GM Doug Wilson said in a statement.