Canadian defenseman Ty Smith, 25, has signed a one-year contract with
Belarus-based KHL club Dinamo Minsk, Russian sports website
Championat.com reported on Thursday.
This is
Smith’s first contract to play overseas.
Born in
Lloydminster, Alta., Smith played junior hockey for the Spokane
Chiefs, whom he captained for two years and won the WHL and CHL
defenseman-of-the-year awards in 2018-19.
Smith
was drafted in the first round, 17th overall, by the New
Jersey Devils in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2020 and 2025, he
played 131 NHL regular-season games for the Devils, Pittsburgh
Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, recording 49 points and 52 penalty
minutes.
Smith
played the vast majority of his NHL games over two seasons with New
Jersey, and was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2021. Since being traded to Pittsburgh for John Marino in 2022, he
has only played a total of 17 NHL games.
Another Goalie Moves From NHL To KHL
Canadian goaltender Louis Domingue, 33, has signed a one-year
contract with Sibir Novosibirsk, the KHL club announced on Thursday.
Internationally,
Smith represented Canada at two IIHF U-18 World Championships and two
World Junior Championships, winning a World Junior gold in 2020.
Dinamo
Minsk, the only Belarus-based team in the KHL, finished fourth in the
Western Conference last season and won a playoff round for the first
time since joining the league in 2014. Smith joins a team that
includes fellow ex-NHLers Xavier Ouellet, Nicolas Meloche, Darren
Dietz, Vadim Shipachyov and goaltender Zach Fucale.
Photo © James Guillory-Imagn Images.
French-Born Ex-Wing, Hab Signs Contract Extension In KHL
French-born Canadian defenseman Xavier Ouellet, 31, has signed a
two-year contract extension with Dinamo Minsk, the
KHL website announced on Tuesday.
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