Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Dmitri Samorukov has signed a three-year contract with HC CSKA Moscow of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
That team announced the transaction via a release on Thursday.
Samorukov initially joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by signing a one-year American Hockey League (AHL) contract on July 31, 2023. Following the first 15 games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 2023-24 season, Samorukov signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins that carried a salary cap hit of $775,000 on Nov. 21.
Despite being on the NHL roster for a handful of weeks following that signing, Samorukov never played in any contests with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 12.
A left-handed shot who can play both sides of a defensive pairing, Samorukov appeared in 64 AHL games last season and scored 15 points (five goals, 10 assists).
Samorukov, a native of Volgograd, Russia, previously played for HC CSKA Moscow during the 2020-21 season.
Following this transaction, defenseman Taylor Fedun is the only player who finished the 2023-24 season under an expiring NHL contract with the Penguins who has not signed elsewhere (or retired).
