Rick Grimes Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I was just doing a little bit of searchin' around and found this list of active former NHL players playing overseas - and it is one hell of a list! I was not aware Kozlov was still skatin' around, Ozolinsh too. Warning: Huge list. http://larry-fisher.com/2014/05/02/where-are-they-now-a-complete-list-of-nhlers-playing-overseas/ Cheers, I hope you guys enjoy reading through it as much as I did Kontinental Hockey League (#1) ▪ Teams and Countries: 28 Teams in 8 Countries (Russia – 21, Croatia – 1, Czech Republic – 1, Belarus -1 , Kazakhstan – 1, Latvia -1, Slovakia – 1, Ukraine – 1) ▪ 183 Former/Current NHL Players Vyacheslav (Slava) Kozlov – (1,182 NHL Games) – Moscow Spartak Miroslav Satan – (1,050 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Sandis Ozolinsh – (875 NHL Games) – Riga Dynamo Ruslan Fedotenko – (863 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Ilya Kovalchuk – (816 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Nikolai Antropov – (788 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Martin Skoula – (776 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Alexei Ponikarovsky – (678 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Brent Sopel – (659 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Maxim Afinogenov – (651 NHL Games) – Chekhov Vityaz Alexander Frolov – (579 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow / Omsk Avangard Vitaly Vishnevsky – (552 NHL Games) – Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Jan Bulis – (552 NHL Games) – Chelyabinsk Traktor Dmitri Kalinin – (539 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Randy Robitaille – (531 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Ian White – (501 NHL Games) – Chelyabinsk Traktor Jonathan Cheechoo – (501 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Oleg Kvasha – (493 NHL Games) – Omsk Avangard / Moscow Spartak *(Also played in VHL – Russia) Mike Commodore – (484 NHL Games) – Vladivostok Admiral Deron Quint – (463 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow / Moscow Spartak Wojtek Wolski – (451 NHL Games) – Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo Alexei Morozov – (451 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow Nikolai Zherdev – (421 NHL Games) – Cherepovets Severstal / Moscow Spartak Kurtis Foster – (405 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Andrei Kostitsyn – (398 NHL Games) – Chelyabinsk Traktor Niko Kapanen – (397 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Branko Radivojevic – (393 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan / Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik Erik Christensen – (387 NHL Games) – Prague Lev *(Also Played in Sweden) Brian Willsie – (381 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL *(Also played in Sweden and SM-Liiga – Finland) Sergei Kostitsyn – (353 NHL Games) – Omsk Avangard Mathieu Garon – (341 NHL Games) – Omsk Avangard Lukas Krajicek – (328 NHL Games) – Minsk Dynamo Oleg Saprykin – (325 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow Cam Barker – (310 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Ryan O’Byrne – (308 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Alexander Korolyuk – (296 NHL Games) – Chekhov Vityaz Anton Babchuk – (289 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Mike Lundin – (252 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Branislav Mezei – (240 NHL Games) – Chekhov Vityaz Marcel Hossa – (237 NHL Games) – Riga Dynamo Tom Wandell – (229 NHL Games) – Moscow Spartak Andrew Murray – (221 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Dustin Boyd – (220 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Nigel Dawes – (212 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Alexei Semenov – (211 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Tim Brent – (207 NHL Games) – Magnitogorsk Metallurg / Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo Evgeny Artyukhin – (199 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Stanislav Chistov – (196 NHL Games) – Chelyabinsk Traktor Alexander Burmistrov – (194 NHL Games) – Kazan Ak-Bars Jiri Novotny – (189 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Alexander Svitov – (179 NHL Games) – Kazan Ak-Bars Sami Lepisto – (176 NHL Games) – Yekaterinburg Automobilist Nicklas Bergfors – (173 NHL Games) – Vladivostok Admiral Brandon Bochenski – (156 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Alexander Radulov – (154 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow Kevin Dallman – (154 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Martin Cibak – (154 NHL Games) – Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik / Chekhov Vityaz Krys Kolanos – (149 NHL Games) – Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo Curtis Sanford – (144 NHL Games) – Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Derek Meech – (144 NHL Games) – Minsk Dynamo Konstantin Koltsov – (144 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Enver Lisin – (135 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow Petr Schastlivy – (129 NHL Games) – HK Sarov *(Also played in VHL – Russia) Alexander Perezhogin – (128 NHL Games) – Omsk Avangard Tomas Surovy – (126 NHL Games) – Minsk Dynamo Tim Stapleton – (118 NHL Games) – Kazan Ak-Bars Mikael Tellqvist – (114 NHL Games) – Riga Dynamo Cal O’Reilly – (113 NHL Games) – Metallurg Magnitogorsk *(Also played in VHL – Russia and in AHL – Utica Comets) Richard Lintner – (112 NHL Games) – Minsk Dynamo *(Also Played in Slovakia) Mike Leighton – (106 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Patrick Thoresen – (106 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Paul Szczechura – (92 NHL Games) – Riga Dynamo Eric Chouinard – (90 NHL Games) – Minsk Dynamo *(Also played in Norway) Sergei Gusev – (89 NHL Games) – Yekaterinburg Automobilist Tomas Vincour – (88 NHL Games) – Kazan Ak-Bars Dan Sexton – (88 NHL Games) – Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Bill Thomas – (87 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Michael Ryan – (83 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Vladimir Zharkov – (82 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow Mark Popovic – (81 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Dylan Reese – (77 NHL Games) – Khabarovsk Amur Marc-Andre Gragnani – (74 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Michal Repik – (72 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Dmitry Bykov – (71 NHL Games) – Khabarovsk Amur Oskars Bartulis – (66 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Jakub Klepis – (66 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Staffan Kronwall – (66 NHL Games) – Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Nathan Oystrick – (65 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Sergei Varlamov – (63 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Matt Murley – (62 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Viktor Tikhonov – (61 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Milan Bartovic – (59 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Pavel Vorobiev – (57 NHL Games) – Chekhov Vityaz * (Also played in VHL – Russia) Evgeny Dadonov – (55 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Stefan Ruzicka – (55 NHL Games) – Omsk Avangard / Salavat Yulaev Ufa *(Also played in VHL – Russia) Antti Pihlstrom – (54 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Nikita Filatov – (53 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Mikhail Yakubov – (53 NHL Games) – Khanty-Mansiysk Yugra Teemu Hartikainen – (52 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev David Ullstrom – (49 NHL Games) – Prague Lev / Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Jan Mursak – (46 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow / Khabarovsk Amur Geoff Platt – (46 NHL Games) – Minsk Dynamo / Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Bob Sanguinetti – (45 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Matt Ellison – (43 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL *(Also played in NLA – Switzerland) Igor Radulov – (43 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Leo Komarov – (42 NHL Games) – Moscow Dynamo Mike Glumac – (40 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Maxim Kondratiev – (40 NHL Games) – Chelyabinsk Traktor Kyle Wilson – (39 NHL Games) – Riga Dynamo Roman Cervenka – (39 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Jonas Holos – (39 NHL Games) – Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Ray Giroux – (38 NHL Games) – Novokuznetsk Metallurg Clay Wilson – (36 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Kirill Safronov – (35 NHL Games) – Khanty-Mansiysk Yugra *(Also played in VHL – Russia and Slovakia) Evgeny Grachev – (34 NHL Games) – Vladivostok Admiral Peter Olvecky – (32 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Boyd Kane – (31 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Andre Deveaux – (31 NHL Games) – Yekaterinburg Automobilist Henrik Karlsson – (26 NHL Games) – Omsk Avangard *(Also played in Sweden) Kristian Kudroc – (26 NHL Games) – Antana Barys / Novosinirsk Sibir Denis Tolpeko – (26 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev / Nizhneskamsk Netftekhimik Michael Garnett – (24 NHL Games) – Chelyabinsk Traktor Timofei Shishkanov – (24 NHL Games) – Khabarovsk Amur Martins Karsums – (24 NHL Games) – Moscow Dynamo Josh Hennessy – (23 NHL Games) – Chekhov Vityaz Maksim Mayorov – (22 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Jarkko Immonen – (20 NHL Games) – Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo Zach Hamill – (20 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Ryan Vesce – (19 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL *Evgeny Kuznetsov – (17+ NHL Games) – Celyabinsk Traktor *(Currently with NHL – Washington Capitals) Teemu Laakso – (17 NHL Games) – Cherepovets Severstal Filip Novak – (17 NHL Games) – Moscow Dynamo Konstantin Pushkarev – (17 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Tomas Mojzis – (17 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Zdenek Kutlak – (16 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Petr Vrana – (16 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Lukas Kaspar – (16 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Vladimir Mihalik – (15 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Arturs Kulda – (15 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Andreas Engqvist – (15 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Janis Sprukts – (14 NHL Games) – Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Alan Letang – (14 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Brandon Reid – (13 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow Tomas Kubalik – (12 NHL Games) – Prague Lev Mike Iggulden – (12 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL / Chekhov Vityaz Petri Kontiola – (12 NHL Games) – Chelyabinsk Traktor Barry Brust – (11 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Mark Katic – (11 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Ilya Zubov – (11 NHL Games) – Vladivostok Admiral Alexander Boikov – (10 NHL Games) – Moscow Dynamo *(Also played in VHL – Russia) Sergei Zinovjev – (10 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Jonas Andersson – (9 NHL Games) – Khanty-Mansiysk Yugra Sergei Shirokov – (8 NHL Games) – Omsk Avangard / CKSA Moscow Shaun Heshka – (8 NHL Games) – Kazan Ak-Bars Janne Pesonen – (7 NHL Games) – Kazan Ak-Bars Radek Smolenak – (7 NHL Games) – Khanty-Mansiysk Yugra Janne Niskala – (6 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Tony Martensson – (6 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Mario Bliznak – (6 NHL Games) – Bratislava Slovan Jaroslav Kristek – (6 NHL Games) – Minsk Dynamo *(Also played in Belarus) Alexei Kaigorodov – (6 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Ivan Vishnevskiy – (5 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Charles Linglet – (5 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Andrey Zubarev – (4 NHL Games) – Ufa Salavat Yulayev Vitali Yeremeyev – (4 NHL Games) – Antana Barys Mikko Koskinen – (4 NHL Games) – Novosibirsk Sibir *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Kurtis McLean – (4 NHL Games) – Novokuznetsk Metallurg Oskar Osala – (3 NHL Games) – Magnitogorsk Metallurg / Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik Yuri Babenko – (3 NHL Games) – Moscow Dynamo Petteri Wirtanen – (3 NHL Games) – Donbass HC Alexander Nikulin – (3 NHL Games) – Moscow Spartak Alexei Mikhnov – (2 NHL Games) – Moscow Oblast Atlant Alexander Salak – (2 NHL Games) – St. Petersburg SKA Hugh Jessiman – (2 NHL Games) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Jakub Petruzalek – (2 NHL Games) – Khabarovsk Amur Brian Salcido – (2 NHL Games) – Khabarovsk Amur *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Matt Anderson – (2 NHL Games) – Moscow Spartak Jakub Petruzalek – (2 NHL Games) – Kazan Ak-Bars Mark Dekanich – (1 NHL Game) – Zagreb Medvescak KHL Johan Backlund – (1 NHL Game) – Chekhov Vityaz Jonathan Sigalet – (1 NHL Game) – Bratislava Slovan Ivan Baranka – (1 NHL Game) – Omsk Avangard Alexei Vasiliev – (1 NHL Game) – Yaroslavl Lokomotiv LOKALMATADOR.DE Jochen Hecht, who made his mark in the NHL as a former teammate of Satan’s in Buffalo, has returned to his roots in Germany, playing for his hometown Mannheim Eagles of the DEL. Hecht spent four seasons (1994-98) with this team before making the jump to the NHL where he played for the better part of a decade. And Hecht still has game, leading Mannheim in scoring this past season with 15 goals and 36 points in 49 games — equaling his age at 36 years old. German Ice Hockey League / Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) (#2) ▪ Teams and Countries: 14 Teams all in Germany ▪ 76 Former NHL Players Jochen Hecht – (833 NHL Games) – Mannheim Eagles Steven Reinprecht – (663 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Mike York – (579 NHL Games) – Iserlohn Roosters Mark Bell – (450 NHL Games) – Berlin Polar Bears Matt Pettinger – (422 NHL Games) – Hamburg Freezers Daniel Tjarnqvist – (352 NHL Games) – Cologne Sharks Christoph Schubert – (315 NHL Games) – Hamburg Freezers Jeff Woywitka – (278 NHL Games) – Augsburger Panther Duvie Westcott – (201 NHL Games) – Hamburg Freezers Kris Beech – (198 NHL Games) – Straubing Tigers *(Also played in Austria) Ryan Bayda – (179 NHL Games) – Augsburger Panther Jordan Hendry – (131 NHL Games) – Straubing Tigers Matt Smaby – (122 NHL Games) – Munich EHC Philippe Dupuis – (116 NHL Games) – Hamburg Freezers Jeff Giuliano – (101 NHL Games) – Iserlohn Roosters Joel Perrault – (96 NHL Games) – Krenfeld Penguins Sebastien Caron – (95 NHL Games) – Hamburg Freezers / Iserlohn Roosters Yan Stastny – (91 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Tyler Bouck – (91 NHL Games) – Ingolstadt ERC Greg Classen – (90 NHL Games) – Ingolstadt ERC John Zeiler – (90 NHL Games) – Augsburger Panther Ivan Ciernik – (89 NHL Games) – Augsburger Panther Brett Festerling – (88 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nick Palmieri – (87 NHL Games) – Munich EHC Andy Wozniewski – (79 NHL Games) – Munich EHC Mika Noronen – (71 NHL Games) – Munich EHC *(Also played in NLA – Switzerland) Karl Stewart – (69 NHL Games) – Straubing Tigers Ramzi Abid – (68 NHL Games) – Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Mathieu Roy – (66 NHL Games) – Hamburg Freezers Tim Conboy – (59 NHL Games) – Ingolstadt ERC Matt Foy – (56 NHL Games) – Berlin Polar Bears Erik Ersberg – (53 NHL Games) – Iserlohn Roosters Eric Beaudoin – (53 NHL Games) – Straubing Tigers *(Also played in NLA – Switzerland) Herbert Vasiljevs – (51 NHL Games) – Krenfeld Penguins Danny Richmond – (49 NHL Games) – Munich EHC Simon Gamache – (48 NHL Games) – Mannheim Eagles Steve Wagner – (46 NHL Games) – Mannheim Eagles John Tripp – (43 NHL Games) – Cologne Sharks Chris Minard – (40 NHL Games) – Cologne Sharks Jason Bacashihua – (38 NHL Games) – Straubing Tigers Jaime Sifers – (37 NHL Games) – Mannheim Eagles Norm Milley – (29 NHL Games) – Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams Steven Regier – (26 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Ty Wishart – (26 NHL Games) – Schwenningen Wild Wings Colten Teubert – (24 NHL Games) – Iserlohn Roosters Darren Haydar – (23 NHL Games) – Munich EHC Sascha Goc – (22 NHL Games) – Schwenningen Wild Wings Mike Vernace – (22 NHL Games) – Mannheim Eagles Matt Hussey – (21 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Barry Tallackson – (20 NHL Games) – Berlin Polar Bears Connor James – (16 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Casey Borer – (16 NHL Games) – Berlin Polar Bears Jared Ross – (13 NHL Games) – Ingolstadt ERC David Printz – (13 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Yanick Lehoux – (10 NHL Games) – Mannheim Eagles Greg Moore – (10 NHL Games) – Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams Jason Jaspers – (9 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Jame Pollock – (9 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Charlie Stephens – (8 NHL Games) – Cologne Sharks Rob Collins – (8 NHL Games) – Cologne Sharks Nathan Robinson – (7 NHL Games) – Cologne Sharks Jon DiSalvatore – (6 NHL Games) – Munich EHC *(Also played in AHL – Syracuse Crunch) Jon Rheault – (5 NHL Games) – Mannheim Eagles Carsen Germyn – (4 NHL Games) – Straubing Tigers *(Also played in Sweden) Ryan Caldwell – (4 NHL Games) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Dmitri Patzold – (3 NHL Games) – Schwenningen Wild Wings Alex Foster – (3 NHL Games) – Iserlohn Roosters Travis Turnbull – (3 NHL Games) – Ingolstadt ERC Marcel Mueller – (3 NHL Games) – Cologne Sharks Mike Connolly – (2 NHL Games) – Augsburger Panther Tyler Weiman – (1 NHL Game) – Nuermberg Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Grant Lewis – (1 NHL Game) – Munich EHC Danny Bois – (1 NHL Game) – Munich EHC Shawn Lalonde – (1 NHL Game) – Berlin Polar Bears Timo Pielmeier – (1 NHL Game) – Ingolstadt ERC Brodie Dupont – (1 NHL Game) – Iserlohn Roosters Antti Romsi/www.romsi.net Sami Kapanen, now 40, still hasn’t hung ‘em up either. He’s fresh off his fifth season with KalPa Kuopio of the SM-liiga in his native Finland. Kapanen’s point totals have been declining, however, with only 7 goals and 13 points to show for his efforts in 35 games in 2013-14. An NHL comeback doesn’t appear to be in the cards, but Kapanen’s 17-year-old son, Kasperi, is primed to carry the family torch as a projected first-round pick for this June’s NHL entry draft. SM-liiga (Finish Elite League) (#3) ▪ Teams and Countries: 14 Teams all in Finland ▪ 69 Former/Current NHL Players *Jeff Halpern – (976+ NHL Games) – TPS Turku *(Finished Season with NHL – Phoenix Coyotes) Sami Kapanen – (831 NHL Games) – KalPa Kuopio Niklas Hagman – (770 NHL Games) – Assat Pori Jarkko Ruutu – (652 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki Shaone Morrisonn – (480 NHL Games) – TPS Turku Ossi Vaananen – (479 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki Ladislav Nagy – (435 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki Milan Jurcina – (430 NHL Games) – TPS Turku Ville Nieminen – (385 NHL Games) – Tappara Tampere Ville Peltonen – (382 NHL Games) – HIFK Helsinki Brian Willsie – (381 NHL Games) – TPS Turku *(Also played in KHL and Sweden) Josh Green – (341 NHL Games) – Tappara Tampere Eric Perrin – (245 NHL Games) – JyP HT Jyvaskyla Kamil Kreps – (232 NHL Games) – Assat Pori Rico Fata – (230 NHL Games) – HIFK Helsinki Lasse Kukkonen – (159 NHL Games) – Karpat Jere Karalahti – (149 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki Petteri Nummelin – (139 NHL Games) – Lukko Rauma Jussi Markkanen – (128 NHL Games) – SaiPa Lappeenranta Fredrik Norrena – (100 NHL Games) – TPS Turku Riku Hahl – (92 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki Tomas Plihal – (89 NHL Games) – Tappara Tampere Dan Sexton – (88 NHL Games) – TPS Turku *(Also played in KHL) Daniel Corso – (77 NHL Games) – Ilves Tampere *(Also played in Mestis – Finland and NLB – Switzerland) Tony Salmelainen – (70 NHL Games) – HIFK Helsinki Ramzi Abid – (68 NHL Games) – JyP HT Jyvaskyla *(Also played in DEL – Germany) Jani Rita – (66 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki Esa Pirnes – (57 NHL Games) – Karpat *(Also played in Sweden) Trevor Gillies – (57 NHL Games) – HIFK Helinki *(Also played in AHL – Abbotsford Heat and ECHL – Orlando Solar Bears) Ivan Huml – (49 NHL Games) – Karpat Ben Maxwell – (47 NHL Games) – Karpat Aaron Gagnon – (38 NHL Games) – Lukko Rauma *(Also played in Sweden) Pavel Rosa – (38 NHL Games) – Pelicans *(Also played in Czech League) Mika Pyorala – (36 NHL Games) – Karpat *Rasmus Ristolainen – (34+ NHL Games) – TPS Turku *(Also played with NHL – Buffalo Sabres and AHL – Rochester Americans) Ilkka Pikkarainen – (31 NHL Games) – Pelicans Antti-Jussi Niemi – (29 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki Ben Walter – (24 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki *(Also played in Sweden) Timo Parssinen – (17 NHL Games) – Pelicans Mikko Lehtonen – (15 NHL Games) – Karpat Tuomas Pihlman – (15 NHL Games) – JyP HT Jyvaskyla / Assat Pori Phil McRae – (15 NHL Games) – Blues Jussi Timonen – (14 NHL Games) – KalPa Kuopio Leland Irving – (13 NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki David Printz – (13 NHL Games) – KalPa Kuopio *(Also played in DEL – Germany) Raymond Sawada – (11 NHL Games) – Tappara Tampere Steven Zalewski – (10 NHL Games) – Lukko Rauma Patrick Davis – (9 NHL Games) – SaiPa Lappeenranta Andy Chiodo – (8 NHL Games) – Tappara Tampere *(Also played in Mestis – Finland) Jakub Cutta – (8 NHL Games) – SaiPa Lappeenranta *(Also played in Czech league) Justin DiBenedetto – (8 NHL Games) – Blues *(Also played in Sweden) Radek Smolenak – (7 NHL Games) – Pelicans *(Also played in KHL) Petr Hubacek – (6 NHL Games) – JyP HT Jyvaskyla Brad Thiessen – (5 NHL Games) – HIFK Helsinki *(Also played in AHL – Norfolk Admirals) Lauri Tukonen – (5 NHL Games) – Lukko Rauma Mikko Koskinen – (4 NHL Games) – Kalpa Kuopio / Blues *(Also played in KHL) *Teuvo Teravainen – (3+ NHL Games) – Jokerit Helsinki *(Played end of season with NHL – Chicago Blackhawks and AHL – Rockford IceHogs ) Jussi Rynnas – (3 NHL Games) – Karpat Mikko Luoma – (3 NHL Games) – JyP HT Jyvaskyla Corey Elkins – (3 NHL Games) – HIFK Helsinki Colby Cohen – (3 NHL Games) – Assat Pori Brian Salcido – (2 NHL Games) – JyP HT Jyvaskyla *(Also played in KHL) Olli Malmivaara – (2 NHL Games) – Blues Tomi Maki – (1 NHL Game) – Jokerit Helsinki Mikko Jokela – (1 NHL Game) – HIFK Helsinki Ryan Thang – (1 NHL Game) – HIFK Helsinki *(Also played in Sweden1) Marty Jarventie – (1 NHL Game) – Ilves Tampere Masi Marjamaki – (1 NHL Game) – Ilves Tampere Jamie Arniel – (1 NHL Game) – KalPa Kuopio / Lukko Rauma *(Also played in Austria) TT Nyhetsbyrån/www.webbsporten.se Much like Sami Kapanen in Finland, Michael Nylander is well past his prime in Sweden at 41 years old, but the latter was also still an active player in 2013-14. Nylander’s career came full circle this past season, suiting up for 8 games with AIK of the SweHL — formerly the Swedish Elite League. It’s the same club that Nylander got his professional start with back in 1991, and this may have been his swan song, considering he only managed 1 assist in this short stint. He also played 25 games in Sweden’s second division, recording 3 goals and 9 points. Nylander shares the second-generation potential as well, with his son, William Nylander, being the second-ranked European skater for this year’s NHL draft behind Kasperi Kapanen. SHL (Sweden) (Tied #4) ▪ Teams and Countries: 12 Teams all in Sweden ▪ 65 Former NHL Players Michael Nylander – (920 NHL Games) – AIK *(Also played in Swe-1) Samuel Pahlsson – (798 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik Marcus Nilson – (521 NHL Games) – HV71 Jonkoping Colby Armstrong – (476 NHL Games) – Vaxjo HC Chris Campoli – (440 NHL Games) – HV71 Jonkoping *(Also played is NLA – Switzerland) Jan Hlavac – (436 NHL Games) – Vaxjo HC *(Also played in Czech) Erik Christensen – (387 NHL Games) – HV71 Jonkoping *(Also Played in KHL) Brian Willsie – (381 NHL Games) – Orebro HK *(Also played in KHL and SM-Liiga – Finland) Christian Bäckman – (302 NHL Games) – Frolunda HC Petteri Nokelainen – (245 NHL Games) – Brynas IF Gavle Jeff Tambellini – (242 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik Jason Krog – (202 NHL Games) – HV71 Jonkoping Ole-Kristian Tollefsen – (163 NHL Games) – Farjestads BK Karlstad Tomi Kallio – (140 NHL Games) – Vaxjo HC Joel Lundqvist – (134 NHL Games) – Frolunda HC Kyle Cumiskey – (132 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik Derek Joslin – (116 NHL Games) – AIK T.J. Hensick – (112 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik *(Also played in AHL – Hartford Wolf Pack) Anssi Salmela – (112 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik / HV71 Jonkoping Fabian Brunnstrom – (105 NHL Games) – Leksands IF / Frolunda HC Tim Wallace – (101 NHL Games) – Orebro HK Liam Reddox – (100 NHL Games) – Vaxjo HC Johan Holmqvist – (98 NHL Games) – Brynas IF Gavle Cory Murphy – (91 NHL Games) – Vaxjo HC Joakim Lindstrom – (91 NHL Games) – Skelleftea AIK Brett Carson – (90 NHL Games) – AIK Oscar Moller – (87 NHL Games) – Skelleftea AIK Christian Berglund – (86 NHL Games) – Farjestads BK Karlstad Rickard Wallin – (79 NHL Games) – Farjestads BK Karlstad Linus Omark – (79 NHL Games) – Lulea HF *(Also played with NHL – Buffalo Sabres/Edmonton Oilers and AHL – Oklahoma City Barons) Noah Welch – (75 NHL Games) – Vaxjo HC Matt Lashoff – (74 NHL Games) – Leksands IF Niklas Nordgren – (58 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik Esa Pirnes – (57 NHL Games) – AIK *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Magnus Johansson – (45 NHL Games) – Linkopings HC Mattias Ritola – (43 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik Jonas Frogren – (41 NHL Games) – Skelleftea AIK Ryan Russell – (41 NHL Games) – Leksands IF Aaron Gagnon – (38 NHL Games) – HV71 Jonkoping *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Kent McDonell – (32 NHL Games) – Linkopings HC Brett Sterling – (30 NHL Games) – HV71 Jonkoping / Orebro HK Henrik Karlsson – (26 NHL Games) – Skelleftea AIK *(Also played in KHL) Andreas Thuresson – (25 NHL Games) – Brynas IF Gavle Ben Walter – (24 NHL Games) – Orebro HK *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Shawn Belle – (20 NHL Games) – Farjestads BK Karlstad Richie Regehr – (20 NHL Games) – Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik Jared Aulin – (17 NHL Games) – Orebro HK Pavel Skrbek – (12 NHL Games) – Lulea HF Johan Harju – (10 NHL Games) – Brynas IF Gavle Justin DiBenedetto – (8 NHL Games) – Orebro HK *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Garrett Stafford – (7 NHL Games) – Farjestads BK Karlstad *(Also played in NLA – Switzerland) Rhett Rakhshani – (7 NHL Games) – Vaxjo HC Dave Liffiton – (7 NHL Games) – Farjestads BK Karlstad Akim Aliu – (7 NHL Games) – AIK *(Also played in AHL – Hartford Wolf Pack, Hamilton Bulldogs) Chad Kolarik – (6 NHL Games) – Linkopings HC Linus Klasen – (4 NHL Games) – Lulea HF Jonas Junland – (4 NHL Games) – Linkopings HC Carsen Germyn – (4 NHL Games) – AIK *(Also played in DEL – Germany) Daniel Taylor – (3 NHL Games) – Farjestads BK Karlstad Billy Sweatt – (3 NHL Games) – Brynas IF Gavle Jonas Nordquist – (3 NHL Games) – Brynas IF Gavle Bjorn Melin – (3 NHL Games) – AIK Per Ledin – (3 NHL Games) – Lulea HF Iiro Tarkki – (1 NHL Game) – Linkopings HC Johan Motin – (1 NHL Game) – Orebro HK www.gshc.ch (Geneve Servette official site) Matthew Lombardi is one of the players on this list who could still have an NHL future. He just turned 32 in March, but spent this past season with Geneve Servette in Switzerland’s top league, leading the team in scoring with 20 goals and 50 points in 46 games. Time will tell whether that showing was enough to warrant another opportunity in North America as he’ll likely be seeking an NHL contract or tryout this off-season. National League A (Switzerland) (Tied #4) ▪ Teams and Countries: 12 Teams all in Switzerland ▪ 65 Former NHL Players Richard Park – (738 NHL Games) – Ambri-Piotta Antti Miettinen – (539 NHL Games) – Fribourg-Gotteron Matthew Lombardi – (536 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette Marc-Andre Bergeron – (490 NHL Games) – Zurich Kyle Wellwood – (489 NHL Games) – Zug Jim Vandermeer – (461 NHL Games) – Kloten Jason Williams – (455 NHL Games) – Ambri-Piotta Chris Campoli – (440 NHL Games) – Lugano *(Also played in Sweden) Glen Metropolit – (407 NHL Games) – Lugano Brett McLean – (385 NHL Games) – Lugano Rostislav Olesz – (365 NHL Games) – Bern Guillaume Latendresse – (341 NHL Games) – Zurich Brian Boucher – (328 NHL Games) – Zug Byron Ritchie – (324 NHL Games) – Bern Ryan Shannon – (305 NHL Games) – Zurich Steve McCarthy – (302 NHL Games) – Zurich Peter Mueller – (297 NHL Games) – Kloten Joel Kwiatkowski – (282 NHL Games) – Zurich Cristobal Huet – (273 NHL Games) – Lausanne Hnat Domenichelli – (267 NHL Games) – Lugano/Bern Anthony Stewart – (262 NHL Games) – Fribourg-Gotteron Dan Fritsche – (256 NHL Games) – Lugano/Zurich Robert Nilsson – (252 NHL Games) – Zurich Martin Gerber – (229 NHL Games) – Kloten David Aebischer – (214 NHL Games) – Rapperswil-Jona Marc-Antoine Pouliot – (192 NHL Games) – Fribourg-Gotteron Andrew Hutchinson – (140 NHL Games) – Zug Rob Schremp – (114 NHL Games) – Zug *(Also played in NLB – Switzerland) Ville Koistinen – (103 NHL Games) – Davos Brendan Bell – (102 NHL Games) – Biel Lennart Petrell – (95 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette Derrick Walser – (91 NHL Games) – Rapperswil-Jona Kaspars Daugavins – (91 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette Mika Noronen – (71 NHL Games) – Davos *(Also played in DEL – Germany) Alexandre Picard – (67 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette Tommi Santala – (63 NHL Games) – Kloten Josh Holden – (60 NHL Games) – Zug Travis Roche – (60 NHL Games) – Bern Eric Beaudoin – (53 NHL Games) – Biel *(Also played in DEL – Germany) Chris Bourque – (51 NHL Games) – Biel Peter Sejna – (49 NHL Games) – Rapperswil-Jona Alexandre Giroux – (48 NHL Games) – Ambri-Piotta Robbie Earl – (47 NHL Games) – Zug/Rapperswil-Jona Matt Ellison – (43 NHL Games) – Biel *(Also played in KHL) Greg Mauldin – (36 NHL Games) – Fribourg-Gotteron Christian Dube – (33 NHL Games) – Fribourg-Gotteron Cody Almond – (25 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette Micki Dupont – (23 NHL Games) – Kloten Reto Von Arx – (19 NHL Games) – Davos Zdenek Kutlak – (16 NHL Games) – Davos Tobias Stephan – (11 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette Timo Helbling – (11 NHL Games) – Fribourg-Gotteron Nolan Schaefer – (7 NHL Games) – Ambri-Piotta Roman Wick – (7 NHL Games) – Zurich Garrett Stafford – (7 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette *(Also Played in Sweden) Ilkka Heikkinen – (7 NHL Games) – Lugano Ryan Keller – (6 NHL Games) – Zurich Maxim Noreau – (6 NHL Games) – Ambri-Piotta Brady Murray – (4 NHL Games) – Lugano Goran Bezina – (3 NHL Games) – Geneve Servette Mikko Lehtonen – (2 NHL Games) – Bern Danny Irmen – (2 NHL Games) – Lugano *(Also Played in NLB – Switzerland) Perttu Lindgren – (1 NHL Game) – Davos Geoff Kinrade – (1 NHL Game) – Bern Tim Ramholt – (1 NHL Game) – Zug www.hcbilitygri.cz Another ageless wonder, 42-year-old Petr Nedved resurfaced in North American headlines this winter when it was announced he would be representing the Czech Republic at the Sochi Olympics despite being seven seasons removed from his NHL finale. Turns out, Nedved never retired and has remained an offensive threat over the years — eclipsing a point-per-game pace in each of the last four seasons for Liberec Bili Tygri HC of the Czech Extraliga. That includes 19 goals and 50 points in 49 games during the 2013-14 campaign, to go along with 1 assist in 5 games at the Olympics. Czech Extraliga (#6) ▪ Teams and Countries: 14 Teams all in Czech Republic ▪ 46 Former NHL Players Tomas Kaberle – (984 NHL Games) – Klado Petr Nedved – (982 NHL Games) – Liberec Bili Tygri HC Radek Bonk – (969 NHL Games) – Trinec Ocelari HC Martin Rucinsky – (961 NHL Games) – Litvinov HC Martin Straka – (954 NHL Games) – Plzen HC Jiri Slegr – (622 NHL Games) – Litvinov HC Vaclav Varada – (493 NHL Games) – Trinec Ocelari HC Jan Hlavac – (436 NHL Games) – Klado *(Also played in Sweden) Petr Cajanek – (269 NHL Games) – Zlin ZPS HC Lubos Bartecko – (257 NHL Games) – Chomutov Pirati Ryan Hollweg – (228 NHL Games) – Plzen HC Robert Petrovicky – (208 NHL Games) – Slavia Praha HC *(Also played in Slovakia) Ivan Majesky – (202 NHL Games) – Klado Petr Tenkrat – (177 NHL Games) – Klado Josef Marha – (159 NHL Games) – Pardubice HC / HK Hradec Kralove David Koci – (142 NHL Games) – Sparta Praha Jaroslav Svoboda – (134 NHL Games) – Chomutov Pirati Radim Bicanek – (122 NHL Games) – Karlovy Vary HC Radovan Somik – (113 NHL Games) – Pardubice HC Jaroslav Bednar – (102 NHL Games) – Slavia Praha HC Karel Pilar – (90 NHL Games) – Sparta Praha Pavel Brendl – (78 NHL Games) – Brno Kometa *(Also played in Germany – 2.Gbun) Jaroslav Balastik – (74 NHL Games) – Zlin ZPS HC Jaroslav Hlinka – (63 NHL Games) – Sparta Praha Ales Pisa – (53 NHL Games) – Pardubice HC Tomas Malec – (46 NHL Games) – Chomutov Pirati Pavel Rosa – (36 NHL Games) – Litvinov HC *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Michal Barinka – (34 NHL Games) – Vitkovice HC Pavel Patera – (32 NHL Games) – Klado Kamil Piros – (28 NHL Games) – Litvinov HC Tomas Zizka – (25 NHL Games) – Brno Kometa Pavel Kolarik – (23 NHL Games) – Slavia Praha HC Marek Posmyk – (19 NHL Games) – Litvinov HC Jozef Balej – (18 NHL Games) – Chomutov Pirati Petr Sykora – (12 NHL Games) – Pardubice HC Tomas Vlasak – (10 NHL Game) – Plzen HC Jakub Cutta – (8 NHL Games) – Liberec Bili Tygri HC *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Marek Schwarz – (6 NHL Games) – Liberec Bili Tygri HC Jan Lasak – (6 NHL Games) – Liberec Bili Tygri HC *(Also played in Slovakia) Vojtech Polak – (5 NHL Games) – Trinec Ocelari HC Tomas Divisek – (5 NHL Games) – Sparta Praha Martin Lojek – (5 NHL Games) – Trinec Ocelari HC / Chomutov Pirati Tomas Popperle – (2 NHL Games) – Sparta Praha Libor Pivko – (1 NHL Game) – Brno Kometa Vaclav Pletka – (1 NHL Game) – Plzen HC Milan Kytnar – (1 NHL Game) – Karlovy Vary HC Erste Bank/EHL/www.eishockey.at Marek Malik, who scored an unforgettable between-the-legs, game-winning shootout goal with the New York Rangers to highlight his NHL career, has since taken his talents to Austria. In his fifth season overseas, the stay-at-home defender landed with Innsbruck HC in 2013-14 where the soon-to-be 39-year-old finished with 4 goals and 18 points in 47 games. Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (Austria) (#7) ▪ Teams and Countries: 12 Teams (Austria – 8, Slovenia – 1, Hungary – 1, Czech Republic – 1, Italy – 1) ▪ 36 Former NHL Players Marek Malik – (691 NHL Games) – HC Innsbruck Jamie Lundmark – (295 NHL Games) – Klagenfurter AC Alexandre Picard – (253 NHL Games) – Graz 99ers Richard Jackman – (231 NHL Games) – Székesfehérvár Kris Beech – (198 NHL Games) – Vienna *(Also played in DEL – Germany) Trent Whitfield – (194 NHL Games) – HC Bolzano Andreas Nödl – (183 NHL Games) – EC Salzburg / Klagenfurter AC Thomas Pöck – (118 NHL Games) – Klagenfurter AC Benoit Gratton – (58 NHL Games) – Vienna Dany Sabourin – (57 NHL Games) – Graz 99ers Pat Leahy – (50 NHL Games) – EHC Linz Guillaume Lefebvre – (39 NHL Games) – Graz 99ers Mark Cullen – (38 NHL Games) – EC Salzberg Frank Banham – (32 NHL Games) – Székesfehérvár Matt Keith – (27 NHL Games) – EC Salzburg Joe Motzko – (25 NHL Games) – EC Salzburg Zdenek Blatny – (25 NHL Games) – Orli Znojmo Jeff Ulmer – (21 NHL Games) – HC Innsbruck Olivier Magnan – (18 NHL Games) – Dornbirner EC Adam Munro – (17 NHL Games) – HC Innsbruck David Laliberté – (11 NHL Games) – HC Bolzano / Merren/ Merano *(Also played in Italy2 and with ECHL – Gwinnett Gladiators) Alex Plante – (10 NHL Games) – Dornbirner EC *Signed to play in Norway for 2014-15. Brad Moran – (8 NHL Games) – EHC Linz MacGregor Sharp – (8 NHL Games) – HC Bolzano Graham Mink – (7 NHL Games) – Dornbirn EC Brian Fahey – (7 NHL Games) – EC Salzburg Patrick Coulombe – (7 NHL Games) – Graz 99ers Evan Brophey – (4 NHL Games) – EC Salzburg Doug Lynch – (2 NHL Games) – EC Salzburg Mike Siklenka – (2 NHL Games) – Klagenfurter AC Matt Zaba – (1 NHL Game) – Vienna Jamie Arniel – (1 NHL Game) – Dornbirner EC *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Cole Jarrett – (1 NHL Game) – Villacher SV Curtis Murphy – (1 NHL Game) – EHC Linz Jamie Fraser – (1 NHL Game) – Vienna Shane Sims – (1 NHL Game) – HC Innsbruck http://msport.aktuality.sk Jozef Stumpel is pretty much the biggest name going in the Slovak Extraliga these days, where the 41-year-old’s star has never shone brighter. Stumpel is coming off his best season since leaving the NHL in 2008, having put up 16 goals and 67 points in 54 games for his hometown club, HK Nitra, in 2013-14. Slovak Extraliga (Slovakia) (#8) ▪ Teams and Countries: 10 Teams all in Slovakia ▪ 19 Former NHL Players Jozef Stumpel – (957 NHL Games) – HK Nitra Radoslav Suchý – (451 NHL Games) – HK SKP Poprad Ladislav Nagy – (435 NHL Games) – HC Kosice Marek Svatos – (344 NHL Games) – HC Kosice Róbert Petrovický – (208 NHL Games) – HK Dukla Trencin *(Also played in Czech) Tomas Kloucek – (141 NHL Games) – HC Kosice Richard Lintner (112 NHL Games) – HK Dukla Trencin *(Also Played in KHL) Boris Valábik (80 NHL Games) – SHK 37 Piestany Jiri Bicek – (62 NHL Games) – HC Kosice Martin Strbak – (49 NHL Games) – HC Kosice Kirill Safronov – (35 NHL Games) – HKM Zvolen *(Also played in KHL and VHL – Russia) Peter Smrek – (28 NHL Games) – MHC Martin Peter Bartos – (13 NHL Games) – HC Kosice Petr Kalus (11 NHL Games) – HK Dukla Trencin *(Also played in Allsvenskan (Sweden) and EIHL) Lubomir Vaic – (9 NHL Games) – HK SKP Poprad *(Also played in Slovakia2) Andrej Podkonický (8 NHL Games) – HKM Zvolen Jaroslav Obsut (7 NHL Games) – HKM Zvolen Rastislav Stana – (6 NHL Games) – HC Kosice Jan Lasak – (6 NHL Games) – HK Dukla Trencin *(Also Played in Czech) PIC-AGENCY SWEDEN/nwt.se The Toronto Maple Leafs had high hopes for goaltender Justin Pogge back in the day, but the former Canadian world-junior standout never panned out in the NHL, merely getting a shot of expresso rather than a cup of coffee. Seen here allowing a goal this past season in the SWE-1 — Sweden’s second division — Pogge has enjoyed two solid campaigns since heading overseas. With Bofors IK in 2013-14, Pogge finished with a .920 save percentage and 2.16 goals-against average. He just turned 28 and has the size that teams covet at 6-foot-3, so if he can keep climbing the ranks in Europe, there’s a slight chance an NHL club could come calling again. SWE-1 / HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden) (Tied #9) ▪ Teams and Countries: 14 Teams all in Sweden ▪ 16 Former NHL Players Michael Nylander – (920 NHL Games) – Rogle BK *(Also played in SweHL) Andreas Lilja – (580 NHL Games) – Rogle BK Andrew Raycroft – (280 NHL Games) – Bjorkloven IF Mathias Tjarnqvist – (173 NHL Games) – Rogle BK Michael Holmqvist – (156 NHL Games) – Djurgardens IF Stockholm Jeremy Colliton – (57 NHL Games) – Mora IK *(Retired to become teams coach mid season) Kenndal McArdle – (42 NHL Games) – Vasteras IK Luca Caputi – (35 NHL Games) – Vasteras IK Jeremy Williams – (32 NHL Games) – Vasteras IK Petr Kalus – (11 NHL Games) – Djurgardens IF Stockholm *(Also played in EIHL and Slovakia) Kevin Doell – (8 NHL Games) – Vasteras IK Justin Pogge – (7 NHL Games) – Bofors IK Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman – (4 NHL Games) – Karlskrona HK Trevor Frischmon – (3 NHL Games) – Mora IK Joey Tenute – (1 NHL Game) – Malmo Redhawks Ryan Thang – (1 NHL Game) – Mora IK *(Also played in SM-Liiga – Finland) Sheffield Steelers Official Website Stefan Meyer also appeared to have decent potential coming out of junior as a former second-round pick of the Florida Panthers, but for whatever reason(s) he failed to stick with Florida or the Calgary Flames, and ended up heading overseas at a fairly young age. Now 28, Meyer has spent the last three seasons in three different European leagues. In 2013-14, Meyer played for the Sheffield Steelers in England, finishing second in team scoring with 28 goals and 54 points in 57 games while helping Sheffield capture a playoff championship. Like Pogge, Meyer could still seemingly find his way back across the pond, but he would need to take a step up in competition to garner the attention of NHL teams at this point. Elite Ice Hockey League (United Kingdom) (Tied #9) ▪ Teams and Countries: 10 Teams all in the United Kingdom (England – 4, Scotland – 4, Wales – 1, Ireland – 1) ▪ 16 Former NHL Players Steven Goertzen – (68 NHL Games) – Sheffield Steelers Lynn Loyns – (34 NHL games) – Nottingham Panthers Dustin Kohn – (22 NHL Games) – Sheffield Steelers Stefan Meyer – (20 NHL Games) – Sheffield Steelers Tomas Kurka – (17 NHL Games) – Cardiff Devils Greg Jacina – (14 NHL Games)- Nottingham Panthers *(Also played in Norway) Matt Ryan – (12 NHL Games) – Nottingham Panthers Petr Kalus – (11 NHL Games) – Nottingham Panthers *(Also played in Sweden and Slovakia) Phil Oreskovic – (10 NHL games) – Nottingham Panthers Drew Fata – (8 NHL Games) – Sheffield Steelers Raymond Macias – (8 NHL Games) – Braehead Clan Sylvain Cloutier – (7 NHL Games) – Hull Stingrays Joe Jensen – (6 NHL Games) – Nottingham Panthers Bob Wren – (5 NHL Games) – Nottingham Panthers Mario Larocque – (5 NHL Games) – Braehead Clan Dan Lacosta – (4 NHL Games) – Cardiff Devils gazetteduhockey.com Cal O’Reilly, the older brother of Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O’Reilly, is also trying to find his way back to the NHL and appears one step closer than most on this list, having finished the 2013-14 season with the AHL’s Utica Comets, the farm team of the Vancouver Canucks. But it was a whirlwind year for the elder O’Reilly, who also toiled briefly for a KHL farm team in Russia’s developmental league, the VHL. O’Reilly posted 4 points in 3 VHL games and 1 point in 14 KHL games before returning to North America and recording an impressive 43 points in 51 AHL games. He’ll be 28 years old next season, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that O’Reilly could be invited to an NHL training camp this fall. VHL – Higher Hockey League, Supreme Hockey League, Major Hockey League (Kazakhstan, Russia) (#11) ▪ Teams and Countries: 26 Teams (Russia – 24, Kazakhstan -2) ▪ 14 Former NHL Players Oleg Kvasha – (493 NHL Games) – Yermak Angarsk *(Also played in KHL) Petr Schastlivy – (129 NHL Games) – HK Sarov *(Also played in KHL) Cal O’Reilly – (113 NHL Games) – Yuzhny Ural Orsk *(Also played in KHL and in AHL – Utica Comets) Denis Shvidki – (76 NHL Games) – Titan Klin *(Also played in MOL Liga – Hungary) Kip Brennan – (61 NHL Games) – Sary-Arka Karaganda Stefan Ruzicka – (55 NHL Games) – Toros Neftekamsk *(Also played in KHL) Pavel Vorobiev – (57 NHL Games) – Vityaz Podolsk *(Also played in KHL) Alexei Smirnov – (52 NHL Games) – Yuzhny Ural Orsk *(Also played in Kazakhstan) Evgeny Korolev – (42 NHL Games) – Lada Togliatti Kirill Safronov – (35 NHL Games) – Lada Togliatti *(Also played in KHL and Slovakia) Alexei Tezikov – (30 NHL Games) – Saryarka Karaganda / HK Ryazan (Also played in Belarus and Kazakhstan) Alexander Boikov – (10 NHL Games) – Traktor Chelyabinsk *(Also played in KHL) Evgeny Shaldybin – (3 NHL Games) – Sputnik Nizhny Tagil Anton Klementyev – (1 NHL Game) – Sokol Krasnoyarsk www.rittensport.it At the other end of the spectrum, goaltender Chris Mason’s ship has probably sailed in terms of resuming his NHL career. Mason, who turned 38 in April, struggled with the Nashville Predators in the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign and was unable to land an NHL job this past season thus landing in Italy of all places. Ironically, Mason took Pogge’s old job with Ritten Renon for 2013-14 and posted similar stellar statistics with a .927 save percentage and 2.18 GAA to Pogge’s .925 and 2.37 the previous year. But Mason is a decade older than Pogge — almost to the day — so it’s less likely that he’ll parlay this success into another NHL stint. Serie A (Italy) (#12) ▪ Teams and Countries: 10 Teams all in Italy ▪ 11 Former NHL Players Chris Mason – (317 NHL Games) – Ritten Renon Jean-Sebastien Aubin – (218 NHL Games) – Val Pusteria HC Pat Rissmiller – (192 NHL Games) – Ritten Renon Ryan O’Marra – (33 NHL Games) – Val Pusteria HC Scott Barney – (27 NHL Games) – Valpellice Layne Ulmer – (1 NHL Game) – Asiago HC Sean Bentivoglio – (1 NHL Game) – Asiago HC Darcy Campbell – (1 NHL Game) – Val Pusteria HC Jeff Frazee – (1 NHL Game) – Valpellice Stanislav Gron – (1 NHL Game) – Cortina SG Jamie Fritsch – (1 NHL Game) – Milan Christoph Perren/hockeyfans.ch Yes, that’s who you think it is — former NHL star Alexei Kovalev. Believe it or not, the 41-year-old spent this past season terrorizing netminders in Switzerland’s tier-2 league, racking up 22 goals and 52 points in 44 regular-season games followed by 7 goals and 17 points in 15 playoff games en route to capturing the league title. National League B (Switzerland) (#13) ▪ Teams and Countries: 10 Teams all in Switzerland ▪ 7 Former NHL Players Alexei Kovalev – (1,316 NHL Games) – Visp Juraj Kolnik – (250 NHL Games) – Langnau Paul DiPietro – (192 NHL Games) – Olten Rob Schremp – (114 NHL Games) – Langnau *(Also played in NLA – Switzerland) Daniel Corso – (77 NHL Games) – Olten *(Also played in Mestis – Finland and SM-Liiga – Finland) Kyle Greentree – (4 NHL Games) – Basel Danny Irmen – (2 NHL Games) – Thuragu *(Also played in NLA – Switzerland) Barbora Reichová/isport.blesk.cz Mike Danton became a household name a decade ago, though not for his on-ice accomplishments. A St. Louis Blues forward back then, Danton was caught in a botched murder-for-hire plot involving his former agent David Frost and wound up spending more than five years in prison before being released in 2009. Yet, he finds himself on this list as a reclamation project on the ice, having spent the last three seasons bouncing around Europe after two years of CIS university hockey in Canada. Danton is a fascinating story all around and his 2013-14 campaign was certainly off the beaten path with stints in Kazakhstan, Poland and Romania after prior stops in Slovakia and Austria. The well-travelled 33-year-old is getting to see the world through sport and good on him — not to mention he’s been scoring at more than a point-per-game clip wherever he goes. Republic of Kazakhstan Open Ice Hockey Championship (Kazakhstan)(Tied #14) ▪ Teams and Countries: 10 Teams all in Kazakhstan ▪ 6 Former NHL Players Andrei Zyuzin – (496 NHL Games) – HK Almaty *(Also played in Ukraine and Belarus) Mike Danton – (87 NHL Games) – Beibarys Atyrau *(Also played in Poland and Romania) Alexei Smirnov – (52 NHL Games) – HK Almaty *(Also played in VHL – Russia) Alexei Tezikov – (30 NHL Games) – Saryarka Karaganda / HK Ryazan (Also played in Belarus and VHL – Russia) Andrej Nedorost – (28 NHL Games) – Ertis Pavlodar Miroslav Zalesak – (12 NHL Games) – Ertis Pavlodar GET-ligaen (Norway) (Tied #14) ▪ Teams and Countries: 10 Teams all in Norway ▪ 6 Former NHL Players Eric Chouinard – (90 NHL Games) – Vålerengan *(Also played in KHL) Quintin Laing – (79 NHL Games) – Sparta Sarpsborg Greg Jacina – (14 NHL Games)- Nottingham Panthers *(Also played in EIHL – England) Bryce Lampman – (10 NHL Games) – Lørenskog *(Also played in ECHL – Florida Everblades) Shay Stephenson – (2 NHL Games) – Sparta Sarpsborg Jonas Johansson – (1 NHL Game) – Frisk Asker Asia League Ice Hockey (#16) ▪ Teams and Countries: 8 Teams (Japan – 4, South Korea – 3, China – 1) ▪ 4 Former NHL Players Burke Henry – (39 NHL Games) – Nikko Icebucks Bryan Young – (17 NHL Games) – High1 David Brine – (9 NHL Games) – High1 Yutaka Fukufuji – (4 NHL Games) – Nikko Icebucks Belarus (Tied #17) ▪ Teams and Countries: 10 Teams all in Belarus ▪ 3 Former NHL Players Andrei Zyuzin – (496 NHL Games) – HK Vitebsk *(Also played in Ukraine and Kazakhstan) Alexei Tezikov – (30 NHL Games) – Saryarka Karaganda / HK Ryazan (Also played in VHL – Russia and Kazakhstan) Jaroslav Kristek – (6 NHL Games) – Neman Grodno *(Also played in KHL) ESBG – 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga (Germany) (Tied #17) ▪ Teams and Countries: 13 Teams all in Germany ▪ 3 Former NHL Players Pavel Brendl – (78 NHL Games) – Lausitzer Foxes *(Also played in Czech) Mike Card – (4 NHL Games) Heilbronner Falken Riley Armstrong – (2 NHL Games) – Landshut Cannibals Italy2 (Italy) (Tied #19) ▪ Teams and Countries: 9 Teams all in Italy ▪ 2 Former NHL Players David Hale – (327 NHL Games) – Eppan/Apianno David Laliberté – (11 NHL Games) – Meran/Merano – *(Also played in Erste Bank Eishockey Liga – Austria and in ECHL – Gwinnett Gladiators) Slovak 2.Liga (Slovakia 3) (Tied #19) ▪ Teams and Countries: 16 Teams all in Slovakia ▪ 2 Former NHL Players Lubomir Sekeras – (213 NHL Games) – HK Dubnica Ivan Droppa – (19 NHL Games) – HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas B MOL Liga (Hungary, Romania, Slovakia) (Tied #19) ▪ Teams and Countries: 7 Teams (Hungary – 4, Romania – 3, Slovakia – 1) ▪ 2 Former NHL Players Mike Danton – (87 NHL Games) – HSC Csikszereda *(Also played in Poland and Kazakstan) Denis Shvidki – (76 NHL Games) – HSC Csíkszereda *(Also played in VHL – Russia) Polish Hockey League (Tied #19) ▪ Teams and Countries: 9 Teams all in Poland ▪ 2 Former NHL Players Mike Danton – (87 NHL Games) – KH Sanok *(Also played in Kazakstan and Romania) Roman Tvrdon – (9 NHL GaMES) – Unia Oswiecim *(Also played in Slovakia2) Mestis (Finland Secondary League) (Tied #19) ▪ Teams and Countries: 12 Teams all in Finland ▪ 2 Former NHL Players Daniel Corso – (77 NHL Games) – Leki *(Also played in SM-liiga – Finish Elite League and NLB – Switzerland) Andy Chiodo – (8 NHL Games) – LeKi *(Also played in SM-liiga – Finish Elite League) Slovak 1.Liga (Slovakia 2) (Tied #19) ▪ Teams and Countries: 12 Teams all in Slovakia ▪ 2 Former NHL Players Lubomir Vaic – (9 NHL Games) – HK Spisska Nova Ves *(Also played in Slovak Extraliga) Roman Tvrdon – (9 NHL Games) – HK 95 Povazska Bystrica *(Also played in Poland) Ukranian Hockey Championship (Ukraine) (Tied #25) ▪ Teams and Countries: 6 Teams all in Ukraine ▪ 1 Former NHL Player Andrei Zyuzin – (496 NHL Games) – Bilyy Bars Bila Tserkva *(Also played in Kazakhstan and Belarus) Eredivisie (Netherlands) (Tied #25) ▪ Teams and Countries: 7 Teams (Netherlands – 6, Belgium – 1) ▪ 1 Former NHL Player Alex Henry – (177 NHL Games) – HYS The Hague Hockeyettan (Sweden Division 1) (Tied #25) ▪ Teams and Countries: 47 Teams all in Sweden ▪ 1 Former NHL Player Chad Wiseman – (9 NHL Games) – Östersunds IK Metal Ligaen (Denmark) (Tied #25) ▪ Teams and Countries: 9 Teams all in Denmark ▪ 1 Former NHL Player Alfie Michaud – (2 NHL Games) – SønderjyskE Ligue Magnus (France) (Tied #25) ▪ Teams and Countries: 14 Teams all in ▪ 1 Former NHL Player Sébastien Bisaillon – (2 NHL Games) – Briançon Spengler Cup Only ▪ 1 Former NHL Player Sergei Fedorov – (1,248 NHL Games) – CSKA Moscow Jesse Gill is a former radio broadcaster and colour commentator who dreamed of anchoring TSN, but has since changed careers and now calls Medicine Hat, Alta., home. His passion for hockey has remained strong, as a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan who also enjoys the junior ranks and the rougher side of the sport. Follow him on Twitter: @JesseGill3." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombastik der Teutone Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 that will be a long read ...thanks for sharing this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.DirtyDangles Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Wooow ! So much to choose from ? Have made it through the first 3 leagues and cant believe the talent not in the NHL. Great post ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombastik der Teutone Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Wooow ! So much to choose from ? Have made it through the first 3 leagues and cant believe the talent not in the NHL. Great post ! may some guys will return if the league expandes to 32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keccles Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I was pretty shocked when Ozolinsh showed up to the Olympics.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BananaMash Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Brandon Reid <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.DirtyDangles Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 may some guys will return if the league expandes to 32 Even though there is loads of talent to go around I would love to see less teams than we have now with more competitive rosters. I hope all this talk of Las Vegas getting a team is just a pipe dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Bonk, Slegr and Nedved are still playing?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbro Baggins Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Why do I remember Yutaka Fukufuji? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Why do I remember Yutaka Fukufuji? Because he has an epic name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Aerosex Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Why do I remember Yutaka Fukufuji? 1st ever Japanese citizen to play in the NHL back in '07. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amish Rake Fighter Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 so many ex Canucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyville88 Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Wow, those are some blast from the past names eh! I would have thought half of them would be retired by now Thanks for posting. It's good to see that those guys all found places to play even though the NHL didn't want them. Some of the guys on the list enjoyed solid NHL careers before being heading to Europe. It's tough though to see the guys who were highly touted prospects, World Junior champs, etc. who are now in Euro leagues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Garon? Now I see he's retired though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coconuts Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Woooowww, talk about a blast from the past! It's kinda shocking to see some of these guys are still playing, but at the same time it's nice to see them still going. It's nice to see that a lot of familiar names who just couldn't stick in the NHL have been able to find work as well. Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboose Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 It warms my heart to see Radek Bonk still playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
touchable Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Ozolinch wasn't a surprise because we all saw him at the Olympics for Latvia. The biggest surprise on there for me was Jiri Slegr. Holy crap that guy has been around forever! It looks like he retired in 2009-2010 though, and then only came back this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skolozsy2 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Hard to believe some of these guys are still playing. David Koci? Mark Bell! Seems like an ex NHL'er can get a gig anywhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offensive Threat Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 The days when Euro leagues paid pennies on the dollar are long gone. You can make serious bank over there now and, especially for players from there, the lure to play closer to home is strong. Also being able to extend a career for a few years for someone who didnt really make it in the NHL has to be a big deal for them. A hundred fifty grand a year in Europe or $35K doing construction in Sask...not a hard choice. Get on some Russian oil/mafia billionaires team. They throw the money around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PONCHE Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Is it just me or were there a lot of ex-canuck property on these lists? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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