AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Andrey Pedan goes to KHL
Two years with the Ak Bars Kazan
The Ak Bars Kazan signed a restricted free agent defenceman Andrey Pedan to a two-year contract. The money value of the agreement is yet to be disclosed.
The signing of the 24-year-old blueliner is an improvement for the team from Kazan. Managers of the Ak Bars are focused to strengthen the defensive core in the coming season. Unlike with forwards, the team suffers from the lack of defencemen and needs to fill this gap urgently.
Pedan could have gone to Kazan in the last year, but preferred to stay in the NHL. Unfortunately, he played mostly in the minor league where he often sat on the bench as a spare player. Not seeing any possible changes of his status in the nearest future, Pedan agreed to a pending offer from the Ak Bars.
Not a Match in the NHL
In North America, Andrey Pedan had been playing for the last eight seasons. During that time he was a member of OHL, AHL and ECHL clubs. Also in the season 2015-2016, he played 13 games in the uniform of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. However, on October of last year, the Lithuanian defenceman was placed on waivers by the club.
From there, he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins. But very soon after, the club came to a conclusion that he didn’t match the NHL’s pace.
The Best Spare Defenceman of the AHL
The young defenceman spent the entire 2017-18 campaign with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he notched 26 points in 52 appearances. In January, Andrey Pedan was selected as the Best Player of the Week. In two guest matches, he recorded five points (including a hat-trick). With +5, Andrey helped his team to extend a winning streak to seven matches.
For the fans of Montreal Canadiens, Andrey Pedan may be known as the one who finished a barely started ice fighting career of Jarred Tinordi.
A Restricted Free Agent
The 24-year-old blueliner is still a restricted free agent, so Pittsburgh will presumably retain his rights when plays in the KHL.
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