Ukrainian-born Swedish winger Dmytro Timashov, 28, has signed a short-term contract in Switzerland with Genève-Servette, the National League club announced on Friday. His contract runs until Feb. 2 with an option to extend it until the end of the season.
“We are very happy with the arrival of Dmytro,” said club sports manager Marc Gautschi. “He is a player who brings a lot of speed to the game and who has very good offensive skills. He will create a lot and make his teammates better. Dmytro will improve our offensive game and he will also be an important element on the power play.”
Timashov drew criticism when he signed with KHL club HK Sochi in the off-season.
“I am half Russian and half Ukrainian – my mother is Ukrainian and my father is Russian,” he explained at the time. “I can’t cry because I have Russian roots and want to see my family. My dad and all my siblings are also moving to Sochi to be close to me after all these years. My mother will of course also visit me there.”
Timashov had four points in 22 games for Sochi and was released on Dec. 20.
Timashov was born in Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine but left the country with his mother at age seven and grew up in suburban Stockholm, Sweden, which is where he started playing hockey. He played for Djurgården in Stockholm and then went overseas at age 17 to play junior hockey for the Quebec Remparts, where he won the QMJHL rookie-of-the-year award and he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He played 45 NHL games with the Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders, scoring four goals and adding five assists, but spent most of his time between 2016 and 2021 in the AHL. Since then, Timashov has played two seasons in the SHL with Brynäs IF and then spent last season with HC Ajoie in Switzerland’s National League, where he recorded 20 points in 35 games.
Internationally, Timashov represented Sweden at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Timashov joins a Genève-Servette team that currently sits 10th in the 14-team National League with 42 points in 30 games. The team has become a haven for Finnish national team members such as Sami Vatanen, Markus Granlund and goaltender Antti Raanta.
Genève, the defending European champion, has advanced to the Champions Hockey League semifinals and will play Swiss rival Zurich this month with a chance to return to the final.