Dylan Sikura joins KHL team Traktor Chelyabinsk

Former NHL winger Dylan Sikura has signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL.

A sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014, the Aurora, Ont. native eventually played 60 NHL games for the Hawks, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche between 2017 and 2022, scoring three goals and adding 14 assists. Sikura was also in the Anaheim Ducks organization for part of the 2022-23 campaign but played only for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL.

Last season was Sikura’s first in Europe with Skellefteå AIK of the SHL. There, he recorded 26 points in 49 regular-season games and was a big performer for the team in the playoffs, netting nine points in 13 games as Skellefteå won the Swedish title for the first time in 10 years. Sikura also had eight points in nine Champions Hockey League games as Skellefteå reached the final of the European club championship, losing to Swiss club Genève-Servette.

“Dylan Sikura will become the third foreign player on our team,” said Chelyabinsk GM and former professional hockey goaltender Alexei Volkov. “Last season was his first in Europe, and he was immediately successful. His strengths are his speed, shot and the ability to act unconventionally on the ice. It is also important that he can play both on the wing and at center. At 29 years old, Dylan is in the prime of his career and is capable of making some great noise in the KHL.”

In Chelyabinsk, Sikura joins Canadian goaltender Zach Fucali and American  forward Charles Robinson.