Canadian center Eric O’Dell, 34, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season with Ak Bars Kazan, the KHL club announced on Thursday.

“I am very happy about the transfer to Ak Bars – I have been playing in the KHL for a long time, I know the status of the club, and I have heard only good things about Kazan from everyone around me,” said O’Dell. “And I have good memories of Tatneft Arena – on this ice I won a gold medal at the U-18 World Championship with the Canadian team.”

“Eric O'Dell is an experienced hockey player, adapted to the league, with a good faceoff percentage and the ability to play in special teams,” said Ak Bars GM Marat Valiullin. “We needed a versatile right-shot center, capable of taking on the dirty work and clearing space for his teammates.”

O'Dell had six points in 14 games before being released by Dynamo Moscow earlier this week. 

Valiullin continued, “We have thoroughly studied his medical history and understand all the risks associated with his condition, but we do not consider the current situation critical and see a good outlook. Our common goal will be to complete Eric's rehabilitation and bring him to matches in optimal shape.”

O’Dell comes from Ottawa, Ont. and played junior hockey for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. He was chosen in the second round, 39th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

O’Dell played professionally in North America from 2011 to 2016 in the systems of the Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres. He played 41 NHL games for the Jets in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, scoring three goals and adding five assists and 29 penalty minutes. He spent the rest of the time in the AHL.

O’Dell has played in the KHL continuously since 2016 for HK Sochi, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Sibir Novosibirsk and Dynamo Moscow, whom he’d played for since 2021. As of his release from Dynamo, he had 262 points in 411 KHL regular-season and playoff games.

Internationally, O’Dell won a gold medal with Canada at the 2008 IIHF U-18 World Championship and a silver at the 2022 senior men’s Worlds in his only two appearances in those tournaments. He also represented Canada in the Winter Olympics twice, in each of the last two tournaments that didn’t include NHL players. He won a bronze medal in 2018 in Pyeongchang and was also in Beijing in 2022. He had seven points in 11 Olympic games.

O’Dell joins a Kazan team that currently sits third in the KHL’s 12-team Eastern Conference with 46 points in 33 games. The team’s roster includes ex-NHLers Dmitrij Jaškin, Alexander Barabanov, Nick Petan and Alexei Marchenko, as well as prospects Artyom Galimov (Anaheim Ducks), Ilya Safonov (Chicago Blackhawks) and Nikita Yeveseyev (Edmonton Oilers).

“Several teams have approached me recently, but I considered Ak Bars to be the best team to fight for the Cup,” said O’Dell. “I want to be useful to the club on the ice and in the locker room. I think I will be useful with my physical hockey, work on the point and two-way play – I am ready to work on defense and offense.”