Ex-Jet, Duck, Devil heads to KHL
© James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images - Ex-Jet, Duck, Devil heads to KHLAmerican forward Chase De Leo, 28, has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana, the Kazakhstan-based KHL club announced on Saturday.
A native of La Mirada, California who played junior hockey for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, De Leo was chosen in the fourth round, 99th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in 2014.
Between 2015 and 2024, De Leo played in the organizations of the Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils, appearing in a total of seven NHL games and recording no points. He also produced 349 points in 494 AHL regular-season games and 16 more points in 33 playoff games. He has spent the past two seasons as captain of the San Diego Gulls.
Internationally, De Leo played for the USA at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.
This is De Leo’s first contract to play overseas, although his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame might be better suited to the international game. In Astana, he joins fellow North Americans and ex-NHLers Nathan Beaulieu, Michael McLeod, Will Butcher and Wade Allison. The team also includes several members of Kazakhstan’s national team, including veteran captain Roman Starachenko.
The KHL season has already begun and Astana has lost each of its first two games.
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