Canadian defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, 31, has signed to play the remainder of the current season with Slovak Extraliga club HC Nové Zámky, according to numerous Slovak media sources.
The signing comes three weeks after Beaulieu and teammates Will Butcher and Michael McLeod were released from their KHL contracts with Barys Astana. Since then, the Kazakh-based club has also released North Americans Chase De Leo, Alex Grant and Wade Allison in apparent cost-cutting measures.
Beaulieu signed a one-year contract with Astana in June. In eight KHL games this season, he had one assist and 12 penalty minutes and was a minus-5 for the last-place team.
Beaulieu was chosen in the first round, 17th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2013 and 2023, Beaulieu had 98 points and 340 penalty minutes in 471 NHL regular-season games with the Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets and Anaheim Ducks. He also played 21 playoff games with Montreal and Winnipeg, recording nine assists and nine penalty minutes.
Last season, Beaulieu only played 12 games for EHC Kloten of Switzerland’s National League, recording two assists. While in Switzerland, he also played for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup.
Nové Zámky sits last in the Extraliga at the international break with three wins in 18 games, but the club has been active in attempting to improve its roster. Since Oct. 24, Canadian former NHLers Nick Ritchie and Jayce Hawryluk have both been added, among other players. The team’s most recent game on Nov. 3 in Nitra drew attention as it featured brothers Nick and Brett Ritchie facing each other on opposite teams.