Canadian right winger Jayce Hawryluk, 28, has signed a contract to play for HC Nové Zámky through to the end of the current season, the Slovak Extraliga club announced on Wednesday.
A native of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Hawryluk played junior hockey for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings and led the team in scoring his last year with 106 points, helping them to the league title and a spot in the Memorial Cup. He was picked in the second round, 32nd overall, by the Florida Panthers in 2014.
Between 2018 and 2021, Hawryluk played 98 NHL games for the Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks, scoring 12 goals and adding 15 assists for 27 points with 41 penalty minutes.
Nové Zámky is Hawryluk’s third stop in Europe. He spent the 2022-23 season in Sweden with Skellefteå AIK and, after a season back in the AHL, spent last season in the Czech Extraliga with Bílí Tygři Liberec, where he recorded 25 points in 41 games.
Internationally, Hawryluk played for Canada’s U-18 team in 2013-14, playing in both that season’s Ivan Hlinka Memorial and IIHF U-18 World Championship.
Nové Zámky has won only three of its first 15 games this season and sits last in the 12-team Extraliga.
The club also announced the release of Canadian defenseman Karl Boudrias.
The announcement of Hawryluk comes days after announcing the signing of another ex-NHLer Nick Ritchie. Ritchie has yet to play a game with Nové Zámky and it’s unclear whether he’s reported to the club yet. On Sunday, Nové Zámky visits regional rival HK Nitra, whose lineup contains Brett Ritchie.