American defenseman Jordan Gross, 30, has signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk, the KHL club announced on Friday [https://hctraktor.org/media/news/82900-dzhordan-gross-stal-igrokom-traktora/]. Gross played his first season in Europe last season in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk [https://thehockeynews.com/international/players/jordan-gross-signs-with-khl-club-dinamo-minsk], where he recorded 42 points in 77 regular-season and playoff games. “In his first KHL season after arriving from overseas, he proved that the increased attention was fully justified – sixth in in scoring among defensemen in the league and an excellent plus/minus are proof of that,” said Traktor GM Alexei Volkov. “Gross has a high hockey IQ, moves the puck well, and is capable of playing both on the boards and in open ice. With his arrival, the Traktor defense gets an established professional, ready to solve serious problems.” Traktor Chelyabinsk finished first in the KHL’s Eastern Conference last year and was tied for third-best in goals against, so the team does not necessarily have serious defensive problems to solve. Undrafted upon completing four years at the University of Notre Dame [http://thn.com/ncaa], Gross signed with the Arizona Coyotes late in the 2017-18 season and was immediately assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Between 2018 and 2014, Gross has spent most of his time in the AHL [http://thn.com/ahl] but has also played 25 NHL games with the Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado] and Nashville Predators [http://thn.com/nashville]. Traktor’s roster includes veteran ex-New Jersey Devil [http://thn.com/newjersey] Vladimir Zakharov and prospects Arseni Koromyslov (St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis]), Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Toronto Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto]), Matvei Guskov (Minnesota Wild [http://thn.com/minnesota]) and Vasili Glotov (Buffalo Sabres [http://thn.com/buffalo]). Photo © Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images Former NHL D-Man Mark Friedman Signs Two-Year Deal In Sweden [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f63356c3-465d-4d3d-8f1b-56062fef2e56.webp] Former NHL D-Man Mark Friedman Signs Two-Year Deal In Sweden Canadian defenseman Mark Friedman, 29, has signed a two-year contract to play for Rögle BK, <a href="https://www.roglebk.se/article/kt5asxd-3k501/view">the SHL club announced on Thursday</a>. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/former-nhl-d-man-signs-two-year-deal-in-sweden]
