Another player who played in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ organization this past season is headed across the Atlantic Ocean.
Joseph Blandisi has signed a two-year contract with the KHL’s SKA Saint Petersburg, the club announced on Tuesday. The 31-year-old forward is leaving the professional game in North America, 13 years after first being drafted into the NHL by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round (162nd overall).
Blandisi has played a total of 101 NHL games—with the New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and Pittsburgh Penguins—since being selected by Colorado in 2012. In that span, the centre scored 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points.
The Markham, Ontario native returned home to play for the Marlies in 2021 and has been with the team ever since. Throughout his years with Toronto, Blandisi developed into one of the club’s most well-respected players and was a huge part of the Marlies’ leadership group.
He was also quite involved with the community, even giving back to charity this past season. For every goal Blandisi scored last season, he donated $25 to Campfire Circle, "a privately funded charity that brings laughter and joy to children with serious illness and their families," which he volunteered at last summer.
Blandisi played 232 AHL games with Toronto, scoring 162 points (67 goals and 95 assists) in that span. His best year with the Marlies, points-wise, was the 2023-24 season, where he tallied 25 goals and 34 assists, which also turned out to be a career year for the forward.
Over his 10-year career in the league, Blandisi has scored 321 points (126 goals and 195 assists) in 448 games, split between the Marlies, Laval Rocket, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, San Diego Gulls, and Albany/Binghamton Devils.
Several other players in the Maple Leafs’ organization have departed for Europe this summer, including prospects Topi Niemela (signed with SHL’s Malmö Redhawks) and Roni Hirvonen (signed with Liiga side Oulun Karpat).
Mikko Kokkonen wasn’t qualified by Toronto as a restricted free agent this summer, allowing him to test the open market on July 1. The 24-year-old opted to return to Europe, signing a one-year deal with the SHL’s Linköping HC.
Zach Solow, who’s also been in the Maple Leafs’ organization for three years, departed to join the DEL’s Adler Mannheim on a one-year contract shortly after Toronto’s season concluded.
The Marlies’ season officially begins on October 10th against the Rochester Americans. The two teams will return to Toronto on October 11, where the Marlies will host Rochester for their home opener at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: Why Joseph Blandisi Departed The Maple Leafs Organization To Sign With A Russian Club
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