The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Dmitri Samorukov (sa-muh-ROO-kahv, dih-MEE-tree) to a one-year contract, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
The contract runs through the 2023-24 season and carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Samorukov, 24, has played 15 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League this season, recording one goal, four assists and five points. His five points are the third most among all team defensemen.
The 6-foot-3, 188-pound blueliner has suited up for three career NHL games over the past two seasons with the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers. Samorukov has also played in 187 career AHL games, split between the Bakersfield Condors, Springfield Thunderbirds and WBS Penguins, recording 10 goals, 45 assists and 55 points. He set career highs across the board last season with Springfield, tallying four goals, 16 assists and 20 points.
Samorukov spent the 2020-21 season with CSKA Moskva of the KHL, registering two goals, six assists and eight points in 48 games.
Prior to turning professional, the defenseman played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Guelph Storm, tallying 25 goals, 74 assists and 99 points in 188 career games. He won the OHL Championship with the Storm in 2019, and was named to the league’s Third All-Star Team after leading all team defensemen in goals (10), assists (35) and points (45) during the regular season, and topping all OHL defenders in the playoffs in goals (10) and points (28).
The native of Volgograd, Russia has represented his home country on the international stage at two World Under-18 Junior Championships (2016, ’17) and two World Junior Championships (2018, ’19). He won the bronze medal as an alternate captain with Russia at the Under-18 tournament in 2017 and the Under-20 tournament in ’19.
Samorukov was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the third round (84th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
