VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks have signed hulking Russian defenceman Nikita Tryamkin to a two-year entry-level contract, the club announced Wednesday.
A third-round pick by Vancouver in 2014, the 21-year-old has spent the last four seasons playing for his hometown Yekaterinburg Automobilis of the KHL.
In 53 games in 2015-16, the six-foot-eight 220-pound Tryamkin registered four goals and seven assists to go along with 71 penalty minutes.
He could get some NHL game action down the stretch with the Canucks having fallen well out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
“It’ll be good to see him,” Vancouver head coach Willie Desjardins said earlier Wednesday before the signing was made official. “If he gets a chance to play some games, then he has a whole summer for what might lie ahead next year.”
In 188 regular-season games with Yekaterinburg, Tryamkin has nine goals, 19 assists and 158 penalty minutes.