Dominik Kubalik signs one-year contract with HC Ambri-Piotta

A former young scoring star is heading overseas.

On Wednesday, HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League in Switzerland announced that forward Dominik Kubalik has signed a one-year contract with the team.

This will be Kubalik’s second stint with Ambrì-Piotta, a team that won the Spengler Cup two years ago. He played with the Swiss squad for parts of two seasons from 2017 to 2019.

Kubalik had spent the last five seasons in the NHL, most recently with the Ottawa Senators. The Czech winger was traded to Canada’s capital last July by the Detroit Red Wings, in exchange for Alex DeBrincat. It was not the greatest year for Kubalik, as he scored just 11 goals and 15 points in 74 games.

The Plzen native was originally taken in the seventh round, 191st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2013 NHL Draft. However, his signing rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in January 2019. Kubalik signed his entry-level contract, and burst onto the scene as a scoring threat during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season.

In 68 games during his rookie campaign, Kubalik scored 30 goals, leading all freshmen in the NHL. His 46 points helped the Blackhawks earn a spot in the qualifying round of the 2020 postseason, where they went on to stun the Edmonton Oilers, punching the team’s latest ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kubalik was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, ultimately falling short to Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.

Unfortunately, that was the only time Kubalik hit the 30-goal mark in the NHL. The 29-year-old only scored 32 goals over the next two seasons in Chicago, and eventually signed with the Red Wings in July 2022. His first year in Detroit showed some promise, scoring 20 goals and 25 assists in 81 games.

The former Sudbury Wolf has plenty of international experience. He has represented Czechia at five of the last six IIHF Men’s World Championships, helping the team win gold this past spring. Kubalik also played for the Czechs at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, as well as representing his country at the 2013 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship and 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.