Former NHLer Maxime Comtois signs with KHL’s Dynamo Moscow
A young player who was a top prospect is heading overseas.
On Thursday, Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League announced they have signed forward Maxime Comtois.
🔥 🔥 🔥 Теперь официально — Максим Комтуа стал игроком московского «Динамо»!
За свою карьеру уроженец Квебека выступал за «Анахайм» и «Каролину». В общей сложности на счету звездного игрока 212 матчей в НХЛ и 87 (38+49) набранных очков. pic.twitter.com/cisGpxZBHQ
Comtois has spent the entirety of his hockey career in North America. Most recently, he signed a contract with the Carolina Hurricanes for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. However, he played in just two games. He registered an assist on April 16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets before playing in Game 2 of the team’s second-round series against the New York Rangers.
The Longueuil, Quebec native spent most of the season with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, the team he signed a contract with after the Anaheim Ducks chose to move on from the young winger. In 65 games with the Wolves, Comtois scored 19 goals and 25 assists, while amassing 109 penalty minutes.
Comtois spent the first five seasons of his professional career with the Ducks, the team that selected him in the second round, 50th overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft. He certainly showed some promise early on, including scoring a career-high 33 points in 55 games during the COVID-shortened 2021 season. However, injuries and mediocre numbers led to the former Victoriaville Tigre falling out of favor with Anaheim’s brass, with the team electing not to sign him following the 2022-23 campaign.
In 211 NHL appearances, Comtois scored 38 goals and 49 assists for 87 points. In exactly 100 AHL games, he totaled 29 goals and 40 assists, including nine points in 12 Calder Cup Playoff games, all with the Ducks’ primary affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
Comtois has also been a figure on the international stage. He represented Canada at the 2015 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, the 2016 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and the 2016 and 2017 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championships. He won gold with the Canadians at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, captaining the team at the World Juniors next year. He also donned the Maple Leaf at the 2021 and 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championships, winning gold in 2021 before taking home silver in 2022.