Former NHLer Zack Kassian signs with Czech team Sparta Praha

A longtime NHL grinder is getting a new start on the other side of the pond.

On Sunday, HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga announced they signed former NHL forward Zack Kassian through the end of the 2023-24 season. This will be the former Windsor Spitfire’s first contract with a European club.

The announcement came during Sparta’s home contest against HC Oceláři Trinec, which excited the crowd of over 15,000. According to Szymon Szemberg, Managing director, Alliance European Hockey Clubs, Praha has averaged a little over 11,000 per game.

There are no details of when Kassian is scheduled to make his debut with the team, but his addition to one of the most historic teams in Europe can be key to leading them to a championship.

Sparta’s next game is set for Wednesday night, when they host Bílí Tygři Liberec. Praha is currently second in the Extraliga with a 30-12 record, six points back of first-place Dynamo Pardubice.

Kassian has not played in the NHL this season, as he was cut from his PTO with the Anaheim Ducks during the preseason, leading to him announcing his retirement from the NHL in October.

Kassian was coming off a terrible 2022-23 campaign with the Arizona Coyotes, where the 33-year-old scored just two goals in 51 games, leading to the Coyotes buying out the last year of his four-year contract, which had an AAV worth $3.2 million.

Kassian played 12 seasons in the NHL, making stops with the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers before heading to Arizona. In 661 games, the Windsor native scored 92 goals and 111 assists, including adding six goals and three assists in 45 playoff games.