Two veteran American forwards have signed new contracts to play in the KHL after strong 2017-18 seasons. Ryan Stoa remains in Russia for the fifth straight season since leaving North America but will be switching teams as Traktor Chelyabinsk announced that they have signed the power forward. Meanwhile, Andy Miele will make the jump over from the Swedish Hockey League in just his second season since crossing the Atlantic. Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod revealed their signing of the swift center in a team release this week.
Stoa gained significant visibility this year as a member of Team USA at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. While Stoa was held scoreless through five games, he saw ample ice time for the Americans. He used his time much better during the KHL season, recording 30 points in 53 games for Spartak Moskva. Stoa formed a potent combination on Spartak’s top line with Boston Bruins prospect Alexander Khokhlachev and recent San Jose Sharks signee Lukas Radil. Now moving to Traktor, a team that made the conference final without him this past season, Stoa will join former AHL rival Paul Szczechura and dynamic young Vitali Kravtsov on an offense that should be impressive. A second-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche back in 2005, a member of the U.S. National Development Program, and the captain of the University of Minnesota, Stoa’s performance fell far short of his lofty expectations in the NHL, but he did manage to suit up for 40 games between the Avs and Washington Capitals before developing into a high-end player overseas.
Miele faced far fewer expectations than Stoa as a young player at the University of Miami, but that all changed when he scored 71 points as a senior and won the 2011 Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey. An undrafted free agent who was highly sought-after, Miele signed with the Phoenix Coyotes and the team planned for the dynamic puck-handler to play a top-nine center role. Instead, Miele played in only 15 NHL games over his entry-level deal in Arizona despite dominating the AHL. Miele played another three minor league seasons, all among the AHL’s top scorers, but never got a legitimate chance at the highest level. As a result, Miele joined the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL last off-season and quickly became one of their top forwards. However, Miele’s ability really shined after he was acquired by the Vaxjo Lakers mid-season. With Miele’s help, alongside star Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson, the Lakers went on to win the SHL Championship. Miele earned himself a step up in European pro hockey, as he now heads to Torpedo with a chance to help out a team that exceeded expectations in the KHL last year and has a chance to be even better next season.