Former NHL-er Nick Shore, who has just under 300 NHL games on his resume, will be staying overseas after a successful KHL debut. Swiss club HC Ambri-Piotta announced today that they’ve signed Shore to a one-year contract.
Shore, 29, signed with KHL club Nobosibirsk Sibir for 2021-22 and led the team in scoring with 10 goals and 26 points in 49 games. Sibir head coach Andrei Martemjanov counted on Shore as one of his most trustworthy forwards, relying on him in all situations and on both special teams units. His strong play in the KHL and time in the NHL secured him a spot on the United States’ squad for the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he had an assist in three games.
Shore will be heading to the Swiss league for the second time in his career, as he last played there in 2020-21, for EV Zug, the eventual champions. Shore actually initially signed in the Slovakian league that year, but he quickly proved he was overqualified for the talent level there, scoring ten points in just five games. He moved to Switzerland and found immediate success at Zug, scoring 27 points in 22 games and eight points in 13 playoff games. Shore’s success in Switzerland is what earned him his KHL contract, and now he heads back to Switzerland where he could resume his role as a top-six all-around scoring threat.
For HC Ambri-Piotta, signing Shore is a coup. He’s a proven scorer in their league and has championship experience. Ambri-Piotta had the third-worst offense in the Swiss league last season, so their signing of Shore should definitely help them improve in that area.
As he’s just 29 years old, another strong, above-point-per-game year in Switzerland could be exactly what Shore needs to earn a training camp invite and get another chance to make an NHL team.