Dinamo Minsk, the lone Belarusian team in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, announced the signing of defenseman Xavier Ouellet today. The French-born Canadian is a pending unrestricted free agent after completing a two-year, two-way deal with the Penguins.
Reports linked Ouellet to Minsk over the weekend. A second-round pick of the Red Wings back in 2011, the 30-year-old spent nearly a decade with them and the Canadiens before signing with Pittsburgh in free agency in 2022. He was placed on waivers to begin both seasons of his contract and spent the entirety of the deal on assignment to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, not even landing an NHL call-up for injury insurance purposes.
As such, while Ouellet has been signed to an NHL contract every season since 2012-13, he hasn’t played in a major-league game since a six-game run with Montreal in 2020-21. He last avoided AHL assignment in 2017-18 with Detroit, serving as a bottom-pair/seventh defenseman for the Wings for a pair of campaigns. He’s made 178 total NHL appearances in parts of eight seasons, totaling five goals and 28 points with a -3 rating while averaging 16:07 per game.
He’d still played an important depth role for the Pens while a part of the organization, serving as an alternate captain with WBS for the past two seasons. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game in 2023 after posting 17 points in 29 games, but an injury ended his season after New Year’s. This season, he compiled 25 points with a +9 rating in 63 showings, finishing second to Ty Smith on the team in points from defensemen.
Ouellet now takes his services to Europe for the first time, assumedly on a one-year deal. Dinamo didn’t disclose the length of his contract. He links up with a handful of former minor-league mainstays in Minsk, including one-time leading point-getter Sam Anas, ex-Islanders center Tanner Fritz, and Flames pending Group 6 UFA defenseman Brady Lyle.