Slovak league's top scorer has KHL contract terminated after earlier cancelling AHL deal
Samuel Bucek's gamble on himself has not paid off. Bucek, who was the Slovak league's top scorer last season, recently cancelled a contract he had signed with the Seattle Kraken's AHL affiliate for 2022-23 in order to sign in the KHL. It has now been revealed that after just six games with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik, Bucek has been let go by the team.
It has been widely speculated that Bucek withdrew from the contract with the Coachella Valley Firebirds because the KHL offered him more money. However, he failed to put up a point in six games with Neftekhimik. He had more than 10 minutes of ice time in a game just once, and had two games where he put up less than four minutes of ice time.
This isn't the first time something like this has happened to Bucek. In 2018, he attended the Detroit Red Wings training camp on an invite, but was cut before camp ended. In 50 games with Nitra MHC in Slovakia last season, Bucek put up a whopping 41 goals and 64 points.
The Firebirds were quite proud of getting Bucek when he was first signed, as it was a big get for an AHL team's inaugural season. No word yet on whether Bucek will sign at home.
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18 MAI 2026
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| B | P | PTS | ||
| Zachary Bolduc | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Greenway | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Beck Malenstyn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Owen Power | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Bowen Byram | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | - | - | |
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