Another depth piece for the Calgary Wranglers is headed overseas next season. Defenceman Kristians Rubins, perhaps best known for his heroics in the World Championships for Latvia, has signed a one-year deal with MoDo Hockey in the Swedish Hockey League.
Rubins was set to become a Group 6 free agent on July 1. He joined the Flames in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for future considerations at the AHL trade deadline. He was added as veteran depth for a Wranglers team that was hoping for a lengthy playoff run. He had two assists in three regular season games, and a goal and two assists in six playoff games.
Given the players ahead of him in the Wranglers’ pecking order – likely some combination of Dennis Gilbert, Yan Kuznetsov, Jeremie Poirier, Nick DeSimone and Ilya Solovyov – it makes sense for the 25-year-old Rubins to try an overseas option.
He had two goals in Latvia’s win over the United States in the World Championships, including the dramatic overtime winner to win them the bronze medal. Now he’s landed a steady gig in a good league and, with a strong performance in 2023-24, his North American options will likely be more robust than they are right now.
Rubins’ signing in Sweden comes shortly after teammate Josh Brook signed in Finland.
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