San Jose Sharks Sign Ilya Samsonov

The San Jose Sharks announced this afternoon that they’ve signed goalie Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, two-way contract. Samsonov returns to North America after spending last season in the KHL with HK Sochi. In 14 games he went 3-8-0 with a 3.27 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and a shutout.

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Ilya Samsonov’s Career

The Washington Capitals drafted Samsonov 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He made his North American debut on October 6, 2018 for the Hershey Bears in the AHL. He suffered a loss stopping 28 of the 31 shots he faced against the Syracuse Crunch.

Samsonov went 20-14-3 with a 2.70 goals-against average, a .898 save percentage, and three shutouts that season. He made his NHL debut on October 4, 2019, for the Capitals against the Islanders where he picked up a win stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced. Samsonov went 16-6-2 with a 2.55 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage, and a shutout that season. He finished 12th in Calder Memorial Trophy voting.

Samsonov’s appeared in 200 NHL games spending time with Washington, Toronto, and Vegas. He’s 118-48-25 with a .902 save percentage, a 2.77 goals-against average, and 15 shutouts. In 22 playoff games he’s 6-14-0 with a .901 save percentage and a 3.05 goals-against average.

In 41 career AHL games he’s 22-15-3 with a 2.75 goals-against average, an .895 save percentage, and three shutouts. He has appeared in five Calder Cup Playoff games going 2-3-0 with a 2.99 goals-against average, and a .897 save percentage.

Sharks Outlook

The Sharks already have Yaroslav Askarov, Eric Comrie, and Alex Nedeljkovic on the roster so expect Samsonov to start in the AHL but if he has a hot start, he could be a quick call-up as the Sharks will adjust their roster looking to make it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.