Two former NHLers sign in Europe
4 novembre 2019
Two former members of NHL teams will be working in Europe for the next few months, at least. Scottie Upshall has signed with HC Ambri-Piotta of the National League in Switzerland, while goaltender Scott Darling will be playing with HC Innsbruck of the EBEL in Austria.
Upshall had a professional tryout with the Dallas Stars back in September that didn't work out. The 36-year-old has played with Philadelphia, Arizona (still Phoenix at the time), Columbus, Florida and St. Louis over the course of his NHL career. He also had a PTO with Edmonton before the start of last season, but it was derailed by a major knee injury that kept him out of action for the entire year. News of Upshall signing with HC Ambri-Piotta had broken a few days ago, but he needed to pass a physical before it could become official. That hurdle has now been cleared. He intends to stay with the club until Christmas, when he hopes to take part on the Spengler Cup.
Darling, 30, has his named etched on the Stanley Cup from his time with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. He served as backup to Corey Crawford, although he did take part in 29 regular season games. In 2017, his rights were traded to Carolina and he signed a four-year contract with the Hurricanes. That's when things started to go downhill. His first season in Carolina was a bust, and in November of 2018, he was placed on waivers and then assigned to Charlotte in the AHL. During the latest offseason, he was traded to Florida for James Reimer and a sixth round pick, and was promptly bought out of the remaining time on his contract. According to a release from HC Innsbruck, Darling contacted the team's management and asked if he could play for them, agreeing to do it "on budget."
Sources: HC Innsbruck, Swiss Hockey News
Upshall had a professional tryout with the Dallas Stars back in September that didn't work out. The 36-year-old has played with Philadelphia, Arizona (still Phoenix at the time), Columbus, Florida and St. Louis over the course of his NHL career. He also had a PTO with Edmonton before the start of last season, but it was derailed by a major knee injury that kept him out of action for the entire year. News of Upshall signing with HC Ambri-Piotta had broken a few days ago, but he needed to pass a physical before it could become official. That hurdle has now been cleared. He intends to stay with the club until Christmas, when he hopes to take part on the Spengler Cup.
Darling, 30, has his named etched on the Stanley Cup from his time with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. He served as backup to Corey Crawford, although he did take part in 29 regular season games. In 2017, his rights were traded to Carolina and he signed a four-year contract with the Hurricanes. That's when things started to go downhill. His first season in Carolina was a bust, and in November of 2018, he was placed on waivers and then assigned to Charlotte in the AHL. During the latest offseason, he was traded to Florida for James Reimer and a sixth round pick, and was promptly bought out of the remaining time on his contract. According to a release from HC Innsbruck, Darling contacted the team's management and asked if he could play for them, agreeing to do it "on budget."
Sources: HC Innsbruck, Swiss Hockey News
