Legendary Latvian defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh has signed a one year contract with the KHL’s Dinamo Riga. The contract was signed on July 14, once the 36-year-old player had just returned from Denver (Colorado, USA), where his family (including his two children) is currently living.
Ozolinsh thereafter suffered through some well-publicized problems with alcohol, when finally in late 2005 he voluntarily entered the NHL’s substance abuse program. In March, 2006, he was traded by the Anaheim Ducks to the New York Rangers and resumed his NHL career, but in December, 2006 the Rangers placed Ozolinsh on waivers. After going unclaimed, he was assigned to the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he never actually played. Instead, in 2007 he began training on his own, and signed as a free agent in November, 2007, with the San Jose Sharks. Ozolinsh played 39 games with San Jose, although he didn’t play a single game after February 14, 2008, either in the NHL or anywhere else, and has not done so since that time. Ozolinsh has played in parts of 15 NHL seasons, from 1992-1993 through 2007-2008, with San Jose, Colorado, Carolina, Florida, Anaheim, New York Rangers, and again San Jose. His last full season was with Carolina in 2000-2001, when he played in 72 games.
Dinamo Riga previously has tried to sign Ozolinsh for the club’s inaugural season in 2008-2009, but Ozolinsh refused the club's 0.75 million USD offer. It was rumoured that the NHL's Los Angeles Kings offered him a contract around the same time. According to Ozolinsh himself, over the past season he has been swimming, running and playing golf, but for the past few months he has also been working hard in the gym to regain his form.
Ozolinsh is not the only notable Latvian player Dinamo has signed. Janis Sprukts (who plays center) has also signed a contract with Dinamo. He spent last season with the AHL's Rochester Americans, although he also was called up to play one game with the NHL's Florida Panthers. Altogether, Sprukts has played 13 NHL games. Another addition is Jekabs Redlihs, the third Redlihs brother to be signed by Dinamo (the other two - Mikelis and Krisjanis - are already with the team). Last season Redlihs reached the Czech Extraleague semifinals while playing for HC Plzeň. Previously, he had spent several seasons studying and playing in North America.
Dinamo has also signed three non-Latvian import players. After a long period of rumours, it was finally confirmed that the club has signed forward Martin Kariya, who had a great season in Switzerland (with SC Langnau of the Swiss NLA), scoring 58 points in 50 games. Another addition is Canadian center Mike Iggulden, who played 11 games with the NHL's New York Islanders, while spending most of the time in AHL with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The third addition is American offensive defender Lee Sweatt, who previously played in EBEL with the Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg.
This season Dinamo Riga will have to play without Mark Hartigan, who signed with CSKA Moscow, Duvie Westcott, signed by Dinamo Minsk, Filip Novak, signed by Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, and Aigars Cipruss, who has retired and will be the assistant coach of Dinamo-Juniors Riga, which is a newly established farm club of Dinamo Riga, playing in the Belarusian Extraleague next season.
On July 20, 2009, the team presented its roster, which means that there shouldn't be any major additions to the team prior to the start of the new season, though general manager Normunds Sejejs didn't deny that there could be some other additions. Two days after the roster presentaton, for example, Dinamo leased Martin Prusek for another season from Czech club Vitkovice. He joined the team after previous Dinamo goaltender Edgars Masalskis was mugged and then fired by the club for improper behavior. In February, 2009, Masalskis joined Duisburg Fuchse of the German DEL and played a spectacular World Championship in Bern for Latvia. Despite his problems from last season, Dinamo re-signed Masalskis in May, 2009. He will likely spilt time in goal with Prusek.
There are three players in Riga for a try-out. First is Latvian Roberts Jekimovs, who played in the Swedish U20 for Brynas IF's junior club and played also in the previous World Championship for Latvia. Second is Latvian Andris Dzerins, who has spent the previous two seasons with the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs. The third is American Nick Sirota who has played several seasons in NCAA Division I for Northern Michigan University. Both Roberts Jekimovs and Andris Dzerins were previously drafted by Dinamo Riga.
Dinamo will begin its season on September 12, 2009 with a home game against Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Arena Riga is expected to be sold out. |
