WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON, Pa. – Earlier this week, The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced a blue line addition for the lineup for the 2023-2024 season.

Dmitri Samorukov has been signed to a 1 year American Hockey League contract. Samorukov, drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, 84th overall, is coming into his 5th professional hockey season after spending the 2022-2023 season with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

During his junior career, Samorukov played 3 seasons in the OHL with the Guelph Storm. During his time with Guelph, he played in 188 games and tallied 25 goals with 74 assists. When Samorukov was in his final season with Guelph, he was named Alternate Captain. In that final season with, he led all defensemen on the team with 10 goals and 35 assists and helped lead the team to the OHL Championship. While playing in the OHL, he also spent time with Russia’s U18 and U20 teams.

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In the 2019-2020 season, Samorukov signed with the AHL Bakersfield Condors. He dressed in 47 games and notched 2 goals with 10 assists. The following year, he played 47 games for CSKA Moskva and ended the season with 2 goals and 6 assists.

When the 2021-2022 campaign rolled around, Samorukov came back to play for Bakersfield Condors, where he dressed for a total of 51 games and netted 3 goals with 15 assists. During this year, Samorukov earned a call-up to the Edmonton Oilers for 1 game.

In the 2022-2023 season, Samorukov decided to move on from the Oilers organization and was picked up by the St. Louis Blues. He was re-assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds where he spent a majority of the season. He dressed in 69 games for the Thunderbirds and tallied 4 goals and 16 assists. Samorukov also earned a call-up to the St. Louis Blues for 2 games.