Canadian forward Alexandre Bolduc has decided to swap North America for the Urals, signing a one-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk. The 29-year-old center has 65 appearances in the NHL to his name, thanks to spells at Vancouver and Arizona, but has spent the bulk of his career in the AHL. Last season, as captain of the Portland Pirates, Bolduc scored 52 points (23+29) in 62 games.
Torpedo has also strengthened its offensive lines with a foreign import, albeit one with a far more familiar face. 30-year-old Swedish forward Linus Videll (pictured) has already worn the colors of Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk, Severstal Cherepovets and Dinamo Riga, and has now signed a one-year contract with the men from Nizhny Novgorod.