WOLF PACK INK F’S KALLE VÄISÄNEN AND MAXIM BARBASHEV TO AMATEUR TRYOUT AGREEMENTS (ATO)
Apr 9, 2024
HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has signed forwards Kalle Väisänen and Maxim Barbashev to amateur tryout agreements (ATO) for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Both players will join the Wolf Pack immediately.
Väisänen, 21, appeared in a career-high 58 games with TPS of Liiga this past season in his native Finland. The 6’4”, 178-pound forward set new career highs with nine goals, five assists, and 14 points.
Throughout three seasons, the Kotka, FIN, native has appeared in 137 Liiga games with TPS and recorded 24 points (14 g, 10 a).
Prior to his time in Liiga, Väisänen appeared in 45 games with the club’s U-20 team, scoring 50 points (17 g, 33 a). He also recorded 41 points (19 g, 22 a) in 46 games for the club’s U-18 program in 46 games over three seasons.
He was selected in the fourth round, 106th overall, by the Rangers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Väisänen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers on April 2nd, 2024.
Barbashev, 20, appeared in 15 games with the Shawinigan Cataractes and 44 games with the Rimouski Océanic of the QMJHL this season. In 15 games with the Cataractes, Barbashev scored nine points (2 g, 7 a). He was traded to the Océanic on November 21st, 2023, and went on to score 26 points (12 g, 14 a) in 44 games.
The 6’1”, 191-pound forward tacked on two assists in five QMJHL Playoff games.
The native of Moskva, RUS, has played in 195 games in his QMJHL career, scoring 152 points (67 g, 85 a) with the Océanic, Cataractes, and Moncton Wildcats.
Barbashev was selected in the fifth round, 161st overall, by the Rangers in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
The Wolf Pack returns home to host the Springfield Thunderbirds this Friday at 7:00 p.m.! Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission, Country Night with musical guest CobbleStone Road, a special appearance from Rob Dibble, and College Night!
Tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.