When Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ilya Usau was put on waivers to have his contract terminated last month, the prevailing wisdom was that the Belarusian would be heading to the KHL. That notion was confirmed on Wednesday when he signed with Dinamo Minsk in the Russian league. The club announced the deal on their website (it is in Russian).
The 22-year-old returns to the Russian team where he first caught the eye of Lightning scouts when he put up 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) as a 20-year-old in the 2021-22 season. Tampa Bay signed him to a three-year contract in March of 2022 to add to their diminished stable of prospects in Syracuse.