Former New Jersey Devils prospect Raman Hrabarenka has become the latest player to put his NHL dreams on hold and head overseas. The 24-year-old defenseman signed on with Dynamo Minsk of the KHL today, affording him the opportunity to play in the capital city of his home country of Belarus.
An undrafted free agent in 2012, Hrabarenka went unnoticed by NHL teams looking for defensive depth and ended up signing a minor league deal with the AHL’s Albany Devils. His apparent transparency was not unfounded; Hrabarenka played just two seasons of major junior hockey and didn’t begin to pick up his play until the second half of year two. Hrabarenka joined the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the 2010-11 season, but by the midway point of the 2011-12 league year, he had contributed just 15 points in 80 games. At about 6’3″, 220 lbs., Hrabarenka is more of a physical, stay-at-home defenseman, but in a league fueled by offense like the QMJHL, players with little offensive upside don’t last long. The Eagles traded Hrabarenka to the Drummondville Voltigeurs, only to watch him hit his stride after a change of scenery. Hrabarenka recorded 14 points, and also played the best defensive hockey of his junior career, in 27 games with Drummondville. The Albany Devils must have noticed the improvement, as they were able to snag the big man in free agency that spring.
Able to settle into a more comfortable role as a shutdown defender in the AHL, Hrabarenka impressed many in his first pro season. Although he had just five points, he was a plus player that occasionally showed flashes of puck-moving ability. Not wanting another team to steal him away from their affiliate, the New Jersey Devils signed Hrabarenka to his first NHL deal in the summer of 2013, a three-year two-way deal worth $2.78MM. Hrabarenka looked like a strong investment over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, with his points jumping up to 21 and 27 respectively and his defensive reliability remaining consistent. He even made his NHL debut in a late-season game in 2015. However, Hrabarenka was unable to win a spot in camp last season and over the course of the AHL season regressed back into a one-dimensional checking defenseman. Unable to find a guaranteed contract this summer, Hrabarenka joined the Toronto Maple Leafs on a professional tryout agreement, but was one of the final cuts from camp just days before the start of the new season.
Disappointed with the lack of interest in North America, Hrabarenka is now headed home to Belarus. Much like the QMJHL, the KHL is an offense-driven league that is often hard on defensive defenseman. If Hrabarenka is able to maintain his physical dominance and defensive instincts against the speed and skill in that league, especially the division rival SKA St. Petersberg squad, he’ll be on NHL radars next summer and may get the opportunity to pursue the dream yet again.