Despite some early season struggles, Sanok is not throwing in the towel yet. The team has made several notable moves recently, including bringing back goalie Dominik Salama. Their newest move is the biggest yet, as the club nabbed Marcus Kallionkieli, an NHL prospect of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kallionkieli was drafted by the reigning cup champs in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL draft. The 6’2 Finnish forward with Brazilian heritage was drafted after a strong year in the USHL. He would sign an entry league deal with the Knights and report to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. This would begin a run of bad luck due to injuries and the pandemic. Since the start of the 2019 season, he has only played 84 games across the AHL, ECHL, U20 SM-sarja, and WHL. Most of his time was in the WHL, where he posted 44 points (15G-29A-44PTS) across 64 games. His move to Sanok, now approved by Vegas, will allow him to recover and return to form.

The move had to be approved by the Vegas Golden Knights organization, as Kallionkieli is still under contract with the club. This means the Golden Knights have loaned him to Sanok, and the same rules apply as with other nonaffiliated club loans. He could be reassigned to the Knights’ minor league squads if needed. He is still under contract despite signing his entry deal all the way back in 2019 due to his contract sliding twice. The 2024 season is the final year of the deal, and he will be a restricted free agent at the end of the NHL season.

For Sanok, they’re hoping Kallionkieli can start showing some of the potential he flashed in his junior days and be a major boost to the team. Sanok is at the bottom of the THL in the standings. The most significant area that needs improvement is offense. They’re currently last in goals for, with 32, 22 behind the next team. No player on the team has more than eight points. It will be interesting to see what kind of time Kallionkieli gets to start.

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