The Los Angeles Kings have acquired defender Christian Wolanin from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Michael Amadio.
Wolanin, 26, was drafted in the fourth round (107 overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, out of the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. Over three USHL seasons, split between the Green Bay Gamblers and the Lumberjacks, Wolanin appeared in 165 games, scoring 20 goals and 55 assists, as well as serving as an alternate captain in Muskegon.
He then played three seasons in the NCAA with the University of North Dakota and was the team’s top scorer in his junior season, with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists). He made his NHL debut that spring with the Senators.
Since then, Wolanin has bounced between the Senators of Belleville and those of Ottawa. In three years, he’s played in 50 AHL games, scoring eight goals and 24 assists. Over parts of four NHL seasons, he’s totaled just five goals and 13 assists in 58 games.
Penalties have plagued his career, as well. He served 251 penalty minutes in 165 USHL games, 107 penalty minutes in 109 NCAA games, and 31 PIMS in 50 AHL games.
Wolanin was placed on waivers last Thursday, needing to clear to be assigned to the AHL. He was not claimed, which means the Kings can — and will, per the press release — assign him to the Ontario Reign, after he is released from COVID-19 protocols, due to travel. Wolanin is on the final year of a two-year, $900,000 AAV contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Michael Amadio was selected by the Kings in the third round of the 2014 Entry Draft. The 24-year-old forward has also been a fringe NHL player, though last season he played a full 68 games with the big club, notching 16 points (six goals, 10 assists). In 168 NHL games over the last four seasons, Amadio has scored 16 goals and 23 assists.
He’d previously been nearly a point per game player with the North Bay Battalion of the OHL, with 226 points (92 goals, 134 assists) in 263 games, and served as their captain in his final season. His AHL numbers look similar, with 104 points (35 goals, 69 assists) over 130 games with the Reign.