Aksiantsiuk Returns from Texas, Jurusik Called by Penguins

BOISE, Idaho – Forward Yauheni Aksiantsiuk has been assigned by the Dallas Stars to the Idaho Steelheads from the Texas Stars while goaltender Matt Jurusik has signed a Professional Try-Out (PTO) contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ahead of this weekend’s games, Steelheads Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations Everett Sheen announced on Friday.Aksiantsiuk, 20, earned his first call-up to AHL Texas on November 29 and played three games, making his AHL debut on December 1 in Laval. The Brest, Belarus native began the season with the Steelheads, boasting eight goals and seven assists for 15 points with one power play goal and two game-winning goals through 13 games. He earned his first hat-trick in North America on November 27 against Allen and owns the fastest overtime goal in Steelheads history at seven seconds. Aksiantsiuk was named Howie’s Hockey Tape ECHL Rookie of the Month for October with a nine-point campaign and currently sits tied for sixth among ECHL rookies in scoring.The 5-foot-8 forward played two non-concurrent seasons in the Belarusian Extraleague before coming to North America and also appeared in one season with the Flint Firebirds (OHL) to close his junior career, tallying 78 points (33-45—78) in 58 games before being selected 162nd overall (6th Round) by the Dallas Stars in the 2020 NHL Draft. He also earned a silver medal with Belarus at the 2019 IIHF U20 Division 1A World Junior Championships.Jurusik, 24, has played nine games for the Steelheads to open the 2021-22 season, posting a 5-2-1 record with a 1.86 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. The La Grange, Ill. native earned his first professional shutout on Wednesday against South Carolina, halting all 24 shots faced for his fourth-straight game with a point earned for the team. He currently sits third among qualifying ECHL goaltenders in GAA and fifth in save pct. and through 17 ECHL games owns a 7-7-2 record with a 2.35 GAA and .924 save pct.The 6-foot-2 goaltender is on his second call-up to the AHL after starting with Texas during the 2021-22 season and looks to make his AHL debut this weekend with the Penguins. He was a 2019-20 WCHA Third-Team All-Star selection with Michigan Tech University to close his four-year collegiate career and also earned a bronze medal for Team USA at the 2014-15 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.The Steelheads meet the South Carolina Stingrays tonight at 7:10 p.m. from Idaho Central Arena. Limited and single seats are left at idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 95.3FM/1350AM KTIK “The Ticket” as well as the television broadcast at 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 and online at FloHockey.tv.Single-game tickets are available for all home games during the 2021-22 regular season by going to idahosteelheads.com or calling 331-TIXS! Make sure to secure your FloSports subscription for the 2021-22 season to lock in all Steelheads games and action from around the ECHL.