Blue Jackets Assign Three Players to the Monsters Roster

The AHL’s defending Calder Cup Champions, the Cleveland Monsters, proudly announced Tuesday that defensemen Dean Kukan and Oleg Yevenko were assigned to Cleveland by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus also announced Tuesday that forward Aaron Palushaj, who signed an AHL contract with Cleveland on Friday, was released from his professional tryout contract with the Blue Jackets and will report to the Monsters.

A 6’2”, 198 lb. left-handed native of Volketswil, Switzerland, Kukan registered 3-10-13 with eight penalty minutes and a +3 rating in 33 regular-season appearances for the Monsters in 2015-16 and added 1-4-5 with two penalty minutes and a +4 rating in 17 Calder Cup Playoff appearances for Cleveland.

Kukan also logged a +9 rating in eight late-season appearances for Columbus last year, his first career NHL action. Yevenko, a 6’7”, 230 lb. left-handed native of Minsk, Belarus, contributed 1-3-4 with a team-leading 152 penalty minutes and a -5 rating in 54 regular-season appearances for the Monsters last year in his first full professional campaign.