The St. Louis Jr. Blues, proud members of the NA3HL, are pleased to announce that club alumnus Valentin Tarasenko has signed a professional hockey contract with Russian club HC Chelny. Located in the autonomous republic of Tatarstan along the Kama River, Chelny plays in the MHL-B, the third tier of Russian professional hockey.
Tarasenko joined the Jr. Blues last year in January following a successful stint at A21 Academy, a prep school located in Windsor, Ontario. In 10 games, the native of Novosibirsk, Russia scored two goals and added six assists for eight points.
“Val was only with us at the Jr. Blues for a short time, but he made the most of that time and was an impact player for us,” said Jr. Blues head coach Chris Flaugher. “He’s a strong skater with a lot of length and great passing vision. We wish him all the best at Chelny and hope this will be the start of a long and successful professional career.”
Valentin becomes the third member of the Tarasenko family to play professional hockey. While most people will know his older brother Vladimir, an NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues, his father Andrei was a decorated player as well, a former winner of the Russian scoring championship and member of the 1994 Russian Olympic hockey team.
