Season 9 of the EURO League gets started Saturday evening with six games across Europe.
One of the match-ups that night will feature the league’s best looking players (Bratislava Eagles) versus the league’s ugliest players (Berlin Smurfs). That game will also be Tyler Ennis’ first game in Bratislava wearing something that is not an Eagles sweater. In the off-season, Ennis refused to resign with linemates Jonathan Toews and Alexander Ovechkin and instead signed a 2-year deal worth $6 million in Berlin.
Ennis is the first of several stars who will play games against their former teams this year. The following are some of the players who either left via free agency or were traded. The list shows the first time they will face their former teammates from Season 8.
Oct. 6 – Nicklas Backstrom, Helsinki at Minsk
Oct. 9 – Kevin Shattenkirk, Bern at London
Oct. 16 – Blake Wheeler, Stockhom at Madrid
Oct. 19 – Talgat Zhailauov, Lisbon vs. Berlin
Nov. 2 – Carey Price, Zurich at Minsk
Nov. 14 – Jan Kovar, Berlin at St. Petersburg
Dec. 16 – Ryan Kesler, Helsinki at Lisbon
Dec. 28 – Brent Burns, Dublin at St. Petersburg
Feb. 6 – Phil Kessel, London at Berlin