Valiyev joins Bison

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison announced that defenseman Rinat Valiyev has signed a contract for the 2026-27 season.

Valiyev, 31, has played professional hockey since the 2014-15 season, when he skated in two games with the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat after amassing 46 points (9g-37a) in 52 games with the Western Hockey League’s Kootenay Ice.

A third-round selection (68th overall) of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Valiyev skated in 10 games with Toronto during the 2015-16 season and added two more NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017-18 campaign.

The Nizhnekamsk, Russia, native has played in 260 career AHL games with Stockton, Toronto and Laval, totaling 85 points (19g-66a) with a +55 rating.

Valiyev began skating in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League following the 2021-22 season and has since notched two assists in 21 games in the highest league in his native country.

Over the previous three seasons, he has split time between Russia and Kazakhstan, and has recorded 49 points (10g-39a) in 84 games in Kazakhstan. He added 11 points (2g-9a) in 14 playoff games with HK Almaty.

Valiyev earned a spot on the 2014-15 WHL East Second All-Star Team and won a U20 IIHF World Junior Championship Silver Medal with Russia. He amassed 74 points (14g-60a) in 107 regular season games with Kootenay and also recorded 13 points (6g-7a) in 36 games with the United States Hockey League’s Indiana Ice to begin his North American Junior career.