Roland’s Wade Allison is headed to Kazakhstan. The 26-year-old forward recently signed with Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Allison got started in hockey at a young age in his hometown of Roland (Myrtle) and primarily played in the Carman minor hockey program. He later attended Carman Collegiate before heading to the United States to pursue hockey.
“I got into hockey at the age of five but started skating when I was four,” said Allison. “Pretty much everyone in Canada living in a small town has to play hockey or at least try it, and I was no different as I fell in love with it right away. My dad built a rink on the farm, so my siblings and I were able to get out and skate around all the time, many times when it was -30 out there.”
After playing first at home with the Pembina Valley Hawks, Allison headed to the United States, where he played for the Omaha AAA Lancers 16U team and later the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2016 and spent the next four years playing college hockey at Western Michigan University. Allison ended his four-year run at Western Michigan by scoring 97 points in 106 games with a plus-30 rating in college.
Allison joined the Philadelphia Flyers for the tail end of the 2020-21 season as a physical right winger who could put the puck in the net when called upon. Throughout the 2022-23 season, Allison scored nine goals and six assists for 15 points in 60 games for the Flyers.
However, after training camp with the Flyers this past 2023-24 campaign, he was sent down to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley after reports that he had fallen out of favour with Philadelphia’s head coach, John Tortorella.
Allison was later traded to the Nashville Predators in March, but still found himself with the club’s AHL team in Milwaukee for the rest of the season.
Allison became a free agent for the first time on July 1. However, he wasn’t getting any one-way deals in the NHL, so when a solid offer to head overseas to play in the KHL arose with Barys Astana, he jumped at it.
“It’s a new opportunity, and I’ve always wanted to travel the world,” said Allison. “I felt like I could make more money over there and have a fresh opportunity, too, as I struggled this past season. I figured I’d change something up and make more money than I’d be making in North America. So I’m hoping to find my game again and enjoy myself. And if someone’s going to pay me to play hockey at the same time, then I’ll take it.”
Part of the reason Allison signed in Kazakhstan is that you don’t need a Visa to go there like you would in Russia, so his family and girlfriend will be able to visit him during the season.
“Astana, Kazakhstan, is an awesome place from what I’ve heard, as it’s a great city. I’ve talked with some players that have played over there to hear about what life’s like in Kazakhstan, how big of a change it is, and stuff like that. And everyone unanimously has said it’s a nice spot to be in, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The KHL season begins much earlier than the NHL, so Allison has to be in Astana on Aug. 1 for the team’s training camp. His season in the AHL ended on June 11, which means that he only gets six weeks of summer this year.
Through it all, Allison hopes to have a big year with Barys Astana and return to the National Hockey League after next season or in the future.
“If I can get back to the NHL, I’d probably come back right away after one year,” said Allison. “But if I was only getting AHL deals, I’d probably stay in the KHL for a bit and make some more money, as I’m getting older and need to keep setting myself up for life after hockey.”
