Dragons at Full Strength: Duszak, Ellis, Sucese, Sutter and Chekhovich
The Shanghai Dragons announced the signings of defenseman Joseph Duszak and forwards Max Ellis, Nate Sucese, and Riley Sutter to one-year contracts. Forward Ivan Chekhovich has signed a two-year agreement.
Igor Varitsky, General Manager of the Shanghai Dragons:
– Joseph Duszak brings offense from the back end. He’s a right-handed defenseman who moves the puck well and shows great confidence at the blue line on the power play. Nate Sucese is a mobile, two-way forward with a team-first mentality. He’s reliable in special-teams situations and competes effectively in one-on-one battles for his size. Max Ellis is a right-shot winger with excellent skating ability. He’s dynamic, plays with pace, and is a constant threat off the rush with his quick, accurate wrist shot. Riley Sutter brings size and reliability down the middle. He’s effective on faceoffs, sacrifices his body to block shots, and strengthens our penalty kill. Ivan Chekhovich is a powerful winger with a dangerous, accurate shot. He’s a natural sniper, a finisher in the offensive zone, and we expect him to provide consistent scoring.
Joseph Duszak
Position: Defenseman
Nationality: USA
Age: 27
Height: 178
Weight: 84
Shoots: right
Jersey number: 13
Played the 2024–25 season with Severstal and Kunlun Red Star (KHL), recording 22 points (4G goals, 18 assists) in 44 games.
Max Ellis
Position: Forward
Nationality: USA
Age: 25
Height: 175
Weight: 78
Shoots: right
Jersey number: 7
Played 92 games in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies (2022–24), scoring 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists). Spent the 2024–25 season in Finland with Jukurit, where he tallied 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 30 games.
Nate Sucese
Position: Forward
Nationality: Canada
Age: 29
Height: 175
Weight: 79
Shoots: left
Jersey number: 37
Appeared in 277 AHL games with Tucson Roadrunners (2020–21), Iowa Wild (2021–22), Chicago Wolves (2022–24), and Hartford Wolf Pack (2024–25), totaling 110 points (52 goals, 58 assists). Last season with Hartford, he recorded 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists) in 56 games and finished with a +8 rating.
Riley Sutter
Position: Forward
Nationality: Canada
Age: 25
Height: 193
Weight: 94
Shoots: right
Jersey number: 14
A two-time Calder Cup Champion (2023, 2024). Played six seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears (2019–25), registering 75 points (25 goals, 50 assists) in 320 games. Posted 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in 63 games last season.
Ivan Chekhovich
Position: Forward
Nationality: Russia
Age: 26
Height: 179
Weight: 87
Shoots: left
Jersey number: 82
Played the 2024–25 season with HC Vityaz (KHL), recording 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) in 47 games.
Shanghai Dragons Media Department
