Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty left the Swiss A League team Ambri Piotta on Tuesday in order to return to North America. Pacioretty signed with Ambri Piotta due to the NHL lockout that was enacted on Sept. 15.
As of this time, it’s unclear as to why Pacioretty decided to leave the club. One explanation that has surfaced is that the conditions were not ideal for the 23-year-old’s development. He lived far away from the team’s rink and their strength-training facilities were not equipped to meet his conditioning needs.
According to Ambri Piotta, Pacioretty had been suffering from a flu, which forced him to miss the team’s last three games. The team contended that he had never fully recovered from the illness and requested his release.
However, contradictory reports have stated that Pacioretty was scratched in one game due to Swiss league restrictions that only allow four import players to dress per game. Pacioretty has yet to address the situation.
In five games with the team, he recorded one goal, four penalties and registered 22 shots on goal. He will return to Connecticut to train with Ben Prentiss in anticipation of the 2012-13 NHL season.
This story originally appeared at SB Nation.
