Another Byfuglien on his way to the NHL!

It’s easy to say that hockey fans miss Dustin Byfuglien.

Back in April, 2020, the Winnipeg Jets and Byfuglien agreed to terminate his contract. As you may remember, it came down to this when Byfuglien was suspended by the Jets after failing to report to training camp in September 2019. He was initially granted a personal leave of absence, but was later suspended without pay to help give the Jets salary-cap relief. The NHLPA filed a grievance on Byfuglien’s behalf in November to challenge that move, which was resolved once the contract came to an end.

There was then tons of chatter about what might be next for the big defenseman, though the free agent hasn’t been around the league since.

However, a member of his family is now making his way up as Thor Byfuglien, Dustin’s second cousin, is playing for the Chicago Steel. The 18-year-old is a left-shooting blue liner and is draft eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft which will take place in Montreal.

In four games so far with the Steel, he’s put up an assist. While Dustin’s height came up to 6’5, Thor is set at 5’9, much smaller than his second cousin.

But we surely hope he has the same grit on the ice!