The Halifax Wanderers have signed American striker Christian Volesky to a contract for the 2024 CPL season with a club option for 2025.

Volesky, 31, adds an experienced finisher to the Wanderers’ attack. The striker has scored 67 goals and tallied 23 assists throughout his professional career spent mainly in the USL Championship with a brief stint in Iceland. 

“Christian is a player that scores in lots of different ways and brings a lot of leadership into our team,” Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar said. “He brings a lot of confidence and goalscoring ability from his position. That was something we were looking to add to our squad for this season, plus I think he and Tiago Coimbra will complement each other well.”

From Henderson, Nevada, Volesky most recently spent two seasons at Monterey Bay FC in the USL Championship, contributing 18 goals and 10 assists during his time there.

He joins a Wanderers returning front line that includes leading scorer Massimo Ferrin and young striker Tiago Coimbra, who together combined for 12 goals in 2023. 

“I’ve done a lot of homework on the club and the fanbase, and I’m really excited to be in a group that found success last season and can try and lift the trophy this season for the fans that I know are the best in Canada,” Volesky said. “I’ve had the chance to play against Canadian clubs in the past and have some family in Saskatchewan, so I’m excited to come over the border and play again.”

A star striker in college, Volesky led the University of Denver in scoring during his freshman year before transferring to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. At SIUE, Volesky was a three-time all-conference selection and was the player of the year in his final season. Volesky was named MVP at the 2015 MLS combine and was selected 32nd overall by the Portland Timbers. 

Volesky would instead sign with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL. In his first year as a professional, Volesky led the Rhinos in scoring as the club finished first in the regular season and went on to capture the 2015 championship. He again led the club in scoring during the 2016 season before moving to Saint Louis FC and leading that club in scoring in 2017. 

“My job is to finish the chances, but I know there’s plenty of other guys in this team that can score as well,” Volesky said. “We can share the load a bit and score a bunch of goals to get the fans excited.” 

Volesky’s career has also included stints at Oklahoma City Energy, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Colorado Springs Switchbacks and Keflavík in Iceland. In Colorado, Volesky played with Wanderers midfielder Aidan Daniels.

He signed with Monterey Bay FC in 2022, playing two seasons at the club. In 2023, Volesky was the league’s Player of the Month for April and named Player of the Week twice, including a two-goal and one-assist performance for Monterey Bay in Week 5. Across all competitions in 2023, Volesky scored 11 goals to go along with eight assists.