Czech
forward Jakub Vrána, 29,
has signed a two-year contract with Linköping
HC, the Swedish Hockey League club announced on Friday.
The
move has been heavily
rumored for more than two months and, for Vrána, it marks a
return to the club where he played from age 15
to 19
and got his first tasted of professional hockey. He
recorded 34 points in 98 SHL games as a teenager.
“I personally felt
that this day would come at some point,” Vrána
is
quoted in the
club’s announcement.
“For me it was just a matter of time. I am very happy to represent
Linköping again and now I just can’t wait to get to the city and
the organization, and start working together with the team.”
Vrána
was born in Prague and, for a while, there was also speculation that
he’d
sign with Sparta of the Czech Extraliga. However, Linköping
was the clear front-runner.
“It’s been a pretty hectic
summer for me to be honest,” Vrána
continued.
“I left the US and
then I had a couple of options around Europe to choose from, but for
me personally, I chose with my heart. I’m extremely happy to be
coming back to Linköping again as I basically grew up in the city. I
left my home country when I was 15 years old, played a lot in the
academy, got the chance to play senior hockey for the first time and
made a lot of friends that I still have close to me. All of that has
helped shape me into the person and man I am today, and I’m very
grateful for that.”
CONFIRMED: Nicklas Bäckström Is Back In SwedenSwedish
center Nicklas Bäckström,
37,
has signed a contract to play for Brynäs,
the
SHL club announced at a press conference on Monday morning. The
contract is for one year plus an option.
“We’ve been very clear in recent
years that he would be a dream signing for us and that we have now
managed to land him of course feels fantastic,” said Linköping
sports director Peter Jakobsson. “We know that Jakub’s
first choice recently has been to get a new contract in North
America, which we fully understand as it is every hockey player’s
dream and vision. It indicates a hunger and drive in him which we
value very highly. When the opportunity has not come, at the end of
the day it has been funneled down to a couple of clubs in Europe and
there he has, as he himself expressed in our conversations, chosen
with his heart.”
While he played in Linköping,
Vrána was chosen 14th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by
the Washington Capitals.
He established himself as a regular NHLer, recording 52 points in 69
games for Washington in 2019-20, and he regularly represented Czechia
at the IIHF World Championships.
However, his career eventually
became marred by injuries, declining play and a spell in the NHL’s
Player Assistance Program. Over the last four seasons, Vrána has
only played in 110 NHL games, recording 49 points. He was also unable
to earn a spot on the Czech national team roster last spring,
getting cut prior to the 2024 Worlds in Prague.
Jakub Lauko Returns Home To Czechia On Multi-Year DealCzech
forward Jakub Lauko, 25, has signed a three-year contract with Dynamo
Pardubice, the Czech Extraliga club announced on Friday.
Overall, Vrána has 223 points
in 406 NHL regular season games with the Capitals, Detroit
Red Wings, St. Louis
Blues and Nashville
Predators. He also has eight points in 38 playoff games, all with
Washington, and was part of the 2018 Stanley Cup championship team.
“He has a fantastic shot and is a
fantastic skater,” Jakobsson said of Vrána.
“It’s easy to say he’s an offensive forward, but he’s
developed his defense during his time in North America. We’re a
team that wants to work hard and do the right thing all over the
court with everything that means, and that goes for Jakub too. In our
eyes, we’re getting a complete player.”
Vrána joins a
Linköping team that finished 12th
in the SHL standings last season and has missed the playoffs in six
of the last seven seasons. In addition to Vrána,
the team’s roster includes ex-NHLers Nick
Shore, Oscar Fantenberg, Christoffer Ehn, Remi Ellie and Ty Rattie.
Ducks’ Italian Goalie Prospect Loaned Back To Swedish ClubItalian
goaltender Damian Clara, has been loaned by the Anaheim Ducks to
Brynäs
IF, the Gävle-based
SHL club announced on Saturday.
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