Canadian defenseman Mark Friedman, 29, has signed a two-year contract
to play for Rögle BK, the
SHL club announced on Thursday.
“I’m really
looking forward to moving to Sweden and playing for Rögle,” said
Friedman. “It feels like a perfect time in life to take this step.
You always want to go to the team that shows the most interest, which
Rögle did.”
“He’s
an intense two-way defender who will contribute offensively with his
mobility and defensively with his physique,” said Rögle
sports director Hampus Sjöström. “He’s a physical player
and possesses a strong character that will add a lot of color to the
group. A guy who competes hard in practise and games.”
Originally
from Toronto, Friedman played three years at Bowling Green University
and was chosen in the third round, 86th overall, in the
2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia
Flyers.
Between 2018 and
early 2025, Friedman played 93 NHL regular-season games for the
Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins
and Vancouver Canucks,
recording 13 points and 80 penalty minutes. He also played six
playoff games with Pittsburgh in 2022, recording one assist.
In February 2025,
Friedman was traded from Vancouver to the Nashville
Predators for future considerations but finished the season with
the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
Rögle
has been one of the SHL’s more successful teams over the
past five seasons but is coming off a year where it finished seventh
in the regular season and was eliminated in the play-in round. The
team also has under contract for 2025-26 former
NHLer Fredrik Olofsson.
Read the full article here
