American
forward Jimmy Vesey, 32, has signed a two-year contract with
Genève-Servette, the National League club announced on Monday.
It’s an interesting
move for Vesey, who has played exclusively in the NHL over the past
nine seasons. This is his first contract to play in Europe.
“I’m thrilled to be
coming to Geneva and starting a new chapter in my career,” said
Vesey. “I’ve heard nothing but praise, not only about
Switzerland, but also about the city and the organization. It’s
great to be part of such a strong team, and I’m excited to see what
we can achieve this season and beyond. Our goal is to get back to the
top of the league, and I can’t wait to get started.”
“We are very pleased
with to have Jimmy on board,” said club sports manager Marc
Gautschi. “Thanks to his excellent hockey IQ and his very reliable
two-way game, he can be used in all situations and at key moments. In
addition, with his immense experience, he will be an important leader
in the locker room. We expect him to regain his offensive performance
in our league with his passing skills, and his direct and powerful
game.”
Born in Boston, Vesey
was drafted out of the Eastern Junior Hockey League in the third
round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville
Predators. However, he never signed with Nashville, instead
spending the next four years at Harvard
University and then signed as a free agent with the New
York Rangers in 2016.
American Ex-NHLer Wins Swiss National League MVPThe
Swiss Ice Hockey Federation held its annual awards ceremony for the
2024-25 hockey season on Thursday night in Solothurn.
Since 2016, Vesey has
played 626 regular-season games in the NHL with the Rangers, Buffalo
Sabres, Toronto
Maple Leafs, Vancouver
Canucks, New
Jersey Devils and Colorado
Avalanche, recording 194 points and 144 penalty minutes.
It was with the Rangers
that he played the majority of his NHL games in two separate tours of
duty and
notched his five most productive seasons, peaking at 35 points in
2018-19. It’s also with the Rangers that he played all 31 of his
playoff games, recording nine points.
In 2024-25, he was
limited to 43 games split between the Rangers and Avalanche, netting
five goals and two assists.
Internationally, Vesey
won a gold medal for the USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior
Championship in Russia and also won a bronze at the 2015 senior men’s
World Championship in Czechia.
Vesey joins
a Genève-Servette team that won its first-ever national
championship in Switzerland in 2023-24 and won the Champions Hockey
League in 2024-25, but has missed the playoffs the last two National
League seasons.
In addition
to Vesey, Genève-Servette
has under contract for 2025-26 former NHLers Jesse Puljujärvi, Markus
Granlund, Josh Jooris, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Taylor Beck and Tim
Berni, whose NHL rights are still retained by the Columbus
Blue Jackets.
Photo © Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images.
Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi, 27, has signed a
two-year contract with Genève-Servette, the National League
club announced on Tuesday.
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