While the National Hockey League career of former Detroit Red Wings forward Austin Czarnik may not have been anything record-breaking, he's proving to be one of the most valuable players of his new club in Switzerland.
Czarnik, who played in 63 combined games for the Red Wings from the 2022-23 through 2023-24 NHL seasons, was recently named the regular season MVP in the Swiss National League, the country's top professional league.
Suiting up for SC Bern, Czarnik tallied 20 goals and 36 assists in 49 games played, good for first overall on his team and first overall among all players in the NL.
Next up for MVP Regular Season 🏆
Austin Czarnik @sc_bern_official – Congrats 🥳 pic.twitter.com/KR7tJmWpiT— National League (@NLch_official) July 31, 2025
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Czarnik is moving on from SC Bern, having signed a contract with Lausanne HC for the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season.
During his time with the Red Wings organization, he also saw ample time in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins, tallying a total of 24 goals with 41 assists in 81 total games.
Originally from Washington Township, Michigan (about a 40 minute drive from downtown Detroit), Czarnik played for the Detroit Compuware minor ice hockey team and first began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins in 2015, with whom he signed an entry-level contract after missing out on being drafted.
He would also see time in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken before joining the Red Wings organization head of the 2022-23 NHL season.
He managed three goals with two assists with Detroit in the 2022-23 campaign, and would play in 34 games the following season but managed a single assist.
If Czarnik's career in the NHL is indeed concluded, he finished it by having scored 18 goals with 33 assists in 205 games.
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