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Fabian Zetterlund

San Jose Sharks Sign Fabian Zetterlund

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The San Jose Sharks have signed RFA forward Fabian Zetterlund to a two-year deal worth $1.45MM per season, the team announced.  The contract comes just one day after the team non-tendered him to avoid giving him the ability to file for salary arbitration.

The 23-year-old came to San Jose just before the trade deadline as part of the Timo Meier trade.  He was productive in a depth scoring role with the Devils, notching 20 points in 45 games despite averaging less than 13 minutes a night prior to the swap.  Unfortunately for Zetterlund and the Sharks, he wasn’t able to produce at the same level, collecting just three assists in 22 games.

Still, despite the sluggish start to his time in San Jose, it wouldn’t have made much sense for the Sharks to part with a young forward with at least a brief track record of some NHL success at this stage of their rebuild.  He’s likely to remain in a bottom-six role to start next season which might not yield too many scoring opportunities early on but he should have a chance to lock down a full-time spot for the first time in his career and if he can do that, he could be part of their plans for a while.

While San Jose technically signed Zetterlund as a UFA, he remains under team control through the 2026-27 campaign.  The contract is slightly backloaded with a $1.4MM salary next season and a $1.5MM salary in 2024-25; the latter represents his qualifying offer in 2025 where he’ll once again be eligible for arbitration.

Sweden Announces 2023 World Championship Roster

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Sweden has revealed its roster for the upcoming 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship, and it’s filled with an impressive mix of NHL players, high-end SHL players, and young prospects. The team is hoping to bring in Sweden’s first medal at the tournament since winning back-to-back golds in 2017 and 2018.

Headlining the roster are some prominent NHLers, including seasoned veteran Jakob Silfverberg and younger players like Lucas Raymond, Jonatan Berggren, and Fabian Zetterlund. For Silfverberg, who’s rumored to return to Sweden after his current contract with the Anaheim Ducks expires, this is his first appearance at the Worlds in over a decade. There’s also top 2023 NHL Draft prospect Leo Carlsson, who could see his name called as early as third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets after spending the entire season up in the SHL with Örebro HK.

On the blue line, Sweden is led by a pair of longtime NHLers in Christian Folin and Patrik Nemeth, but their best defender is undoubtedly Washington Capitals youngster Rasmus Sandin. Others, such as three-time Swiss league defenseman of the year Henrik Tömmernes, provide some valuable depth.

In net, Sweden will be relying on a trio of capable goaltenders led by one of the best prospects in the world – Jesper Wallstedt. The Minnesota Wild prospect posted a .908 save percentage in 38 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild and put up a .940 mark in international play for Sweden last year at the World Junior Championship. If Wallstedt doesn’t run away with the crease, there’s a high-end second option in SHL and KHL veteran Lars Johansson, who recorded a sparkling .958 save percentage for Sweden at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The full roster can be found below:

F Pär Lindholm
F Dennis Everberg
F Marcus Sorensen
F Andre Petersson
F Leo Carlsson
F Lucas Raymond
F Oscar Lindberg
F Jakob Silfverberg
F Jonatan Berggren
F Fabian Zetterlund
F Linus Johansson
F Carl Grundström
F Jacob de La Rose
F Alexander Nylander

D Christian Folin
D Henrik Tömmernes
D Patrik Nemeth
D Lukas Bengtsson
D Rasmus Sandin
D Anton Lindholm
D Jonathan Pudas
D Joel Persson

G Jesper Wallstedt
G Lars Johansson
G Jacob Johansson

 

Evening Notes: Zetterlund, Boqvist, Lehkonen, 2024 All Star Game

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The New Jersey Devils remarkable season is becoming more and more real each day. At first a nice story, then a “prove it,” then “what next,” the 19-4-1 Devils now sit among the NHL’s most elite teams this season with little evidence they’re slowing down. The team had another busy offseason, however the bulk of the talent on the roster isn’t much different than the same group that put up just 63 points last season. One of the several changes that has seemingly turned the tide in New Jersey is the development of some of their less-heralded prospects, including forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Jesper Boqvist.

As the Devils’ own Amanda Stein profiles, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff recently pulled both players aside and informed them that they should “get a place.” In other words, the two had been living in the team hotel in New Jersey without a permanent home, neither considered a firm part of the roster. However, a player being told to find a more permanent living situation implies that their spot on the roster is fairly safe. New Jersey had certainly hoped that both players could be a part of the long-term plan for them, however neither had really secured that status just yet. Now, 24 games into the season entering tonight, the Devils have found a winning recipe, and while it includes big names like Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, it’s also quite clearly been impacted as well by players like Boqvist and Zetterlund.

  • The Colorado Avalanche have had to weather more than their fair share of injuries this year and much to their credit, the reigning Cup champions have been able to keep themselves in playoff position despite the injuries. However, the team was dealt another tough blow during tonight’s contest against the Boston Bruins with winger Artturi Lehkonen leaving the game with an undisclosed injury, says Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater. Acquired at last season’s trade deadline, Lehkonen has fit in well during his time in Colorado and is currently enjoying a phenomenal breakout season, tallying seven goals to go with 11 assists in 21 games coming into tonight.
  • With the postponement of the 2024 World Cup of Hockey, the NHL will need to find a host for their All Star Game and of course, won’t have an issue finding interested parties. On this evening’s 32 Thoughts portion of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that there is expected to be a good amount of interest in hosting from Canadian teams, with Toronto being one that is expected to make a bid. Friedman added that there are some who have wondered if the NHL would consider a rotation of 7-to-10 cities where players may want to travel to during the winter months (presumably the warm climates of the American south and the west coast), but as Friedman adds, that’s not of interest to the league. The last All Star Game to be held north of the border was Ottawa back in 2012, with Montreal in 2009 before it.

New Jersey Devils Sign Fabian Zetterlund

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The New Jersey Devils have signed restricted free agent forward Fabian Zetterlund to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $125K, and a minor league guarantee of $175K. Zetterlund was not yet eligible for salary arbitration.

Zetterlund, 22, is poised to take on a bigger role with the Devils this season, after an outstanding minor league campaign that carried over into an excellent stretch at the end of the season in the NHL. Playing 11 games in April with the Devils, he managed to score eight points, after racking up 52 in 58 games for the Utica Comets.

Now, with four veteran forwards on expiring contracts, the path to full-time NHL playing time is right in front of him. Tomas Tatar, Andreas Johnsson, Miles Wood, and Erik Haula will all be unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, meaning opportunity is on the horizon for young forwards in the system.

Given that Zetterlund is no longer waiver-exempt, he likely has a leg up on some of his competition. If he can secure a roster spot in training camp, he could be with the big club all season. If not, he will also make an interesting waiver claim candidate for another team with space in the bottom six.

New Jersey Devils Issue Injury Updates; Recall Two From AHL

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The New Jersey Devils have already shut down Jack Hughes for the rest of the season, and now several other forwards could be sidelined. Yegor Sharangovich, Jimmy Vesey, and Nathan Bastian are all dealing with injuries, leading to the team recalling both Fabian Zetterlund and A.J. Greer from the AHL.

Sharangovich, 23, appears to be the closest to a return, despite leaving last night’s game after just five shifts. The young forward skated on his own ahead of practice and head coach Lindy Ruff believes it’s possible that he could be back in the lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Sharangovich engaged New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider after a big hit on Jesper Boqvist, and ended up leaving after just two minutes of ice time.

Vesey meanwhile is still getting imaging on his injured leg today, and there is no clear timetable for his return at this point. He also came together with Schneider and had to be helped off the ice by the training staff.

Bastian, who was injured in the same game as Hughes, is “doing better” according to Ruff, though the young forward is not expected to be available tomorrow. After starting the year barely playing with the Seattle Kraken, the return to New Jersey has been good for Bastian, who has ten goals in 50 games despite still playing a limited role.

As the Devils deal with a wave of injuries up front, players like Zetterlund will get a chance to impress. The 22-year-old third-round pick has seen three games at the NHL level so far this season but is still looking for his first point. He’s been outstanding with the Utica Comets, recording 52 points in 58 games, however, suggesting that he could be ready for more regular NHL minutes as soon as next season. A look down the stretch would make sense, especially given the fact that someone like Vesey–even if healthy–is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Devils Loan Fabian Zetterlund To Sweden

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Even though most international leagues have started up and are in full flight, there are still roster spots being created for NHL-contracted players.  One of those is with AIK of the Allsvenskan in Sweden as the team announced that they’ve added winger Fabian Zetterlund on loan from the Devils.  The press release states that the agreement is in place until further notice, suggesting that it will be until NHL training camps resume.

The roster spot was created by the injury to Islanders prospect Oliver Wahlstrom.  He suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday and there is no word on how much time he’ll miss.

Zetterlund was a third-round pick of New Jersey back in 2017 (63rd overall) and made his debut in North America last season, playing in 46 games with AHL Binghamton.  The 21-year-old acquitted himself relatively well, picking up eight goals and 11 assists but didn’t earn a recall to New Jersey last season.

It’s likely that Zetterlund will be back in the minors for next year but at the very least, this loan agreement will give him a chance to get into game action after last suiting up on March 11th with Binghamton.  This will be his first time in AIK’s organization after coming up from Farjestad’s system initially; as they’re an SHL team (and not taking players on loan), Zetterlund had to dip down a level to get a chance to play close to home.

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