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Calvin De Haan Signs With SHL’s Rögle BK

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Sep. 12th: As expected, the SHL’s Rögle BK announced they’ve signed de Haan to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 campaign.

Aug. 31st: Veteran defender Calvin de Haan’s NHL days appear to be behind him. His agent has been pitching offers from European clubs to him for the past couple of weeks, and he’s being pursued aggressively by Swedish club Brynäs IF, Johan Svensson of Expressen reports.

Brynäs, the reigning SHL regular-season champions, have de Haan as their “absolute main target” to add defensive depth with two weeks before their regular-season schedule begins, Svensson writes. Their early offseason moves didn’t leave them with a lot of defensive depth to start with, an issue that has been exacerbated by a knee injury to veteran Simon Bertilsson, which will keep him out past New Year’s.

De Haan has no desire to stay in North America if it means a minor-league role, Svensson reports. If he’s only open to a one-way deal with a clear path to an NHL roster spot, his options are slim to none as a result. Svensson didn’t mention his willingness to stake things out on a PTO agreement, but if stability is the reason he’s spurned two-way and AHL offers so far, it stands to reason he wouldn’t have any interest in a tryout, either.

That means an everyday role in a top European league will be the next step in the 34-year-old’s career after 13 NHL seasons and nearly 700 games. Last season was a tough one for the 2009 No. 12 overall pick. He was a frequent healthy scratch and only made 47 appearances, his lowest total since the COVID-shortened 2021 season. He had eight assists with a -4 rating and averaged 14:58 per game while playing a No. 7/8 role for the Avalanche and Rangers, moving between clubs in the Ryan Lindgren trade.

De Haan was clearly displeased with how his tenure in New York went, using some colorful language to articulate his lack of usage down the stretch despite the team continuing to slide out of the playoff picture. He only got into three games for the Blueshirts – his first three after being acquired – and was then benched for the last month-plus of the schedule.

If the move to Brynäs is solidified, he’ll join a club that already likely has the most games of NHL experience on its roster in all of Europe. He would become the seventh player on their roster with at least 200 games of NHL time, joining Nicklas Bäckström, Robert Hägg, Michal Kempný, Johan Larsson, Oskar Lindblom, and Jakob Silfverberg.

SHL’s Växjö Lakers HC Sign Brogan Rafferty

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The SHL’s Växjö Lakers HC has strengthened its defensive lineup as it aims for postseason qualification for the 13th consecutive year. According to a team announcement, the Lakers have signed defenseman Brogan Rafferty to a two-year contract.

Before signing as an undrafted free agent and debuting with the Vancouver Canucks toward the end of the 2018-19 campaign, Rafferty enjoyed a strong three-year career with the NCAA’s Quinnipiac University. Although he departed four years before the program won its first national championship in 2023, Rafferty scored 10 goals and 65 points in 116 games for the Bobcats before becoming one of only 11 alumni to participate in an NHL contest.

The West Dundee, IL native appeared in two games for the Canucks to close out the 2018-19 campaign and spent the entire next season with their then-AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Earning All-Rookie First Team honors that year, Rafferty finished with seven goals and 45 points in 54 games with a +17 rating.

Unfortunately, despite his success as a rookie in the AHL, Rafferty spent the entire 2020-21 campaign on Vancouver’s taxi squad, participating in just one game for the Canucks, where he collected his first assist. Rather than continue his stay with Vancouver, Rafferty signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks the following offseason.

Since then, Rafferty has only played in the AHL, spending time with the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim), Coachella Valley Firebirds (Seattle Kraken), and Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings). Although he hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2020-21 season, he put together an exceptional performance with the Firebirds during the 2022-23 campaign, collecting nine goals and 51 points in 72 games with a +28 rating. Helping Coachella Valley reach the Calder Cup Final, Rafferty scored two goals and 11 points in 26 postseason contests.

Blue Jackets Prospect Malte Vass Transfers To Boston University

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Sept. 1: Vass has made his college commitment official as Boston University recently announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner will indeed suit up for them this season.  He’s their final addition to a class that saw them add multiple NHL draft picks including Ryder Ritchie, Haoxi Wang, and Sacha Boisvert, among others.

Aug. 9: It’s not very often that a player will leave a professional team to go to college but it does happen periodically with international players.  It appears that Blue Jackets prospect Malte Vass will be one of them as Varmlands Folkblad’s Johan Ekberg reports (subscription link) that the blueliner is leaving Sweden to play in the NCAA next season.  Which school he has chosen to go to yet remains unknown but Boston University is a school that is believed to have shown interest in him.

Vass was a third-round pick by Columbus last month, going 76th overall.  However, he was rated much higher on their draft board as Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch relayed after the draft that the Blue Jackets had Vass within the top 15 in their rankings, a sign that they clearly viewed him as being first-round-worthy.

Vass spent last season in Farjestad’s system, playing predominantly with their junior team where he had 11 points and 53 penalty minutes in 40 games.  However, he also got into five games with their SHL club where he was held off the scoresheet.  It’s likely that he would have had a chance to get some more action at their top level in 2025-26 but that’s no longer in the cards.

Vass noted that the recent change to allow CHL players to play in the NCAA expedited his decision to come to North America as the spot that’s being made available to him now might not have been available next year, given the number of junior players now seeking a school to play at.  It will be interesting to see if other international players start to feel that same pressure and up the urgency to pursue an NCAA spot as well over the next couple of years.

International Notes: Smith, Yip, Josefson, Barron

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As the Shanghai Dragons begin their first season in the KHL under their new name, they’re parting ways with a pair of longtime fixtures under the club’s former moniker, Kunlun Red Star. Former NHL winger Brandon Yip and goaltender Jeremy Smith will not return to the club in 2025-26, the league announced today.

Both Smith and Yip played long enough for Kunlun to earn Chinese player licenses and suited up for the country in top-level competition when they hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics. Yip served as captain and also helped them gain promotion from Division 2A to Division 1B of the World Championship that same year.

Yip continued to serve as Kunlun’s captain until last season, but injuries limited the former Avalanche and Predators forward to two assists in eight games. He played parts of seven seasons for Kunlun since joining the club in 2017, and the 40-year-old now presumably ends his professional career as the franchise’s all-time leader in goals (92), assists (93), and points (185).

As for Smith, the former ECHL MVP and longtime NHL farmhand had been Kunlun’s starter since he first headed overseas in 2019. The 36-year-old Michigan native was arguably one of the league’s best netminders, considering the often porous defense in front of him, logging a respectable .912 SV% in 184 games for the club despite holding an overall record of 53-103-12.

Elsewhere from around hockey:

  • Ex-Devils forward Jacob Josefson’s attempted comeback after three years away is successful, at least for now. After skating for SHL club Djurgårdens IF on a tryout basis during the preseason, he’s landed a full contract with the club for the upcoming regular season, the team announced today. The 34-year-old, who has only played for Djurgården in his home country, dating back to his youth hockey days, has not played a professional game since 2021 and has served in their front office for the past three seasons. He had a 20-44–64 scoring line in 315 career NHL games with New Jersey and Buffalo from 2010 to 2018.
  • After spending the last four seasons with AHL Tucson in the Arizona and Utah organizations, power winger Travis Barron is headed to Austria on a one-year deal with Black Wings Linz of the ICEHL. He was a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer and turned 27 last month. He was previously pursuing KHL offers but was evidently unsuccessful, leading to him signing in a less competitive but still premier European league. A seventh-round pick by the Avalanche back in 2016, Barron has 43 goals and 93 points in 305 career AHL games.

Snapshots: Panthers, Clara, Malmstrom

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Last season, the Panthers used the LTIR flexibility from Matthew Tkachuk to add big at the trade deadline.  Adam Proteau of The Hockey News argues that Florida should take the same approach and use the savings to add a rental player before the season starts.  While that would only increase the amount of cap space they’d need to open up when he returns midseason (barring further long-term injuries), it would also give them a boost in the first half.  While the Panthers came on strong in the playoffs, they struggled a bit down the stretch with Tkachuk out of the lineup and a slower start this season could complicate things in a tight Atlantic Division.  Accordingly, the idea of pre-renting a player makes some sense in theory with an eye on fortifying their roster for the first half but the need to open up room to welcome Tkachuk back later on would only be intensified, rarely an ideal position to be in midseason.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • After a season that saw him play at four different levels plus internationally for Italy, Ducks prospect Damian Clara is hoping for more stability this season. He has already been loaned to SHL Brynas and as he told Gefle Dagblad’s Daniel Sandstrom, both he and Anaheim were in agreement that returning to Brynas (where he played in 2023-24) was the only viable option for him.  The Ducks have already signed him to an entry-level contract but with three other prospect netminders signed who need playing time, keeping him in Sweden made sense.  Clara had a 3.19 GAA and a .879 SV% in 21 SHL games last season with Farjestad.  He has already been named to Italy’s roster for the upcoming Olympics as well.
  • After being non-tendered by St. Louis back in June, defenseman Anton Malmstrom signed a one-year deal in Sweden. However, he indicated to HockeySverige’s Robin Olausson that he did have offers to remain in North America although he didn’t indicate if they were NHL two-way offers or merely minor-league pacts.  The 25-year-old signed with St. Louis as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and split his time since then between the AHL and ECHL levels.

Brad Hunt Receiving SHL Interest

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For close to 15 years, veteran defenseman Brad Hunt has provided an offensive boost wherever he has played.  At times, he has been a high-producing offensive blueliner in the minors while at other times, he was a power play specialist (or even briefly a winger) in the NHL.  But it appears that he might be heading for a change of scenery as Mattias Persson of Sweden’s HockeyNews reports (subscription link) that Hunt is receiving interest from some SHL teams this summer.

The timing is a little curious given that a lot of teams in Sweden have already filled their import quotas but some are still trying to round out their roster with the season getting started in mid-September.

Hunt spent last season with AHL Hershey where he was limited to just 41 games where he had 19 points.  In 2023-24, the 36-year-old was one of the top-scoring blueliners in that league, tallying 16 goals and 33 assists in 70 games with Colorado.  He can certainly still be a productive player in the minors but as a veteran player and a limit on roster spots for veterans in the AHL, that likely isn’t helping his cause in a search for a contract in North America.

Hunt has played in 288 career NHL games over parts of ten seasons, tallying 26 goals and 60 assists along the way.  His last taste of action at the top level came back in 2022-23 with the Avalanche when he got into 47 games with them.  But in the minors, Hunt has been a key scoring threat, notching 84 goals and 214 assists in 422 contests spanning nine seasons.

While it’s possible that Hunt could try to catch on via a PTO deal for training camp and then try to land a full contract from there, it appears that he has at least one other viable option on the table with some interest in Sweden.  With their season fast approaching, he’ll need to decide if that’s the route he wants to take sooner than later.

Patrick Thoresen Announces Retirement

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Former Edmonton Oilers forward Patrick Thoresen has announced his retirement from professional hockey, via a social media post from the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF. Thoresen has spent the last 17 years marching around European pro leagues. He has played with teams in four different countries, and eight different leagues, in that span. Now, after winning a HockeyAllsvenskan championship with Djurgårdens last season, the 41-year-old left-winger has decided to hang up his skates.

Thoresen’s history in the NHL is rather brief. He went undrafted through eligibility in the 2002, 2003, and 2004 NHL Drafts – falling through a combined 27 rounds in the old nine-round format – despite recording a combined 191 points in 131 QMJHL games during his draft-eligible years. Thoresen returned to Europe for in the 2003-04 season and quickly stood out as a pro. He scored 41 points in 38 games in Sweden’s top minor league, then continued to produce for Djurgårdens in the SHL (then the SEL) with a combined 50 points in 80 games over the next two seasons.

The strong performances in Sweden were enough to catch the eye of the Edmonton Oilers, who signed Thorsen to his first NHL contract in May of 2006. He was a major standout during the team’s 2006-07 training camp and earned a spot on the opening night roster. But he struggled to maintain the momentum into his first NHL season, and recorded just 16 points and 52 penalty minutes in 68 games of his rookie season. He returned to Edmonton in the next year, but was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers mid-season after scoring just three points in 17 games with the Oilers. He added five more points in 21 games with the Flyers – a slowdown that seemed to clearly paint a mismatch between Thoresen’s style and the NHL. His action with the Oilers and Flyers was intercut by 34 games and 32 points in the AHL.

With two years of struggles behind him, Thoresen opted to return to Europe via a move to Lugano of the Swiss National League in 2008. He instantly bounced back to form, recording 63 points and 48 games of the 2008-09 season, then signing with the KHL’s Ufa Salavat in the following summer. Thoresen maintained his point-per-game scoring in Russia, and served as a crucial piece of Ufa’s run to the league championship in 2011 – the most recent title-win in club history. He moved to SKA following his championship run, continued to score, and eventually led SKA to their own championship run in 2015. In total, Thoresen managed 358 points in 375 games in the KHL between 2009 and 2015.

The next three seasons were spent in one-year stops with Djurgårdens, Zurich SC, and SKA – before Thoresen opted to become the face of the Norwegian league in 2018. He continued on through various levels of Norwegian pros until this past season, when he returned to Djurgårdens to support their surge back to the SHL. With 41 points in 48 games from Thoresen, Djurgårdens was able to lean on a long-time veteran in their push to a league promotion.

Thoresen was a fixture of Norway’s Men’s roster from 2003 to 2025. He appeared with the team in every year, even through international moves, and has served as one of the club’s captains since 2012. Like he did in every league he played in, Thoresen emerged as a star scorer for the Norway squad, and even recorded five points in three games of this year’s Olympic Games Qualifiers, at the age of 40. He retires as Norway’s leader in goals (47) and points-per-game (0.98) through 131 international games.

Thoresen will hang his skates up with a strong bid for being the greatest Norwegian pro of all time. His accomplishments spanned borders, and include two championships in the KHL, two in Norway, one in the HockeyAllsvenskan, and a former SHL MVP award. While he’ll move on from his playing career, it’s hard to imagine a veteran of more than 20 pro seasons will stay away for long.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports.

Mikko Kokkonen Signs With Linköping HC

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The AHL’s Toronto Marlies are losing a quality defenseman from the past few years. According to a team announcement, the SHL’s Linköping HC has signed Mikko Kokkonen to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season.

Kokkonen was drafted with the 84th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs from the Finnish Liiga’s Jukurit program. During his draft season, he scored three goals and 19 points in 56 games with a -16 rating. While the scoring may not be impressive at face value, he tied for the team lead among defensemen, which is notable for one of the youngest players on the roster.

His offensive production declined in the subsequent two seasons, recording four goals and 20 points in 89 games, along with a -23 rating from the start of the 2019-20 season to the end of the 2020-21 campaign. Still, the AHL Marlies brought him over for a brief time, and he performed well, scoring one goal and seven points in his first 11 contests.

He returned overseas for the 2021-22 season, scoring one goal and 15 points in 58 games, this time with the Liiga’s Pelicans. The 2022-23 season marked his full-time transition to North American hockey, and the transition was less than pleasant. Finishing the season without a goal, he only managed six assists in 36 contests.

The following two years were much more successful, finishing with eight goals and 33 points in 115 games, and adding another assist in five Calder Cup playoff matches. Linköping will be Kokkonen’s first appearance in the SHL, and he’ll play a part in helping them keep their heads above water for a second straight season. Last season, Linköping finished six points ahead of MoDo Hockey, narrowly avoiding relegation.

Jakub Vrána Signs Two-Year Deal With Linköping HC

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Aug. 8: Linköping made Vrána’s signing official today in a team release. It’s a two-year deal for the 29-year-old.

Aug. 2: Vrána’s move to Linköping will become official this week after he failed to land an NHL contract in free agency, reports Expressen’s Johan Svensson.

June 5: A once-efficient top-six scorer for the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings could be headed overseas for his next job. In a report out of Sweden, the SHL’s Linköping HC is attempting to sign Jakub Vrána this offseason.

It would’ve been difficult for Vrána to find an NHL contract this summer. Marketed as a goal-scoring forward, Vrána hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a season in five years. The last time came during the 2020-21 season, when Vrána scored 19 goals and 36 points in 50 games split between the Capitals and Red Wings.

Due to injuries, a trip through the NHL and NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and a general lack of opportunity, Vrána’s scoring has completely dissipated since. There have been brief stretches where he’s scored in bunches, but those have been few and far between.

This past season, Vrána earned a second stint in Washington on the heels of a professional tryout agreement in preseason action. He got off to a decent start with the Capitals, scoring six goals and 10 points in 20 games with a +5 rating.

Unfortunately, his role with the Capitals quickly dissipated, and he was exposed on the waiver wire near the trade deadline, being claimed by the Nashville Predators.

A return to Linköping HC would be a homecoming for Vrána. He played for them from 2012 to 2014 before the beginning of his NHL career, scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 73 contests.

International Notes: Henman, Little, Good Bogg

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After spending the last four years in the minors with the Kraken organization, center Luke Henman is headed to Finland on a one-year deal with Ilves, the Liiga club announced today.

Henman, 25, was actually the first signing in Seattle franchise history in 2021. He was a fourth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2018 but never signed, instead becoming an unrestricted free agent.

He’d remained in the Seattle organization ever since, recording 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 229 AHL games for their affiliates in Charlotte and Coachella Valley. They re-signed him last summer after his entry-level contract expired, but since Henman was old enough and had accrued enough experience for Group VI unrestricted free agency this year, he was ineligible for a qualifying offer and wasn’t retained.

The Nova Scotia native will now head to Ilves, one of two Liiga clubs based in the city of Tampere. While the club is light on NHL-experienced talent, they’ve finished second in Liiga in three straight years as they aim to capture their first title since 1985.

There’s more from overseas:

  • American winger Broc Little has announced his retirement, according to the SHL’s Linköping HC. Little, 37, was an ECAC champion and All-Star with Yale but was never drafted and never signed an NHL contract. He spent the vast majority of his professional career in Europe aside from a 21-game AHL stint with Springfield and Iowa back in 2013-14. He played 10 of his 14 pro seasons for Linköping, where he’s served as an alternate captain since 2018 and led the SHL in goals twice. His 367 points in 454 games for Linköping are fifth in franchise history.
  • Islanders defense prospect Dennis Good Bogg has found a place to play next season, signing with Väsby IK of HockeyEttan, Sweden’s third division. Good Bogg, 21, was a seventh-round pick in 2023, and New York holds his signing rights for two more years. Unless something changes drastically, he likely won’t ever sign an NHL contract. The 6’2″, 201-lb lefty has yet to reach Sweden’s top flight and has struggled at lower levels. He split last season between second-tier club Östersunds and third-tier club Mariestad, combining for just three points and a -10 rating in 35 games.

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