There was a flurry of transfer action on Monday and Tuesday, highlighted by the return of Norwegian defenceman Jonas Holos to Farjestad Karlstad and the move of Finnish prospect Juuso Ikonen to Karpat Oulu. As well, Frolunda Gothenburg made a couple of big pick-ups.
CHL News
Located not far from the Norwegian border, Farjestad Karlstad has always been a magnet for top Norwegian talent. Last season their roster included Martin Roymark and captain Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. Next season Marius Holtet, who missed all of 2014–15 with an injury should return and the team has already acquired goalie Lars Haugen from Dinamo Minsk. Now 27-year-old defenceman Jonas Holos is returning from another KHL club for his second go-around with the club.
“Since the day I left Farjestad, I have always felt that here I wanted to play again. Now that it will happen, of course it feels great,” Holos told the club website. He played for the Karlstad club from 2008 to 2010 before going overseas to play for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Since then he has also played for the Vaxjo Lakers and the KHL's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
“He's a really good two-way defenceman who has great mobility and works well in heavy traffic,” said head coach Tommy Samulesson, who coached Holos on his previous stint in Karlstad. “He's another player who wanted to come back. That shows that these players believe in what we do and that Farjestad is a good club to play hockey for.”
Another Swedish club, Frolunda Gothenburg, made some significant acquisitions in the past week. Having already lost some of their top players from last season to the NHL and KHL, they are getting a couple coming back the other way – 27-year-old Canadian right winger Spencer Abbott and one of their own home-grown talents – 22-year-old centre Johan Sundstrom, who's played the past two seasons in the New York Islanders organization.
“It's wonderful to come home,” the Gothenburg native said. “I'll be moving in a couple of weeks. It feels really good.”
“It's a good opportunity for me,” said Abbott, a former prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I have heard many good things about Frolunda and feel psyched about playing in Europe. I had some other opportunities, but I think the Swedish league can suit my game and I wanted a winning team.”
Meanwhile, a top Finnish prospect is moving from one CHL club to another – 20-year-old winger Juuso Ikonen is on his way from JYP Jyvaskyla to Karpat Oulu.
“I look forward to playing for Karpat,” said Ikonen, who made news in the CHL last season by scoring an unbelievable goal for JYP in the playoffs against Skelleftea AIK. “I feel that Karpat is a good club, where I will be able to take some steps forward as a player and help the team win.”
In a club-released statement, Sports Director Harry Aho said, “Ikonen has demonstrated his ability to play in this league despite his young age. He encompasses what we want in a Karpat player in every way: a fast skater who is able to play many roles. Ikonen is a top talent who has alread played nearly 200 Liiga games.”
Ikonen is not the only player from last year's CHL that will get another chance with another club this season. Ryan MacMurchy goes from ERC Ingolstadt to Adler Mannheim, while Vladimir Svacina moves from Vitkovice Ostrava to regional rivals Oceari Trinec.
Finally, Braehead Glasgow continue to bolster their roster, signing veteran defenceman Ric Jackman. Jackman, who's played 238 NHL regular-season and playoff games, won a Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. Since then his career has taken him to Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary, Japan and now Scotland.
For a list of all transfers involving CHL clubs over the past eight days, see below.
Date | Player | Pos | From | To |
16 June | Simon Fredriksson | D | Farjestad Karlstad | AIK Stockholm |
Spencer Abbott | F | Rockford Icehogs | Frolunda Gothenburg | |
Janne Puhakka | F | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | Espoo Blues | |
Jukka Voutilainen | F | KalPa Kuopio | Schwenninger Wild Wings | |
Neil Trimm | F | Braehead Glasgow | Coventry Blaze | |
Simon Gamache | F | Valerenga Oslo | Vienna Capitals | |
Bob Raymond | D | Adler Mannheim | Iserlohn Roosters | |
Juuso Ikonen | F | JYP Jyvaskyla | Karpat Oulu | |
Jonas Holos | D | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | Farjestad Karlstad | |
15 June | Axel Holmstrom | F | Skelleftea AIK | Detroit Red Wings |
Camilo Miettinen | F | IF Oskarshamn | Gap Rapaces | |
Michael Davies | F | Dusseldorfer EG | Hamburg Freezers | |
Jonathan Harty | D | IF Bjorkloven | Grenoble | |
Tobias Sjokvist | F | Farjestad Karlstad | Ornskoldsvik Hockey | |
Jurgen Penker | F | Rapperswil-Jona Lakers | Black Wings Linz | |
Matt Dzieduszycki | F | Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams | Vienna Capitals | |
Adrian Saxrud Danielsen | D | Storhamar Hamar | Herlev IC | |
14 June | Mike Duco | F | Indianapolis Fuel | Sheffield Steelers |
13 June | David Schuller | F | KAC Klagenfurt | HC Innsbruck |
Marcus Pettersson | D | Skelleftea AIK | Anaheim Ducks | |
Tomas Slovak | D | Brynas Gavle | HC Kosice | |
12 June | Lukas Koziol | F | Eisbaren Berlin | Krefeld Pinguine |
Johan Sundstrom | F | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | Frolunda Gothenburg | |
Chad Billins | D | Lulea Hockey | Linkoping HC | |
Ben Maxwell | F | Karpat Oulu | HC Sochi | |
Vladislav Filin | F | Red Bull Salzburg | Eisbaren Berlin | |
Lucas Wallmark | F | Lulea Hockey | Carolina Hurricanes | |
Vincent Schlenker | F | Eisbaren Berlin | ETC Crimmitschau | |
11 June | Richard Jackman | D | Nippon Paper Cranes | Braehead Glasgow |
Tobias Dyk | F | HV71 Jonkoping | Asploven HC | |
Adam Janosik | D | HC Kosice | Pirati Chomutov | |
10 June | Vladimir Svacina | F | Vitkovice Ostrava | Ocelari Trinec |
Jacob Weber | D | Red Bull Salzburg | Moskitos Essen | |
Ryan MacMurchy | F | ERC Ingolstadt | Adler Mannheim | |
9 June | Derek Hahn | F | ERC Ingolstadt | HC Innsbruck |
Tomas Devecka | D | HK Liptovsky Mikulas | HK Nitra | |
Radoslav Macik | F | HK Liptovsky Mikulas | HK Nitra | |
Benn Ferreiro | F | Chicago Wolves | Red Bull Salzburg | |
Tero Konttinen | D | KalPa Kuopio | Rouen Dragons | |
Thomas Mertl | D | Red Bull Munich | Kassel Huskies |