American-born Finnish right winger Jesse Ylönen, 25, has signed a two-year contract with Djurgården IF, the Stockholm-based SHL club announced on Tuesday.

“It’s an honor to get the chance in such a legendary team,” said Ylönen. “I know how much hockey means in Stockholm. I’ve heard that they have the best fans and the loudest arena in the league.”

“This is a really exciting player who has played a number of seasons in North America and a number of games with Montreal,” said Djurgården sports director Niklas Wikegård. “Jesse is only 25 years old and, like the entire club, is in a phase where he wants to get better. We do not see him as a finished product, but as a player who we believe can take his game to the next level with good training and under good leadership.”

Ylönen was born in Scottsdale, Ariz. in 1999 while his father, Juha Ylönen, was a player for the Phoenix Coyotes. He was raised in the Helsinki suburb of Espoo, where he played for the local Blues club, before playing three Liiga seasons for the Lahti Pelicans, recording 57 points in 130 regular-season and playoff games.

Ylönen was chosen in the second round, 58th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2021 and 2024, he played in 111 NHL games for the Habs, recording 29 points and 14 penalty minutes, but spent the majority of the time with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Ylönen split the 2024-25 season between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators organizations, but did not play any NHL games with either team.

Ylönen joins a Djurgården team that just earned a promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan and is in the process of building a competitive SHL roster. The team will have the consensus top-two ranked European draft prospects in 18-year-olds Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund, as well as veteran center Marcus Krüger, who was a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Exciting times await Djurgården and I look forward to being a part of it,” said Ylönen.

Photo © David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Djurgarden Pair Leads NHL Central Scouting 2025 Final European Skater Rankings NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on Tuesday and, among the international skaters, to no one’s surprise, the Djurgården pair of center Anton Frondell and right winger Victor Eklund top the list.