Swedish defenseman Gustav Lindström, 26, has signed a five-year contract with Djurgården, the Stockholm-based SHL club announced on Thursday.

“I’m so incredibly happy and proud to have signed for Djurgården,” said Lindström. “I remember when I was younger and watched hockey at Hovet (Djurgården’s home rink) with my friends. Every now and then, we would just look at each other and say, ‘Imagine playing here one day.’ Now that day is here.”

“Gustav is a very exciting player who has experience from international hockey at all levels,” said club sports director Niklas Wikegård. “At the same time, he’s still at an age where we feel that with him, we will have something to build around over time. We are very happy that Gustav has finally found his home in his beloved Djurgården.”

Lindström was picked in the second round, 38th overall, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He played the 2018-19 season in the SHL for Frölunda and then went overseas.

Between 2019 and 2024, Lindström played 174 NHL games for the Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks, recording 35 points and 80 penalty minutes. He returned to the Montreal organization in 2024-25 but spent the entire season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket.

Lindström 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, and Finnish right winger Jesse Ylönen, who like Lindström, is also returning from North America.

Photo © Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

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