A pair of forwards who have been members of the Zurich Lions back-to-back championships in Switzerland and the team’s Champions Hockey League title this past season have signed contracts with NHL clubs this weekend.

On Saturday, it was 20-year-old Austrian Vinzenz Rohrer, the Montreal Canadiens’ third-round pick in 2022, who signed a three-year entry-level deal with the club. While that deal was fully expected, the following day’s announcement – that 29-year-old Finn Juho Lammikko had signed a one-year contract with the New Jersey Devils – apparently caught Zurich sports director Sven Leuenberger off guard.

“This departure was not planned – as a sports director, you are somewhat powerless in this agreement,” said Leuenberger. “But Juho has earned the chance to return to the NHL with his good play with us, and I understand that he wants to take it. I wish him the best of luck.”

Lammikko had signed a three-year contract extension with Zurich last December, but European contracts typically include escape clauses if the player receives an NHL offer.

Swiss Champs Sign Two Ex-NHLers To Multi-Year Contract ExtensionsThe ZSC Lions have signed two forwards with NHL experience to contract extensions, the Zurich-based National League club announced on Friday. They are 28-year-old Finnish center Juho Lammikko, who has signed for three extra years and 30-year-old Swedish right winger Jesper Frödén, who has added two.

Lammikko’s departure frees up an import spot on Zurich’s roster, and Leuenberger indicated that the club will try to find a replacement. Rohrer, who has played in Switzerland since he was 12, is considered a domestic player in Switzerland.

While it’s his first NHL contract, this will not be Rohrer’s first experience playing on North America, as he played two seasons with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. Over the past two seasons back in Switzerland, he has recorded 55 points in 132 National League regular-season and playoff games. He has also represented Switzerland in each of the last two IIHF World Championships.

This will be Lammikko’s third tour of duty in North America. Originally a third-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2014, the 6-foot-3, 203-pound Lammikko has 26 points in 159 NHL regular-season games with Florida and the Vancouver Canucks, mostly in the role of a fourth-line winger. Over the past three seasons, he has 131 points in 176 National League regular-season and playoff games. He has represented Finland in four World Championships, winning two gold medals.

Photo © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports: Juho Lammikko playing for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2021-22 season.

Vinzenz Rohrer on Austrian team, his summer & coming seasonAustrian forward Vinzenz Rohrer was the Montreal Canadiens’ third-round pick in 2022 and is just coming off his first professional season for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland’s National League. After a solid rookie campaign as part of a national championship team, the 19-year-old was selected to play in his first IIHF World Championship in May for an Austrian team that surprised many people and came agonizingly close to reaching the quarterfinals.