Swedish Hockey League club Brynäs IF has called a press conference for Monday, at which time it is expected to announce the signing of veteran center Nicklas Backström, HockeyNews.se has reported.

For 37-year-old Backström, it would be a return to the club he played with from age 13 to 19. Backström has 73 points in 121 career SHL games, all for Brynäs. He last played for the Gävle-based club in 2007, the year after the Washington Capitals made him the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Backström, 37, has not played any competitive hockey since October 2023, when he played the first eight games of the season for the Capitals. At that point, he decided to pause his career, as his hip had not responded well to surgery in 2022, although he did not announce his retirement.

Backström recorded 271 goals and 762 assists for 1033 points along with 504 penalty minutes in 1105 NHL regular-season games between 2007 and 2023. He also recorded 114 points in 139 playoff games and was a major part of Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup championship team, recording 23 points in 20 playoff games that spring.

Throughout his NHL career, he usually played on a forward line as winger Alexander Ovechkin, the league’s all-time leading goal-scorer.

It's official: Jakob Silfverberg returns to BrynäsIt was highly expected last week when Jakob Silfverberg of the Anaheim Ducks announced he was leaving the NHL and now it’s official. The Brynäs IF website has announced that the 33-year-old is coming home to the city of Gävle and the club he grew up playing for.

Despite just being promoted from the tier-two HockeyAllsvenskan last season, Brynäs finished first in the SHL regular-season standings and went all the way to the league finals, losing to Lulea in six games.

Brynäs has been busy this off-season building a team that should be again considered a front-runner for the title.

Just days ago, the Anaheim Ducks lent the team a pair of prospects – goaltender Damian Clara and forward Lucas Pettersson. The team has also signed free agent goaltender Collin Delia and former NHL first-round pick Kieffer Bellows this off-season.

Other players under contract for the coming season include Jakob Silfverberg, Johan Larsson, Robert Hägg, Oskar Lindblom, Michal Kempný and Christian Djoos.

Photo © Brad Mills-Imagn Images.

Ducks’ Italian Goalie Prospect Loaned Back To Swedish ClubItalian goaltender Damian Clara, has been loaned by the Anaheim Ducks to Brynäs IF, the Gävle-based SHL club announced on Saturday.