Czech forward Jakub Vrána, 29, has signed a two-year contract with Linköping HC, the Swedish Hockey League club announced on Friday.

The move has been heavily rumored for more than two months and, for Vrána, it marks a return to the club where he played from age 15 to 19 and got his first tasted of professional hockey. He recorded 34 points in 98 SHL games as a teenager.

“I personally felt that this day would come at some point,” Vrána is quoted in the club’s announcement. “For me it was just a matter of time. I am very happy to represent Linköping again and now I just can’t wait to get to the city and the organization, and start working together with the team.”

Vrána was born in Prague and, for a while, there was also speculation that he’d sign with Sparta of the Czech Extraliga. However, Linköping was the clear front-runner.

“It’s been a pretty hectic summer for me to be honest,” Vrána continued. “I left the US and then I had a couple of options around Europe to choose from, but for me personally, I chose with my heart. I’m extremely happy to be coming back to Linköping again as I basically grew up in the city. I left my home country when I was 15 years old, played a lot in the academy, got the chance to play senior hockey for the first time and made a lot of friends that I still have close to me. All of that has helped shape me into the person and man I am today, and I’m very grateful for that.”

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“We’ve been very clear in recent years that he would be a dream signing for us and that we have now managed to land him of course feels fantastic,” said Linköping sports director Peter Jakobsson. “We know that Jakub’s first choice recently has been to get a new contract in North America, which we fully understand as it is every hockey player’s dream and vision. It indicates a hunger and drive in him which we value very highly. When the opportunity has not come, at the end of the day it has been funneled down to a couple of clubs in Europe and there he has, as he himself expressed in our conversations, chosen with his heart.”

While he played in Linköping, Vrána was chosen 14th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. He established himself as a regular NHLer, recording 52 points in 69 games for Washington in 2019-20, and he regularly represented Czechia at the IIHF World Championships.

However, his career eventually became marred by injuries, declining play and a spell in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program. Over the last four seasons, Vrána has only played in 110 NHL games, recording 49 points. He was also unable to earn a spot on the Czech national team roster last spring, getting cut prior to the 2024 Worlds in Prague.

Jakub Lauko Returns Home To Czechia On Multi-Year DealCzech forward Jakub Lauko, 25, has signed a three-year contract with Dynamo Pardubice, the Czech Extraliga club announced on Friday.

Overall, Vrána has 223 points in 406 NHL regular season games with the Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators. He also has eight points in 38 playoff games, all with Washington, and was part of the 2018 Stanley Cup championship team.

“He has a fantastic shot and is a fantastic skater,” Jakobsson said of Vrána. “It’s easy to say he’s an offensive forward, but he’s developed his defense during his time in North America. We’re a team that wants to work hard and do the right thing all over the court with everything that means, and that goes for Jakub too. In our eyes, we’re getting a complete player.”

Vrána joins a Linköping team that finished 12th in the SHL standings last season and has missed the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons. In addition to Vrána, the team’s roster includes ex-NHLers Nick Shore, Oscar Fantenberg, Christoffer Ehn, Remi Ellie and Ty Rattie.

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.