Swedish winger Victor Eklund, 18, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Islanders, the team that drafted him 16th overall at the recent NHL Entry Draft, the club announced on Monday.

In all likelihood, however, Eklund will be returning to Djurgården, the Stockholm-based club where he has played since his childhood, like his longtime teammate Anton Frondell.

Last season, Eklund had 31 points in 42 games in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second tier of professional hockey. He then had seven points in 16 playoff games, helping Djurgården gain a promotion to the top-tier SHL.

“I don’t know,” Eklund said back in October when asked where he himself playing next season. “I haven’t talked to anyone. I’m in Djurgården now and (I hope) we’re going to the SHL. I hope there won’t be any weirdness there.”

Report: Anton Frondell Will Sign With Blackhawks This Week; Won’t Attend Training Camp Swedish center Anton Frondell will sign an entry-level contract this upcoming week with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that took him third overall at this year’s NHL Entry Draft, according to Swedish journalist Gunnar Nordström.

It was recently reported in Swedish media that Frondell, who was chosen third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the same draft, will sign with Chicago this week but will not attend the team's training camp this September, instead choosing to prepare for and start the season with Djurgården without interruption. If that’s the case, it would seem likely that Eklund will do the same.

In addition to Eklund and Frondell, Djurgården’s lineup for the upcoming season will also include veteran center Marcus Krüger, who was a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Chicago, Finnish right winger Jesse Ylönen, Swedish defenseman Gustav Lindström, and Swedish goaltender Magnus Hellberg.

Photo © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

Victor Eklund: “It’s Gone Quite Well So I’ll Just Continue With It”Victor Eklund is off to a flying start in his draft year. The 18-year-old left winger has seven goals and four assists in 13 games for Djurgården in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier professional league. Last Friday, he netted a hat trick in a 7-6 shootout loss to Björklöven.

Canadian forward Andy Andreoff, 34, has signed a two year contract with the ZSC Lions, the Zurich-based National League team announced on Monday.

“With Andy Andreoff, we're gaining a physically strong forward who knows where the net is,” said Lions’ sports director Sven Leuenberger. “Just as important for me is that Andy can be used to kill penalties and is strong on faceoffs, because that’s where we needed more after the departures of Juho Lammikko and Vinzenz Rohrer.”

Leuenberger continued, “Andy can also play on the power play and operate as both a center and a wing. Our quota of six import players is now complete.”

Born in Pickering, Ont., Andreoff played junior hockey for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and was chosen by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round, 80th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Between 2014 and 2023, Andreoff played 188 NHL regular-season games for the Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, recording 27 points and a whopping 225 penalty minutes. He also played one playoff game with Los Angeles in 2016.

Rohrer & Lammikko Leave Zurich For NHLA 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.

Andreoff spent the past two seasons in the KHL playing for Sibir Novosibirsk, where he talllied 81 points and 89 penalty minutes in 137 regular-season and playoff games.

Zurich has been Switzerland’s most successful team in recent years, winning back-to-back National League titles and also winning the Champions Hockey League final on home ice last season. Andreoff joins a roster that includes ex-NHLers Yannick Weber, Derek Grant, Denis Malgin, Sven Andrighetto, Rudolfs Balcers, Dean Kukan and Mikko Lehtonen.

Photo © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Zurich Lions Win Champions Hockey League Final – Back-To-Back Titles For SwitzerlandFor the second year in a row, a Swiss team has defeated a Swedish team in the Champions Hockey League final. On their home ice, the ZSC Lions defeated visiting Färjestad 2-1 before a sell-out crowd of 12,000 at Swiss Life Arena in Zurich.

Swiss club HC Davos has signed three of its key forwards to three-year contract extensions – Czech Filip Zadina, 25, Canadian Adam Tambellini, 30, and Swede Simon Ryfors, 27.

“We are delighted that Simon, Filip, and Adam have so clearly committed to HCD and are planning their future with us,” said club sports director Jan Alston. “All three are hungry for more, and we expect a high level of play from them over the next three years.”

It’s interesting that Zadina chose to sign long-term in Davos after last summer, when the Czech winger was reportedly close to signing with his hometown club Dynamo Pardubice, but a sticking point was term – the club wanted a multi-year deal but Zadina, then 24, wanted to keep his NHL options available and chose the shorter-term offer from Davos. Presumably, this contract contains an opt-out in case he receives an NHL offer.

Last season, Zadina had 43 points in 53 National League regular-season and playoff games. He also had four points in three games in the Spengler Cup, which Davos hosts annually.

In addition to Tambellini and Ryfors, Zadina’s teammates in Davos this season will include ex-NHLers Joakim Nordström, Brendan Lemieux, Rasmus Asplund and Klas Dahlbeck.

Rasmus Asplund Leaves Florida Organization For Switzerland Swedish forward Rasmus Asplund, 27, has signed a two-year contract with HC Davos, the National League club announced on Tuesday.

Originally from Pardubice, Czechia, Zadina went overseas at age 17 to play junior hockey for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. After winning the league’s rookie-of-the-year award and making the first all-star team, he was drafted sixth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Between 2018 and 2024, Zadina played 262 NHL games for the Wings and San Jose Sharks, recording 91 points and 40 penalty minutes. In 2023-24, his last NHL campaign to date, Zadina hit career highs in games played (72) and goals (13).

Internationally, Zadina performed brilliantly for the Czechs at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, recording eight points in seven games as the Czechs finished fourth. In his only senior-level World Championship to date in Riga in 2021, Zadina had four points in eight games.

Photo © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.

CONFIRMED: Jesse Puljujärvi Signs Multi-Year Contract in Switzerland Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Genève-Servette, the National League club announced on Tuesday.

Swedish center Anton Frondell will sign an entry-level contract this upcoming week with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that took him third overall at this year’s NHL Entry Draft, according to Swedish journalist Gunnar Nordström.

According to Nordström’s article, which was published in the Swedish website Expressen on Saturday, the 18-year-old Frondell will sign for three years at $975,000 US per year, which is the maximum allowed for an entry-level deal according to the CBA.

Nordström further states that, according to information provided to Expressen, Frondell intends to play for Djurgården this upcoming season and will not attend Chicago's training camp, which begins on Sept. 15. Rather, he will focus on preparing for Djurgården’s season and the team’s opener on Sept. 13 at home against Skellefteå AIK.

That statement is consistent with Frondell’s words when he signed a contract extension with Djurgården in March. 

“When I got the offer to stay, there was no doubt, no hesitation,” Frondell was quoted at the time of his signing. “Everyone who knows me knows that this is the club that I want to play for as long as possible. I have been a Djurgården fan since the day I was born and I have always looked up to those who have worn Djurgården jerseys. To play for Djurgården myself is the best thing I know, and with the support of the fans it only becomes even better each game.”

Djurgården Extends Top Draft Prospect Anton Frondell Swedish center Anton Frondell, who is ranked to be one of the top picks at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, has signed a contract that will see him remain with Djurgården – his Stockholm-based childhood club – at least one more season.

Last season, Frondell had 25 points in 29 games playing for Djurgården in Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. He then had seven points in 19 post-season games as Djurgården earned a promotion to the top-tier SHL. That will make the upcoming season a step up in the level of hockey that Frondell will be playing.

In addition to Frondell, Djurgården’s lineup for the upcoming season will also probably include 18-year-old winger Victor Eklund, who was chosen 16th overall by the New York Islanders. It will also have veteran center Marcus Krüger, who was a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Chicago, Finnish right winger Jesse Ylönen, Swedish defenseman Gustav Lindström, and Swedish goaltender Magnus Hellberg.

Swedish D-Man Returns Home On Long-Term Contract Swedish defenseman Gustav Lindström, 26, has signed a five-year contract with Djurgården, the Stockholm-based SHL club announced on Thursday.

American-born Russian winger Nikolai Kovalenko, 25, has signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow, the KHL club announced on social media on Saturday.

The move comes nine days after CSKA acquired Kovalenko’s KHL rights from Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in exchange for recently-signed ex-NHLer Egor Sokolov.

Kovalenko was born in Raleigh, N.C. while his father, Andrei Kovalenko, played for the Carolina Hurricanes. He grew up in Moscow and Yaroslavl, and played in 304 KHL regular-season and playoff games for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Ak Bars Kazan and Torpedo between 2017 and 2024, recording 157 points.

At the end of the 2023-24 KHL season, Kovalenko, who had already signed a two-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche, was assigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He made his NHL debut in that year's playoffs when he was called up to play in two games for the Avalanche.

Kovalenko split the 2024-25 season with Colorado and the San Jose Sharks, recording 20 points and 16 penalty minutes in 57 games. Midway through the season, he was involved in a trade that saw goaltenders Alexandar Georgiev and Mackenzie Blackwood head in opposite directions.

Two Days After Signing In KHL, Sokolov Traded For NHL Free Agent Two days after signing with CSKA Moscow, Russian winger Egor Sokolov has been traded to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, the CSKA club announced on Thursday.

CSKA, colloquially known in North America as the Red Army team, is a perennial powerhouse in Russia, but after back-to-back Gagarin Cup titles in 2022 and 2023, has been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs each of the past two years.

The team has made numerous moves in recent weeks, including signing Sokolov and then trading him for Kovalenko’s rights two days later. The team has also signed goaltender Spencer Martin and acquired Denis Zernov from Metallurg Magnitogorsk in exchange for New York Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov. CSKA also has under contract for 2025-26 ex-NHLers Denis Guryanov, Nikita Nesterov, Nikita Okhotyuk and Vladislav Kamenev.

Photo © Steven Bisig-Imagn Images.

Goalie Spencer Martin Signs In KHL Canadian goaltender Spencer Martin, 30, has signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

American goaltender Collin Delia, 31, has signed a one-year contract with Brynäs IF, the Gävle-based SHL club announced on Friday.

“My family and I are incredibly happy to have this opportunity to represent a prestigious club like Brynäs,” said Delia. “The team’s passionate fans combined with its proud history made our decision easy. I’m looking forward to the season and I want to contribute to us going all the way and winning Swedish championship.”

Winning a title wouldn’t be such a huge leap for Brynäs who, despite being promoted from the tier-two HockeyAllsvenskan last season, finished first in the SHL regular-season standings and went all the way to the league finals, losing to Lulea in six games.

Delia joins a Brynäs team that has several big-name players, including Jakob Silfverberg, Johan Larsson, Robert Hägg, Oskar Lindblom, Michal Kempný and Christian Djoos.

Delia is the only healthy goaltender under contract right now, as former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Erik Källgren isn’t expected back until early 2026 after undergoing hip surgery.

“Collin is well-deserved and we have followed him for a long time,” said Brynäs sports director Johan Alcén. “He’s a goalie who always gives his best for the team and knows what is required at the highest level. He is very well-educated and incredibly good on his skates. It will be exciting to work with him and see what he can achieve in our environment.”

Ex-NHL D-Man Moves From Czechia To Sweden Czech defenseman Michal Kempný, 34, has signed a one-year contract with Brynäs IF, the Gävle-based SHL club announced on Friday.

Born in Rancho Cucamonga, Cal., Delia played three years of NCAA hockey at Merrimack College and then signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017. Between 2017 and 2022, he played 32 NHL games with Chicago, spending the rest of the time with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

In 2022, Delia signed with the Vancouver Canucks, starting the season in the minors, third in the team’s goaltending depth chart, but played 20 NHL games that season after Thatcher Demko was injured and Spencer Martin faltered in the starting role.

Delia spent the last two seasons in the minor-league systems of the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers.

In 52 NHL games, Delia has a goals-against average of 3.51, a save percentage of .897, a record of 19-18-7 and no shutouts. This is his first contract to play in Europe.

Photo © Bob Frid-Imagn Images.

Goalie Spencer Martin Signs In KHL Canadian goaltender Spencer Martin, 30, has signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

Canadian defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer, 26, has signed a one-year contract with KHL club HK Sochi, according to Russian sports website Championat.com.

Originally from the Toronto suburb of North York, Hoefenmayer played junior hockey for the Ottawa 67’s and was chosen in the fourth round, 107th overall, by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In 2019-20, he led OHL defensemen with 82 points and was named the top d-man of both the OHL and CHL.

Never signed by Arizona, Hoefenmayer played in the minor-league systems of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens between 2020 and 2025, appearing in some NHL pre-season games but never in the regular season. In 189 career AHL regular-season and playoff games, he recorded 88 points and 243 penalty minutes.

This is Hoefenmayer’s first contract to play in Europe. He joins a Sochi team that is coached by former NHLer Vyacheslav Kozlov, but has not made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season.

Photo © Perry Nelson-Imagn Images: Noel Hoefenmayer (81) of the Edmonton Oilers carries the puck around Calgary Flames defensemen Joni Jurmo (57) during an NHL pre-season game in September 2024.

Sabres 2012 First-Rounder Mikhail Grigorenko Changes KHL Teams - Community Postundefined

Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko has signed a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk, the KHL club announced on Friday.

“He’s vastly experienced playing in the NHL, international tournaments with the Russian national team, as well as the Gagarin Cup, of which he is a three-time winner,” Traktor GM Alexei Volkov said about Grigorenko. “He is equally capable of playing in several positions, is creative and has a great shot. Add excellent human qualities here and we get a really great top-line player, capable of making the team even more competitive.”

Born in Khabarovsk, in the far east of Russia near the Pacific coast, Grigorenko moved to Moscow as a child and played for the famous CSKA club. At age 17, he went overseas to play junior hockey for the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts, and then a year later was drafted 12th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Grigorenko played parts of three seasons with Buffalo before he was part of a blockbuster trade at the 2015 Draft, going to the Colorado Avalanche in a deal that also included Nikita Zadorov, J.T. Compher, Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie McGinn and a first-round pick. Grigorenko’s two seasons in Colorado were his most productive in the NHL, recording 27 and 23 points, respectively.

After two seasons back in the KHL, Grigorenko had one more 32-game NHL stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, recording 12 points. In all, he had 76 points and 36 penalty minutes in 249 career NHL games.

Igor Larionov Jr. To Play For Father In KHL American-Russian center Igor Larionov Jr., 26, has signed a one-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg, the KHL club announced on social media on Wednesday.

In 481 career KHL regular-season and playoff games, Grigorenko has 371 points – mostly with CSKA, but he played last season for SKA St. Petersburg, where he had 48 points in 71 games.

Internationally, Grigorenko has represented Russia at one IIHF U-18 World Championship, three World Junior Championships and three senior-level World Championships. He’s also played in the Olympics twice, winning gold with the Olympic Athletes from Russia in 2018 and a silver with ROC in 2022.

Traktor Chelyabinsk finished first in the KHL’s Eastern Conference last year and advanced to the Gagarin Cup finals, where it was swept by Lokomotiv Yaroslav. In addition to Grigorenko, the team has under contract for 2025-26 goaltender Chris Driedger, former NHLers Vladimir Zahkarov and Jordan Gross, as well as prospects Arseni Koromyslov (St. Louis Blues), Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Toronto Maple Leafs), Matvei Guskov (Minnesota Wild) and Alexander Rykov (Carolina Hurricanes).

© Tim Fuller-Imagn Images.

Former NHL Goalie Chris Driedger Signs In KHL Canadian goaltender Chris Driedger, 31, has signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk, the KHL club announced on Tuesday.

Canadian goaltender Dylan Ferguson, 26, has signed a one-year contract with HK Nitra, the Slovak Extraliga club announced on Thursday.

Ferguson spent last season in the Minnesota Wild organization, where he dressed as a backup but did not see any NHL action, spending the season with the AHL's Iowa Wild. He has been in several NHL organizations but has only three games to his credit.

Ferguson was born in Lantzville, BC on Vancouver Island, but played high-school hockey for the famed Notre Dame Hounds in Saskatchewan and then junior hockey for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.

Ferguson was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the seventh round, 194th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and then traded two days later to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Marc Methot. In the following season, Ferguson made his first NHL appearance after the Knights had a run of injuries in goal – allowing one goal on two shots in 9:14 of action in relief against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 14, 2017.

Two Days After Signing In KHL, Sokolov Traded For NHL Free Agent Two days after signing with CSKA Moscow, Russian winger Egor Sokolov has been traded to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, the CSKA club announced on Thursday.

Between 2019 and 2023, Ferguson played in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators organizations, playing two more NHL games for Ottawa in March 2023.

Ferguson spent the 2023-24 season playing for Belarus-based KHL club Dinamo Minsk. He then returned to North America the following season, first attending the Vancouver Canucks training camp before signing with Minnesota.

Ferguson joins a Nitra club that won the Slovak title in 2023-24 and lost in the finals last season. Notable players on the team’s roster include 44-year-old defenseman Branislav Mezei and 20-year-old left winger Ondrej Molnár, who spent the past two seasons in the OHL.

Photo © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Branislav Mezei Re-Signs With Hometown Club For Pro Season No. 26 Slovak defenseman Branislav Mezei, 44, has signed a one-year contract extension with his hometown club, HK Nitra, to play what will be his 26th season of professional hockey, the Slovak Extraliga club announced on Saturday.

Canadian forward Cliff Pu, 27, has signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers, the EIHL club announced on Thursday.

“I’d never thought of the U.K. to play hockey,” Pu is quoted. “Then when the opportunity came up, I started doing some research and realized this was a great opportunity to play for a winning franchise as well as being able to my get education with the university.”

“Cliff is coming in with a extremely high skill set,” said Steelers coach Aaron Fox. “He skates at an elite level and has played in some top leagues. Cliff is a natural center that can play both wing positions as well. His game will translate here to being a really productive player that I think will be able to help our PP and play a top-six role.”

As a junior, Pu played in the OHL and was a member of the London Knights 2015-16 Memorial Cup championship team. He was spotlighted by The Hockey News that spring as a potential first-round draft pick and ended up going in the third round, 69th overall, to the Buffalo Sabres. He followed up his draft season with 86- and 84-point seasons – the latter split between London and the Kingston Frontenacs.

Pu spent the better part of three seasons in the AHL while in the organizations of the Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets before signing with Kunlun Red Star – a Chinese-based club in the KHL – in 2021.

While many Kunlun players quickly became naturalized Chinese citizens and played for the national team, Pu’s arrival was too soon before the 2022 Beijing Olympics for this to happen. He played two and a half seasons with the Chinese-based team before transferring to Russian-based Admiral Vladivostok midway through 2023-24. In three KHL seasons, Pu recorded 41 points in 109 games.

Former Sabres draft pick Cliff Pu leaves KHL for SlovakiaCliff Pu, a 26-year-old Canadian forward, has spent the past four seasons in the KHL. On Thursday, however, Slovak club Dukla Michalovce announced the signing of the Buffalo Sabres’ third-round pick from 2016.

Pu split the 2024-25 season between Dukla Michalovce of the Slovak Extraliga and HC La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland’s second-tier league.

Pu joins a Steelers team that is used to success – they have not finished worse than third in the past six seasons. The team includes British national team captain Robert Dowd, who is also the EIHL’s all-time scoring leader.

Describing himself, Pu said, “Firstly I love to win, I work hard and I’m fast, I try and use my speed, I’ve always focused on power skating, and that has helped me create offense for my self and teammates.”

Photo © Kim Klement-Imagn Images: Cliff Pu, playing a pre-season game for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018, being checked by Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Robert Dowd Is British League’s All-Time Scoring LeaderOn Saturday night, the Sheffield Steelers defeated the visiting Glasgow Clan 6-3 in EIHL action. Captain Robert Dowd scored to break a 2-2 tie early in the third period and in doing so, recorded his 740^th career point – a new league record.