In another week of player movement, Jimmie Ericsson returns to his home club, Skelleftea AIK, Martin Sevc leaves Skelleftea to go to Bili Tygri Liberec, Alexandre Picard moves from Ingolstadt to Fribourg, and Red Bull Munich and KAC Klagenfurt both add a pair of new players. 

CHL News

Arguably the two biggest moves of the week involved Skelleftea AIK, who brought home native son Jimmie Ericsson only to lose defenceman Martin Sevc, who returned to his native Czech Republic.

“Jimmie is a professional and team leader, both in the dressing room as on the ice,” general manager Lars Johansson said of Ericsson. “As a player, he contributes in all facts of the game but especially he has the offensive qualities that fit our way of playing hockey.”

Ericsson, 35, was born and raised in Skelleftea and eventually captained his hometown club to back-to-back Swedish championships in 2013 and 2014 before opting to play the 2014–15 season in the KHL. After becoming a champion for the third straight season as a member of SKA St. Petersburg, the versatile forward has decided to return home.

“It's going to be a lot of fun, playing for the club that is closest to my heart,” Ericsson said in a video interview on the club's website.

As for Sevc, he's not going to his hometown but he is going to his home country, having signed with Bili Tygri Liberec on Monday.

“I'm glad that we managed to negotiate his signing,” said head coach Filip Pesan. “Although Martin had a number of other offers on the table, he eventually chose us, which we greatly appreciate.”

When questioned about his decision to sign with Liberec, the 33-year-old defenceman answered, “If I wasn't 100 percent certain, I'd probably still be playing somewhere abroad. The boys are still young, they're in pre-school, so we probably could've done it, but in the end I decided this was the best option.”

A big, physical defenceman, Sevc was a force on the Skelleftea blueline last season, both in the SHL and the CHL – where they went to the finals and semi-finals, respectively. By signing with Liberec, he transfers to a club that is in the same CHL group as Skelleftea, so he will meet his former club twice in the group stage.

“It will definitely be interesting,” he responded. “I know almost all the boys in Skelleftea, so I'm very much looking forward to those two games. But of course, we want to win.”

Liberec host Skelleftea on 23 August in Group 4 action and then the two teams meet again on 5 September in northern Sweden.

Sevc isn't the only player switching from one CHL club to another – 29-year-old defenceman Alexandre Picard, who last season helped ERC Ingolstadt to a berth in the DEL finals – has signed with Fribourg-Gotteron. As he joined Ingolstadt after they were finished in the CHL, he didn't play in the competition last year. Fans should be cautioned not to confuse him with another 29-year-old Canadian of the same name who did – left winger Alexandre Picard, also a former NHLer, played in the CHL last season for Geneve-Servette and is returning to the Swiss club for the 2015–16 season.

Two of the most active clubs this past week were Red Bull Munich of Germany and KAC Klagenfurt of Austria, who both added two key players for the coming season. Munich signed Jason Jaffray and Keith Aucoin, while Klagenfurt came to terms with Kevin Kapstad and Mark Popovic.

“I've never been to Europe, so it wasn't an easy decision for me and my family at first,” Jaffray admitted at the signing ceremony. “But everything I've heard about Munich and the club sounds very good. In the conversations I realized that the Red Bulls want to win. I'm looking forward to being part of this organization and my wife and my children look forward to Munich.”

Munich head coach Don Jackson said of the 33-year-old forward: “He's a talented player with leadership qualities and NHL experience. Over the past four seasons, he has been a captain and helped with the development of young players.”

As for his team's other acquisition, Jackson said, “Keith Aucoin is a player with outstanding capabilities, has a strong work ethic and leads us in the game with the experience he's gained in his successful career in North America. In Europe, already had the order success.”

“Munich seems to be a great city,” said the 36-year-old Aucoin, who split most of his career between the NHL and AHL before playing last season in Switzerland. “It's always a great opportunity to play for a good club, and Red Bull Munich want to play for the championship. My family and I look forward and I can't wait for the new season to start.”

On the signing of 29-year-old American defenceman Kevin Kapstad, who's spent the last three seasons with Swedish club Leksand, Klagenfurt general manager Oliver Pilloni said, “When filling our squad for the 2015–16 season we want to go after players that can play certain roles and we feel strongly that Kevin Kapstad fits the role of an offensive defenceman. In recent weeks and months, we've been able to get a very good picture of the potential of this player and are confident that he will be a very valuable player for us.”

As for the other defenceman that Klagenfurt have acquired, head coach Doug Mason said, “He's a defensive player who will play a key role in our system in situations where we are under pressure. His experience and his style of play will be very helpful in becoming a team that is calm and steady from the back end on out.”

Mark Popovic, a 32-year-old defenceman who played in the NHL and has spent the last two seasons with Medvescak Zagreb in the KHL, said, “I've been playing professional hockey for 13 years, I've experiened a lot, but what I'm still missing is a title. Klagenfurt is one of the most famous clubs in Europe and can look back on a long tradition of success. My goal is therefore to contribute my part so that there will soon be 31 banners hanging from the rafters of the arena.”

For a complete list of transfers from the past week involving CHL clubs, see below.