In another week that saw movement between clubs, three CHL teams added a pair of reinforcements to their rosters to the coming season, while three others added one player each.
CHL News
The biggest shoppers in the past week were Karpat Oulu, Dynamo Pardubice and SC Bern, who all added two players to their rosters. Neman Grodno, Eisbaren Berlin and the Vaxjo Lakers each added one.
To the roster of the two-time defending Finnish champions, sports director Harri Aho has brought in a pair of young Finns from the American Hockey League, 22-year-old goaltender Sami Aittokalio and 23-year-old defenceman Jani Hakanpaa.
“From our side it's wonderful that we've acquired two players who have already proven their ability to play in the Liiga at a good level. They have the potential to be among the top players in our league,” Aho says confidently.
For their part, the two players seem as excited about playing for Karpat as Karpat are to have them.
“Since the turn of the millennium, Karpat have been a great club at the European level, and they expect to win,” said Aittokallio, who has played the past three seasons between the pipes of the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, and made two NHL appearances with the big club. “My decision [to join the club] was partly affected by contacts I have, who steered me in the direction of Karpat. I got the feeling that the team really wanted me here. Now next year we'll go out there to try to win in the Liiga as well as in the CHL.”
“I'm looking forward to the season, and I expect it to be a battle from beginning to end,” said Hakanpaa, who for the last two seasons has patrolled the blueline of the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. “Karpat have won two Finnish championships in the last two seasons, so we know we have a good chance to have success. I also know [head coach] Lauri Marjamäen from Espoo, so I know what he expects from his players and what kind of style we'll play.”
Pardubice has also brought on board two young domestic players – 24-year-old right winger Adam Havlik has played his entire career in the Czech Republic, while 19-year-old centre David Tomasek has spent the past five seasons playing junior hockey in North America.
“I've spoken extensively with both players and I have a very good feeling,” says Pardubice head coach Milos Riha. “Adam played here in junior and in recent years has played very well in the EBEL, and David expressed a desire to return to the Czech Republic and we are pleased that he's chosen our club.”
“I consider coming to Pardubice a step up to the next level,” says Havlik, who is a product of Orli Znojmo and has spent the past four seasons with the Czech club in the Austrian-based EBEL, but played one year of U18 hockey in Pardubice back in 2006–07. “I'm looking forward to playing in front of full crowds here – that gives you a little extra boost. I think Pardubice is a good fit.”
As for Tomasek after two years with the Belleville Bulls in the OHL, he still has another year of junior eligibility, but he decided he's ready to turn pro. “I met with coach Riha, I had a great feeling and I'm glad that we came to an agreement. Pardubice is a hockey town, we all know that, and I really like it. They have a great hockey tradition here, which they take seriously.”
As for SC Bern, they're going to North America to add a couple of forwards who are both coming to Europe to play for the first time. 25-year-old winger Cory Conacher has played 149 NHL games with four teams, including 15 games in 2014–15 with the New York Islanders. Meanwhile, 30-year-old centre and left-winger Trevor Smith has suited up for 106 NHL games, including 54 with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the most recent campaign. They join fellow Canadian Andrew Ebbett, who joined Bern last week, and help replace a pair of Canadians that are heading the other way to take another crack at the NHL – defenceman Marc-Andre Gragnani with the New Jersey Devils and forward Bud Holloway with the Montreal Canadiens.
Other pick-ups in the past week include Canadian centre Benjamin Breault going to Neman Grodno, Canadian defenceman Bruno Gervais – last year a teammate of Aittokalio at Lake Erie, where he was the captain – going to Eisbaren Berlin, and Swedish right winger Richard Gynge going to the Swedish champion Vaxjo Lakers.
See below for a full list of transfers involving CHL clubs from the past week.
Date | Player | Pos | From: | To: |
6 July | Richard Gynge | F | Admiral Vladivostok | Vaxjo Lakers |
Bruno Gervais | D | Lake Erie Monsters | Eisbaren Berlin | |
5 July | Jeff Tambellini | F | Vaxjo Lakers | Tampa Bay Lightning |
Nick Dineen | F | SonderjyskE Vojens | EC Bad Nauheim | |
4 July | Mattias Karlsson | D | HV71 Jonkoping | Severstal Cherepovets |
Vili Saarijarvi | D | Karpat Oulu | Detroit Red Wings | |
Derek Smith | D | ZSC Lions Zurich | Springfield Falcons | |
Marc-Andre Gragnani | D | SC Bern | New Jersey Devils | |
Markus Schlacher | F | Vienna Capitals | Villach SV | |
3 July | Marcel Rodman | F | KAC Klagenfurt | ESC Dresden |
Benjamin Breault | F | Brest Albatros | Neman Grodno | |
2 July | Bracken Kearns | F | Espoo Blues | Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
David Tomasek | F | Belleville Bulls | Dynamo Pardubice | |
Adam Havlik | F | Orli Znojmo | Dynamo Pardubice | |
Trevor Smith | F | Toronto Maple Leafs | SC Bern | |
Michal Vondrka | F | Sparta Prague | Pirati Chomutov | |
Sami Aittokallio | G | Lake Erie Monsters | Karpat Oulu | |
Jani Hakanpaa | D | Chicago Wolves | Karpat Oulu | |
Bud Holloway | F | SC Bern | Montreal Canadiens | |
1 July | Auguste Impose | F | Geneve-Servette | Quebec Remparts |
Jonathan Davidsson | F | Djurgarden Stockholm | Asploven HC | |
Cory Conacher | F | Utica Comets | SC Bern | |
Maximilian Glassl | D | Red Bull Salzburg | Moncton Wildcats | |
Tuomas Koskinen | F | Lukko Rauma | Hermes Kokkola |