Three CHL clubs have made significant acquisitions in the past 24 hours. Rostlslav Klesla goes to Oceláři Třinec, Marcel Melicherčík is going to HC Košice, and Jakub Klepiš is on his way to Färjestad Karlstad.
by Derek O'Brien
It's been a busy 24 hours for a few CHL teams, with a few noteworthy transfers.
Possibly the most noteworthy signing of this entire off-season, as far as CHL clubs are concerne, is Oceláři Třinec's acquisition of veteran Czech defenceman Rostislav Klesla.
"Although I had other options available to me, I was convinced that Třinec was the right choice," Klesla said on the club's website. "I've been practicing here throughout the summer, I know the club, I know that they always treated me fairly. It made sense to settle down here. I discussed all the options with my family and we agreed that Třinec is the best choice."
The 32-year-old Klesla went to North America when he was 16 and has spent most of his career since then overseas. He's played 677 NHL regular season and playoff games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes, scoring 50 goals and adding 118 assists for 168 total points, to go along with 631 penalty minutes. He's played in one World Junior Championship, two World Championships, and previously played for Třinec during the lockout of 2012, when he registered 1 assist in 18 games.
Elsewhere, 27-year-old Slovak goaltender Marcel Melicherčík is moving from one CHL club to another. Over the last two seasons, Melicherčík played 39 games in the Czech Extraliga, first with Sparta Prague and then Bílí Tygři Liberec. He also played two games for Liberec in the 2013 European Trophy. He now goes to HC Košice, where he will replace Rastislav Staňa, who has moved to Sparta.
"We have agreed on a one-year contract with an option for the following season," Košice general manager Juaj Bakoš said in a club-issued press release. "We had a few goaltenders to choose from and we are really happy that we eventually agreed on a contract with Marcel. We have very good goaltenders on our roster, which is a very important fact regarding the upcoming season."
Košice fans are well familiar with Melicherčík, who was Poprad's goaltender in the 2011 Slovak Extraliga finals, which they lost to Košice in five games.
Finally, Swedish club Färjestad Karlstad has signed 30-year-old Czech forward Jakub Klepiš. Klepiš has spent the last six seasons in the KHL with Avangard Omsk, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Dynamo Moscow, and most recently Lev Prague, where he compiled 167 points (81+86) in 337 games. Previously, he had 14 points (4+10) in 66 NHL games with the Washington Capitals. He's also played in two World Junior Championships and four World Championships, incluing this year's in Minsk.
"Klepis was Färjestad's first choice and we're happy to bring him into the organisation. We've agreed on a one-year contract," sports manager Leif Carlsson said on the club's website. "We're extremely excited that Jakub has chosen to play in Sweden and for Färjestad and we look forward to seeing him pull on our FBK jersey with number 20."
Earlier this week, another player moved from one CHL club to another, as 31-year-old Canadian defenceman Adrian Veidemann moved from the Vienna Capitals to Norway's Stavanger Oilers.