Heading to the Finals

Despite being the lowest seed in the post season Rögle has swept their first three series, have punched their ticket to the SHL finals and will be hoping to come away with their first ever Le Mat Trophy. They won both their games against Timrå in the play in round, knocked out regular season winners Färjestad in four games and have now sent the Växjö Lakers home in decisive fashion. The team from Ängelhom has impressed league wide so far in the playoffs and show now signs of slowing down. 

They have been lead in scoring so far by Linus Sandin and Rodrigo Abols who both have 5 goals and 5 assists in their ten games played. Not far behind is Dennis Everberg with 3 goals and 6 assists. They also have three other players with 7 points, including Daniel Zaar who leads the team and is second overall with 7 goals. 

Not only have they been dominant offensively, they have also been backstopped by an incredible performance by Christoffer Rifalk between the pipes. He has played, and won, all ten games so far this post season. He is boasting a 1.32 GAA a .956 SV% has one shutout and has made a playoff high 322 saves. 

Rögles series against Växjö was capped off by an incredible performance in game four. Despite heading into the third period trailing 2-1 they were able to regain the lead with two powerplay goals. Daniel Zaar then sealed the deal with about a minute and a half remaining after he broke free into the offensive zone and buried the puck into an empty net. This final appearance will mark the second time in four years that Rögle have made it to the finals. However, in 2021 they lost in those finals to Växjö.  Who they will face in those finals remains to be seen as Frölunda was able to stave off elimination with an overtime victory against Skellefteå last night. That series is now 3-2 in favour of Skellefteå with game six going tomorrow night in Gothenburg. 

NICLAS JÖNSSON / BILDBYRÅN

Eklind

There was an NHL signing this week as Oscar Eklind has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. The 25 year old forward played this season in Luleå and had a career year. He scored 17 goals and added 11 assists in 48 games played. The contract is for the upcoming season.  

Langhamer

After yet another lacklustre showing in the regular season the Malmö Redhawks have started planning for next years campaign. Oskarshamns demotion to Hockey Allsvenskan means they will have numerous players looking for new homes in the SHL and Malmö has scooped up goaltender Marek Langhammer. The 29 year old did not live up to his abilities this season, however he was playing on an Oskarshamn team that struggled all season long. 

- We are very proud to be able to present Marek, an experienced goalkeeper who has also been very successful over the years. He has shown a high level from top leagues in Europe for a long time, says sporting director Björn Liljander.

The contract is valid for the next two seasons. 

Ollas Mattsson

As Malmö welcomes a new player they also say farewell to one as Ollas Mattsson has decided to depart the Redhawks and join Färjestad next season. Mattsson has spent the last five years in the SHL playing with Malmö, so the Redhawks are losing one of their veterans. 

- There were some interesting names on our list with Adam high on it. When the opportunity arose, after a bit of research, we thought it was worth doing what we did. We hope and believe that it will be a good solution for all parties, says Färjestad's sporting director Rickard Wallin

The contract is valid for the next two seasons.

JONAS FORSBERG / BILDBYRÅN

HV71

Now that they have secured their spot in the SHL next season HV71 is making some moves in the hopes of avoiding another poor showing in the regular season. They have signed 27 year old defender Olle Alsing, who has played the past two seasons in Leksand. He will now be spending the next three with HV71

- In Olle, we get a back who is skilled all over the court. He has delivered at a high level for many seasons in the SHL and demonstrated stability both defensively and offensively, says HV's sporting director Kent Norberg.

They are also bringing on some younger talent as they have signed 22 year old William Ingberg Nilsson. The young forward has played the past two seasons in Hockey Allsvenskan with AIK

- William is a difficult forward to face and likes to play with a lot of aggression and has a great attitude. After a few years in the HockeyAllsvenskan, he is ready for SHL games and I look forward to seeing him this autumn in the HV shirt, says Kent Norberg.

The contract is valid for the coming two seasons. 

Linköping

Linköping has also signed a pair of young players from Hockey Allsvenskan as they have called up Eric Norén and Adam Hofbauer. 

Norén, a 22 year old defender, played for Kalmar this past season but will be hoping to be a mainstay on the Linköping blueline next year.

- Erik has made a great journey in his hockey career as he went all the way from Hockeyettan to the SHL in just a few years. He is a two-way back who possesses a very strong defensive defense as he likes to play physical and stop the game. Above all during the past season, he has shown good judgment in his game and played a lot to his strengths, says LHC's assistant sports director Tony Mårtensson. 

Hofbauer, a 21 year old forward, who has played a few games in the SHL with Örebro, played this season with Västerås. 

- Adam is a big and strong forward who plays with high speed and physicality. He gets into uncomfortable spots on the ice and isn't afraid to do it often. It will really be a tough player for the opponents to face, says Tony Mårtensson.

Linköping also brought in some experienced talent this week as they have signed Osacr Lawner to a new contract. Despite the fact that he is just 23 years old he still has SHL games with Färjestad in the last six seasons and has been a mainstay on the roster for the past three. 

- Oscar is a very strong outside forward who takes on a great deal of responsibility over the entire ice. He is young, has good character, is incredibly professional and makes those around him better. We have followed him for a long time and see that there is an incredibly great potential in him, says Linköping's assistant sports director Tony Mårtensson to the club's website.

The contract is valid for the next two seasons. 

FREDRIK KARLSSON / BILDBYRÅN