WEEKLY RECAP: OMARK RETURNS

Luleå

Luleå fans will be happy with the news of the return of the much beloved Linus Omark to their roster. The 36 year old veteran put up an impressive 58 points (21G 37A) two seasons ago with Luleå and fans are hoping he can, once again, be one of the best offensive players in the league. He spent this past season playing in Switzerland where he also found success, scoring 16 goals and adding 40 assists in 52 games with Geneve-Servette HC.

– It feels fantastic that we once again have Linus Omark in Luleå. Everyone who is passionate about our association knows exactly what we get in him as a player. Therefore, I would like to highlight that with his experience and drive, he is an extremely important cog for the team and the dressing room as well, says Luleå's GM Stefan "Skuggan" Nilsson.

The new contract is for the next two seasons. 

Luleå also signed French Canadian defender Frédéric Allard this week, also to a two year contract. The 25 year old will be getting his first taste of European hockey this coming season after spending his entire professional career playing in the AHL. 

– We see Frédéric as an all-round two-way back who will be very useful for us. He has a stable defensive game and at the same time likes to follow up with the attack when the game turns. And with his game, he has the potential to be able to play both on the penalty kill and the power play, says "Skuggan" Nilsson.

Växjö

The Lakers have recruited a pair of brothers who SHL fans are very familiar with as they have signed both Marcus and Emil Sylvegård for next season. The two brothers have played together in Malmö for the past two seasons and will be making the move to Växjö together. 

– Mackan (Marcus) has actually been missing us since he was last here. But in the meantime he has developed into a top player in the league, so there are many reasons why we are happy to have him with us again, says Växjö's sporting director Henrik Evertsson.

Marcus played two seasons with Växjö from 2019-2021. 

– We are convinced that we can produce the best version of Emil Sylvegård. That version is one of the hardest players in the league to face, so we're looking forward to that, Henrik Evertsson says about brother Emil.

Both brothers have signed two year contracts.

The Lakers also made a pair of young prospect signings this week as they have acquired two 19 year old defenders. Filip Nordberg and Arvid Hurtig will be joining the big club for the coming season. 

MoDo

The SHL's newest team continues to make signings in anticipation of their return to the league. This week saw MoDo sign a pair of goaltenders as they solidify a key part of their roster. Olle Eriksson Ek and Pontus Eltonius will be strapping on the pads for MoDo next seaon. Ek has spent the past four seasons in North America playing in the AHL and ECHL with Anaheims affiliate teams. He is a product of Färjestads junior program but has never suited up in an SHL game before. 

– We finished with Olle early, long before the playoffs started. He really wanted to come here, regardless of whether we played in HockeyAllsvenskan or the SHL. He has an incredibly high potential but has unfortunately ended up in the "North American" situation, what can happen over there in that you get shunted here and there, says MoDo's sports manager Henrik Gradin to the club's website.

Just like his counterpart, Eltonius has also never seen action in Swedens top league, having spent his entire professional career playing in third tier league HockeyEttan. So it is a big jump up to the SHL for the young goaltender next season. 

– Eltonius has flourished every season and has done incredibly well in HockeyEttan for many years, says Henrik Gradin.

Örebro

Örebro will be welcoming back two familiar faces next season as they have signed former players Glenn Gustafsson and Linus Arnesson. 24 year old Gustafsson is a product of the Örebro junior program and played three seasons with the big club before leaving for Växjö two seasons ago. 

– For us, it means an incredible amount to get Glenn back. He has been brought up here in Örebro and in recent seasons he has had a good development, says Örebro's sports director Niklas Eriksson.

Gustafssons contract is valid for the next four seasons. 

28 year old defender Linus Arnesson played for Örebro from 2017 to 2019. After that he played two seasons in Färjestad and, most recently, played the past two seasons with Djurgården. 

– It feels great to be able to welcome Linus back to Örebro. It's a player we know well and we like what Linus stands for, says Örebro's sporting director Niklas Eriksson.

Arnesson signed a one year deal with the club.