Czech
winger Jakub Vrána, 29,
has spent the last decade in North America, mostly in the NHL, but
rumors are circulating both in Sweden and in Czechia that Sweden will
be the next stop for the free agent.
Prior to heading overseas in 2015,
Vrána played for
Linköping HC from age 15
to 19, starting with the club’s U-16 team and progressing to the
SHL, where he recorded 34 points in 98 games as a teenager.
Swedish website HockeyNews.se
claims to have directly asked Linköping HC
GM Peter
Jakobsson about
Vrána.
“There is contact. We’ve had a good relationship over the
years,” said Jakobsson.
But while admitting interest, the GM stopped short of saying that
a deal is imminent.
“We know what qualities he possesses, but right now it is an
uncertain situation,” said Jakobsson.
While he played in Linköping, Vrána was
chosen 14th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry
Draft by the Washington
Capitals. He established himself as a regular NHLer, recording 52
points in 69 games for
Washington
in 2019-20, and he
regularly represented Czechia
at
the IIHF
World
Championships.
However,
his career eventually became marred by injuries, declining play and a
spell in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program. Over the last four
seasons, Vrána
has only played in
110 NHL games, recording 49 points. He was also unable to earn a spot
on the Czech national team roster last spring, getting cut prior to
the 2024 Worlds in Prague.
Overall,
Vrána
has
223 points in 406 NHL regular season games with the Capitals, Detroit
Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators. He also has eight
points in 38 playoff games, all with Washington, and was part of the
2018 Stanley Cup championship team.
Photo © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Swedish D-Man Returns Home On Long-Term Contract
Swedish defenseman Gustav Lindström, 26,
has signed a five-year contract with
Djurgården,
the Stockholm-based SHL club announced on Thursday.
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