In a week of transfers that involved most CHL clubs shedding players, three players were acquired – Oliver Lauridsen to Frolunda, Veli-Matti Savinainen to Tappara and Terry Broadhurst to Skelleftea.

CHL News

Many CHL clubs used the past week to trim some of the excess that they will not be inviting to training camps, while a few players – in the cases of recently drafted youngsters Joel Eriksson Ek and Mikko Rantanen – will try their hand at NHL camps, but could be back in time for the start of CHL action.

Three teams did add players to their roster the past week – Frolunda Gothenburg, Tappara Tampere and Skelleftea AIK. Frolunda acquired 26-year-old Danish defenceman Oliver Lauridsen.

“This was the obvious choice,” said Lauridsen. “I was visiting in Frölundaborg earlier this summer and got an insight into how the business works. I met with the coaches, but also met with [fellow Dane and former Frolunda defenceman] Philip Larsen. He sees Gothenburg as a second home and he also told me about how well he's looked after. For me it was not really a difficult choice.”

Lauridsen is making his return to Europe after playing the past seven seasons in North America, where he attended St. Cloud State University and played 16 NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers.

“It is quite clear that he will bring to the excellence in the form of size, strength and toughness,” Frolunda GM Christian Lechtaler said of the 197 cm, 104 kg rearguard. “He is also variable for its size and will fit into our skill game. What we mainly stuck to was his character and personality. He wants to get better and he wants to win and it will be very exciting to be working with with Oliver and continue to develop him.” 

Meanwhile Tappara acquired 29-year-old winger Veli-Matti Savinaninen, an Espoo native who split the last two seasons between the KHL and SHL, and Skelleftea landed Terry Broadhurst, a 26-year-old American left-winger who is coming to play in Europe for the first time.

“He's a strong skater, skilled and intelligent, and will fit well into into our system,” Skelleftea GM Lars Johansson said of Broadhurst.

Read below for a complete list of transfers involving CHL clubs from the past week.