Finnish defenseman Julius Honka, 29, has signed a two-year contract with the Rapperswill-Jona Lakers that runs from 2025 to 2027, the National League club announced on Monday. He will finish the current season with HC Davos – an arrangement that is common in Swiss hockey.
“At 29, Julius is at the best age for hockey," said Rapperswil-Jona sports director Janick Steinmann. “His stats make it clear that offense is one of his greatest strengths, but he’s also reliable defensively, so he has everything he needs to play a central role for the Lakers.”
Honka was born and raised in Jyväskylä, and played for local club JYP until he was 17. He then went overseas and played junior hockey for the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. Honka was selected in the first round, 14th overall, by the Dallas Stars in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Between 2016 and 2019, Honka played 87 NHL games for Dallas, scoring two goals and adding 11 assists and 28 penalty minutes. He spent the rest of the time with the AHL’s Texas Stars.
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Honka has mostly played in Europe since 2019 – back home in Finland with JYP and the Lahti Pelicans, in Sweden with Luleå HF and in Switzerland, where he’s played for SC Bern, Genève-Servette and Davos. Rapperswil-Jona will be his fourth Swiss club in three seasons.
Honka has 43 points in 80 National League regular-season and playoff games as of the Christmas break. Last season, he was a member of the Genève-Servette team that won the Champions Hockey League. Younger brother Anttoni Honka, a Carolina Hurricanes prospect who recently signed a multi-year deal with HC Ajoie, is also a CHL champion with JYP in 2017-18.
Internationally, Honka played in two IIHF World Junior Championships with Finland, winning a gold medal in 2014. He’s also played in two senior-level World Championships.
As he will continue to play for Davos for the rest of the current season, he should play for the team on home ice at the upcoming Spengler Cup.