Swedish defenseman Gabriel Carlsson, 28, has signed a three-year contract with Färjestad BK, the SHL club announced on Tuesday. With Färjestad, Carlsson is reunited with his former coach from the Växjö Lakers, Jörgen Jönsson.

“There’s a sense of security in that of course, that there is an established relationship,” said Carlsson. “I liked Jörgen’s leadership style and we worked well together in Växjö. Then I had a good chat with both him and (GM) Rickard Wallin as well as a bunch of players who had been here before.”

“We’ve been looking for someone who we believe can help us, play a lot of minutes, be good defensively, stop the game and also push the puck up and follow up on offense without being a distinctly offensive defenseman,” said Wallin. “We believe that Gabriel checks all the boxes there. When we got wind that he might not stay in Switzerland, we made our interest known, and from then on he has always been our first choice.”

Originally from Örebro, Sweden, Carlsson turned pro with Linköping as a 17-year-old and was drafted in the first round, 29th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015, using a pick Columbus had acquired in a trade.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Carlsson went overseas late in the 2016-17 season and between 2017 and 2023, he played 81 NHL regular season games – almost entirely with Columbus – recording 18 points and 22 penalty minutes. He also played five playoff games for Columbus in the spring of 2017. Carlsson’s last six NHL games were for the Washington Capitals, where he signed as a free agent in 2022.

Radim Zohorna Signs With Swedish Club Czech forward Radim Zohorna, 29, has signed a two-year contract with Färjestad BK, <a href="https://www.farjestadbk.se/article/s51asvz-23h01/view">the SHL club announced</a> on Friday.

Carlsson has played in Europe since 2023 – first with Växjö and then last season in Switzerland with EV Zug, where he recorded 11 points in 43 National League regular-season and playoff games.

Last season was a disappointing one for Färjestad which, despite a loaded roster, finished fourth in the regular season and was eliminated in the SHL quarterfinals. Färjestad also advanced to the Champions Hockey League final, losing to the Zurich Lions.

Carlsson joins a squad that includes ex-NHLers Radim Zohorna, Oskar Steen, Marián Studenič, Joakim Nygård, Joel Kellman and Filip Roos.

Photo © Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Gabriel Carlsson (53) and Nashville Predators right wing Michael McCarron (47) battle for the puck during the 2021-22 NHL season.

Sens Prospect, Ex-Hawk Returns Home To Sweden Swedish defenseman Filip Roos, 26, has signed a two-year contract with Färjestad BK, <a href="https://www.farjestadbk.se/article/ahtasw3-23h01/view">the SHL club announced</a> on Sunday. This comes two days after <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/radim-zohorna-signs-with-swedish-club">Färjestad signed Czech forward Radim Zohorna to a two-year deal</a>.