Danish forward Patrick Russell, 32, has signed a contract to play with Kölner Haie, the DEL club announced on Friday. Terms of the agreement were not specified.

“After speaking with management and getting a feel for what this club is all about, it quickly became clear that signing with Cologne was the right move for me and my family,” said Russell. “We’re all excited about this next chapter. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the club, the fans, and the city – esespecially from my good friend (Danish national teammate) Frederik Storm.”

“We are pleased that Patrick Russell is now part of our squad,” said club sports director Matthias Baldys. “Patrick has already gained extensive international experience in his career and has proven at various levels that he is a team player and can be an important part of successful teams. He is versatile in his offensive line and fits well with the way we want to play hockey.”

Russell is Kölner Haie’s second big signing this week, following Dominik Bokk on Wednesday.

Blues 2018 First-Rounder Finds New Team In Germany German winger Dominik Bokk, 25, has signed a two-year contract with Kölner Haie, <a href="https://www.haie.de/news/haie-verpflichten-dominik-bokk/">the DEL club announced on Wednesday</a>.

Like most talented young Danish hockey players, Russell moved to Sweden at a young age, joining the Linköping club at age 16. Then at age 19, he moved to the United States, where he played one year in the USHL and then two years of college hockey at St. Cloud State.

Never drafted, Russell signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers at age 23. He spent most of the next few seasons in the AHL, but between 2018 and 2021, he played 59 NHL games for the Oilers, recording no goals, seven assists and 14 penalty minutes.

Since 2021, Russell has been back in Sweden playing for Linköping – he recorded 117 points in 198 SHL regular-season and playoff games.

Patrick Russell remains positive about Denmark's chances It hasn’t been the best World Championship for Denmark so far and Friday’s game against Great Britain wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but thanks to a third-period goal from Christian Weise, the Danes managed to pull out a 4-3 victory – their second win in five games.

Internationally, Russell has been a major part of the Danish national team over the past decade, playing in six IIHF World Championships and at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing – the first time a Danish hockey team played in the Olympics. Notably, he had seven points in 10 games for the Danish team that finished fourth at this year’s Worlds, and assisted on both of his team’s late goals in Denmark’s shocking 2-1 quarterfinal upset over Canada.

Kölner Haie finished sixth in the DEL standings last year but made the finals, losing to Berlin. In each of the last two seasons, Kölner Haie has set a new European attendance record. 

Photo © Peter Casey-Imagn Images: Patrick Russell carrying the puck for Denmark against ROC in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

Report: Kölner Haie & DEL Set New European Attendance Records; New Records In Czechia & Britain Too The Alliance of European Hockey Clubs published its annual attendance study on Wednesday, <a href="https://www.eurohockeyclubs.com/attendance?seasonId=25">ranking 376 clubs across 29 leagues</a>.