Canadian defenseman Keegan Lowe, 32, has signed a two-year contract extension with the Växjö Lakers, the SHL club announced on Sunday.

Lowe has played for the Lakers since 2022 and this extension will keep him in the organization until 2027.

“Being a part of the Växjö Lakers means everything to me and my family,” said Lowe. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue to show the passion I have for this team on the ice for the next two years.”

“Keegan has become one of our absolute core players – a leader both on and off the ice,” said Lakers GM Henrik Evertsson.

The son of long-time NHL defenseman Kevin Lowe, Keegan was born in Greenwich, Conn. in the United States while his father was a member of the New York Rangers, but was mostly raised in the Edmonton area and has dual citizenship.

Lowe played junior hockey for his hometown Edmonton Oil Kings, where he won a WHL title in 2011-12 and played in the Memorial Cup that year. He was drafted in the third round, 73rd overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2011.

From 2013 until 2021, Lowe played mostly in the AHL for the farm teams of the Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks. He played four NHL games – two with Carolina in 2014-15 and two with Edmonton in 2017-18 – recording no points and 10 penalty minutes.

In 2021-22, his first year in Europe, he played for the Bolzano Foxes, an Italian-based club in the International Central European Hockey League (ICEHL). In his first year in Sweden, he was a member of the Lakers’ SHL championship team in 2022-23. This past season, the Lakers finished eighth in the regular season and were defeated in the quarterfinals.

In addition to Lowe, the Lakers also have under contract for the 2025-26 season ex-NHLers Dennis Rasmussen, Petter Granberg, Otto Koivula and Joel Persson.

Ex-Islander signs with Växjö Lakers Finnish forward Otto Koivula, 25, has signed a two-year contract to play for the Växjö Lakers, <a href="https://www.vaxjolakers.se/article/44hasgh-4af7d/view">the SHL club announced on Thursday</a>.