It had been heavily speculated and on Friday, SHL club Örebro HK announced the signing of Finnish center Kalle Kossila to a contract through to the end of the 2025-26 season.
“I’m really looking forward to coming to Örebro and meeting everyone in and around the team,” said Kossila. “I’ve had many good conversations with Henrik (Löwdahl, the club’s sports director) and he has presented me with an exciting plan. It feels like there is a clear place for me in the team and after talking a lot with (conditioning coach) Andreas Berglund, I was also impressed by how they work with the physical part. I want to continue to take steps in my career and my hope is that I have the best time ahead of me.”
“We are of course incredibly happy to be able to add Kalle to our team building,” said Löwdahl. “I would once again like to extend a big thank you to all private individuals and partners who have made this possible. Kalle will be a great asset both on and off the ice. He joins us on Monday and together we have a clear plan for his first time here with us.”
Born in France, Kossila grew up in the Helsinki area and played for clubs Jokerit and the Espoo Blues before going to North America at age 19 to play NCAA hockey for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
After graduating, Kossila signed with the Anaheim Ducks in the spring of 2016. Over the next three seasons, he spent most of his time with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls but played 19 NHL games in that time, scoring two goals and adding one assist. Kossila also spent two seasons in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization but spent all his time with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Since returning to Europe in 2021, Kossila has played in Germany, Finland and Switzerland and spent the past two seasons playing in Sweden for the Växjö Lakers.
It was earlier reported that, for tax reasons, Kossila wouldn’t play for Örebro until Oct 27. That topic wasn’t mentioned in the club’s latest announcement.
“It’s always safe when you know some guys from before,” Kossila said about familiar faces in the Örebro lineup. “I got to win with Glenn (Gustafsson) in Växjö, I know Hannes (Björninen) and (Robert) Leino from before and I played with (goaltender Jhonas) Enroth for one season in the AHL. Everyone I’ve spoken to has spoken very highly of the city and the club, so now I’m just looking forward to getting there and experiencing the atmosphere in Behrn Arena.”
After 10 games played, Örebro sits tied for seventh in the 14-team SHL.
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