Veteran Swedish forward Filip Sandberg has signed a one-year contract with HC Verva Litvínov, the Czech Extraliga club announced on Monday.

Sandberg, 29, has to this point played all but two seasons and part of a third in his native Sweden. He grew up playing for Stockholm club AIK but transferred to HV71 in Jönköping when he was 16. The past two and a half seasons have been with Skellefteå, where last season he won a Swedish title and went to the Champions Hockey League final. Now, he wants to try something new.

“Certainly,” he agreed in an interview with the website of his new team. “After the season I was open to new possibilities.”

As for why he chose Litvínov, a club in a town of less than 25,000 in a country he’s never played before, he answered, “We played with several Czech teams in the hockey Champions League and they were really good games. I think that Czech hockey has improved a lot in recent years, there are a lot of great players playing in the league. My agent and I looked outside of Sweden and Litvínov came with a good offer. I talked to the coaches, about the team, about the visions and what role they would have for me. I really like the team mentality and at the same time I felt a lot of interest from the club.”

After winning his first SHL title with HV71 in 2016-17 – during which Sandberg recorded 14 points in 16 playoff games – he signed with the San Jose Sharks in the summer of 2017 and was assigned to the AHL San Jose Barracuda. After tallying 19 points in 55 games, his contract was terminated in November 2018.

Sandberg also played in Finland with TPS Turku in 2021-22, but again was back home before the end of the season.

About playing in Czechia for the first time after two previous attempts to play abroad, he said, “Different country, different culture, but at the same time it's still Europe, so there are some things quite similar with Sweden. I played in America and in Finland, but it wasn’t the same. Now I feel more prepared, it’s a new challenge and I'm really looking forward to it.”

Describing the type of player he is, on and off the ice, Sandberg said, “I believe in hard work, I believe in a fast and dynamic style,” and “I believe I will bring a lot of energy to the dressing room. I talk a lot, I will try to learn Czech, but we’ll see how it goes, or maybe English will be enough for me.”