Swedish forward Mario Kempe, 36, has signed a try-out contract with Tappara Tampere, the Finnish Liiga club announced on Thursday. The contract will initially run until the end of December but could be extended to the end of the season at the club’s option.

“Mario Kempe is a very experienced and versatile forward who has trained in the world’s toughest hockey leagues,” said Tappara sports manager Antti Tuomenoksa. “He had a strong desire to come specifically to Tappara and we believe that we will be an excellent contributor to our team.”

A product of the MoDo club in Sweden, Kempe played a couple of junior seasons with the QMJHL’s Saint John Fog Devils and was drafted in the fifth round, 122nd overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. However, Kempe returned to Sweden to play in the SHL with Rögle BK, Djurgarden and MoDo, playing briefly for the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms at the end of the 2008-09 season.

After a three-year stint with the KHL’s Vityaz Podolsk, Kempe returned to North America in 2017 at age 29. In two seasons, he played 70 NHL games for the Arizona Coyotes, recording 13 points and 22 penalty minutes.

Since then, Kempe has played in the KHL with CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Minsk, in Sweden with Lulea Hockey and finished last season in Switzerland playing 13 games for HC Lugano.

Internationally, Kempe represented Sweden at the 2019 and 2021 IIHF World Championships.

Tappara is Finland’s three-time reigning champion and currently sits fourth in the standings with 46 points in 25 games. Other recent Tappara acquisitions have been former NHLers John Quenneville and Andrej Šustr.

Mario’s younger brother Adrian is currently a member of the Los Angeles Kings, where he has played over 500 NHL games.