After one season in North America, split between the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning and the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, 25-year-old right winger Waltteri Merelä has signed a one-year contract with National League club SC Bern. Merelä is yet another name to the list of Finns who have chosen to play in Switzerland over other European options.

“Waltteri Merelä is a versatile team player,” said club sports director Patrik Bärtschi. “We are convinced that he will help our team win games with his skills.”

Merelä played in Finland until he was 24, developing into a good-sized, reasonably productive winger first with the Lahti Pelicans, then with Tappara Tampere. After never representing Finland in any youth age category, he made the national team for the 2023 IIHF World Championship at home in Tampere, scoring a goal in his only game.

Last season, Merelä had one goal in 19 games with Tampa Bay and 34 points in 55 regular-season games with Syracuse. He also scored three goals in eight AHL playoff games.

Merelä made the Lightning out of training camp but after being held pointless in his first 14 games, he was sent down to Syracuse. After refinding his scoring touch in the AHL, Merelä was called back up in January and scored a goal his first game back in the NHL against the Minnesota Wild. Four games later, however, he was sent back down.

Merelä joins goaltender Adam Reideborn, defensemen Anton Lindholm and Patrik Nemeth and forwards Victor Ejdsell, Dominik Kahun and Kalle Kossila as imports on the Bern roster. Austrian Benjamin Baumgartner is also on the team but qualifies as a non-import because he played youth hockey in Switzerland.