In November, Latvian winger Ronalds Ķēniņš signed a try-out contract with SC Bern of Switzerland’s National League, which lasted until the Christmas break. Although he has not played any games with the team, Bern announced on Wednesday that it had extended Ķēniņš’s try-out contract until Jan. 20. In addition, due to the fact that the National League takes a break for Christmas, it has loaned him to Finnish club HPK until Jan. 8.
HPK also announced the loan on Wednesday, and added that Ķēniņš could be in the lineup as early as Thursday, when the team has a road game against IFK Helsinki on Boxing Day.
Ķēniņš started the season with Lausanne HC but has not played a National League game yet this season. He was loaned to HC Sierre in the second-tier Swiss League and recorded two points in seven games, but he has not played a game of any kind since Oct. 12.
“Ronalds has already proven his qualities as a power forward many times,” Bern GM Patrik Bärtschi said at the time the club originally signed Ķēniņš. “With him, we are not only gaining an experienced player but also valuable depth in our squad.”
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Ķēniņš had four goals and eight assists in 38 NHL regular-season games with the Vancouver Canucks between 2014 and 2016 and also had a goal and an assist in five playoff games in 2015.
Internationally, Ķēniņš was a regular member of the Latvian national team from 2010 to 2023, playing in 11 IIHF World Championships and two Winter Olympics. In his last international tournament to date, he was a member of Latvia’s surprising bronze-medal team in 2023 in Riga and Tampere.