A pair of forwards who have been members of the Zurich Lions back-to-back championships in Switzerland and the team’s Champions Hockey League title this past season [https://thehockeynews.com/international/game-day/zurich-lions-win-champions-hockey-league-final-back-to-back-titles-for-switzerland]have signed contracts with NHL clubs this weekend. On Saturday, it was 20-year-old Austrian Vinzenz Rohrer, the Montreal Canadiens [http://thn.com/montreal]’ third-round pick in 2022, who signed a three-year entry-level deal with the club. While that deal was fully expected, the following day’s announcement – that 29-year-old Finn Juho Lammikko had signed a one-year contract with the New Jersey Devils [http://thn.com/newjersey] – apparently caught Zurich sports director Sven Leuenberger off guard. “This departure was not planned – as a sports director, you are somewhat powerless in this agreement,” said Leuenberger. “But Juho has earned the chance to return to the NHL with his good play with us, and I understand that he wants to take it. I wish him the best of luck.” Lammikko had signed a three-year contract extension with Zurich last December [https://thehockeynews.com/international/players/swiss-champs-sign-two-ex-nhlers-to-multi-year-contract-extensions], but European contracts typically include escape clauses if the player receives an NHL offer. Swiss Champs Sign Two Ex-NHLers To Multi-Year Contract Extensions [https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/MjExMjEzMTQ3MTUzOTAxMjQ1/usatsi_18033414.jpg] Swiss Champs Sign Two Ex-NHLers To Multi-Year Contract Extensions The ZSC Lions have signed two forwards with NHL experience to contract extensions, <a href="https://www.zsclions.ch/news/artikel/vertragsverlaengerungen-mit-froeden-und-lammikko/">the </a><a href="https://www.zsclions.ch/news/artikel/vertragsverlaengerungen-mit-froeden-und-lammikko/">Zurich-based National League club announced</a> on Friday. They are 28-year-old Finnish center Juho Lammikko, who has signed for three extra years and 30-year-old Swedish right winger Jesper Frödén, who has added two. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/players/swiss-champs-sign-two-ex-nhlers-to-multi-year-contract-extensions] Lammikko’s departure frees up an import spot on Zurich’s roster, and Leuenberger indicated that the club will try to find a replacement. Rohrer, who has played in Switzerland since he was 12, is considered a domestic player in Switzerland. While it’s his first NHL contract, this will not be Rohrer’s first experience playing on North America, as he played two seasons with the OHL [http://thn.com/ohl]’s Ottawa 67’s. Over the past two seasons back in Switzerland, he has recorded 55 points in 132 National League regular-season and playoff games. He has also represented Austria in each of the last two IIHF World Championships [https://thehockeynews.com/international/players/vinzenz-rohrer-enjoying-ride-in-first-worlds]. This will be Lammikko’s third tour of duty in North America. Originally a third-round pick of the Florida Panthers [http://thn.com/florida] in 2014, the 6-foot-3, 203-pound Lammikko has 26 points in 159 NHL regular-season games with Florida and the Vancouver Canucks [http://thn.com/vancouver], mostly in the role of a fourth-line winger. Over the past three seasons, he has 131 points in 176 National League regular-season and playoff games. He has represented Finland in four World Championships, winning two gold medals. Photo © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports: Juho Lammikko playing for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2021-22 season. Vinzenz Rohrer on Austrian team, his summer & coming season [https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/MjA2NTUwMTIyMDk4NTk5NjMw/1716143852499.jpg] Vinzenz Rohrer on Austrian team, his summer & coming season Austrian forward Vinzenz Rohrer was the Montreal Canadiens’ third-round pick in 2022 and is just coming off his first professional season for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland’s National League. After a solid rookie campaign as <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/zurich-lions-win-swiss-title-malgin-injures-knee">part of a national championship team</a>, the 19-year-old was <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/vinzenz-rohrer-enjoying-ride-in-first-worlds">selected to play in his first IIHF World Championship</a> in May for an Austrian team that surprised many people and came <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/benjamin-baumgartner-for-austria-its-frustrating">agonizingly close to reaching the quarterfinals</a>. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/vinzenz-rohrer-on-austrian-team-his-summer-coming-season]
