Former Seattle Kraken centre Austin Czarnik has signed a contract with SC Bern in the NLA, Switzerland's top professional league.
Former Seattle Kraken centre Austin Czarnik has signed a contract with SC Bern in the NLA, Switzerland's top professional league.
The 31-year-old played just six games with the Kraken during the 2021-22 season after he was acquired off of waivers from the New York Islanders. In the six games, he registered two assists.
Czarnik bounced around the league as a fourth-line centre with the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Islanders, Kraken and then finally the Detroit Red Wings. During the 2023-24 season, Czarnik split his time with the Red Wings and their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. In Detroit, he recorded just one assist in 34 games.
The right-hander will be joining SC Bern who finished in eighth place during the 2023-24 season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Former Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kahun is also a part of the Swiss team.
Listed at 5'9, Czarnik never used his height as an excuse. A Gold medal winner with Team USA at the U-18s, a participant in the World Juniors, the Captain of Miami University (Ohio) for two seasons and an all-AHL rookie team member, Czarnik was a hard worker whose time in the NHL never really went his way.
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