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Kelsey Surmacz

kelsey_surmacz4@THNew

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Kelsey is an alumni of the PHWA Mentorship Program and has been sportswriting since she could hold a pen. She co-hosts a podcast, "Pucks N'at," to cover all things Penguins hockey. She's an avid Star Wars fan, loves coffee shops and dreams of seeing a Pittsburgh Pirates World Series in her lifetime.

Joined at Aug 21, 2024

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Derek O'Brien·4d·Partner

Lugano Dismisses Coach Krupp And Several Noteworthy Players

Just days after the team saved its position in Switzerland’s National League by defeating HC Ajoie in a playout series, HC Lugano parted ways with head coach Uwe Krupp and several notable players, including goaltender Adam Húska, defenseman Valtteri Pulli, and forwards Mark Arcobello, Daniel Carr, Radim Zohorna and Aleksi Peltonen. For the most part, it was a forgettable season for Lugano, a club that was once a perennial contender for the national title, but this year finished 13th out of 14 teams. In October, the club signed former NHL defenseman Justin Schultz, who then retired after playing only eight games. In January, with Lugano sitting second-to-last in the standings, the club cleaned house, firing head coach Luca Gianinazzi and GM Hnat Domenichelli and bringing in Krupp to coach the team. The team’s fortunes didn’t improve significantly, although it did rebound from an 0-2 deficit to win the best-of-seven playout series in six games against Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, Anttoni Honka and Ajoie. “In an increasingly delicate on-ice, mental, and emotional environment, Krupp managed to unite the group and lead the team to safety with his experience and coaching skills,” the club’s announcement said. As for what the future holds for some of the players, it was reported in February that multiple NHL teams are reportedly interested in Pulli and Zohorna is rumored to be heading to Czech club Kometa Brno along with brother Tomáš.

Derek O'Brien·5h·Partner

Victor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL’s Top Defenseman

Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy. In 2019, he was picked 11th overall in the NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes but, just five years later, he signed a two-year deal to play with his hometown team, Brynäs Gävle, which has just been promoted back to the SHL. He went on to have a spectacular season, recording 37 points in 49 regular-season games as Brynäs surprisingly finished first. “I definitely don’t regret a thing,” Söderström is quoted on the club’s website. “It’s a slightly different path to take because I’m still young and my goal is still very much to make it in the NHL.” That might happen next season as Söderström, now 24, was traded from Utah HC to the Chicago Blackhawks on the NHL trade deadline, and he indicated at the time that he had been seeking to get his NHL rights moved. But first things first, as Brynäs has a semifinal series coming up against Skellefteå AIK starting on Friday. Skellefteå’s lineup includes Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jonathan Pudas, the two previous winners of the award. “I love coming to the rink every day,” Söderström continued. “The fact that the pairing with Charles-Édouard D’Astous has worked so well has of course also meant a lot.” D’Astous, a 26-year-old Canadian who was the top defenseman in the Finnish Liiga last season, outscored Söderström by two points this year and has also apparently drawn interest from NHL teams. According to the Brynäs website the jury for the award described Soderstrom as: An elegant player on the ice who has been one of the biggest contributors to newcomer Bynäs' record-breaking season in the SHL. Extremely skilled, and also a top-notch point-scorer as a defenseman. Has formed the league's best defenseman pair during the season with Charles-Édouard D’Astous. The award for best defenseman in Sweden’s top league was named after Börje Salming in 2008, the same year the legendary defenseman was named to the IIHF’s All-Century Team. Salming died in 2022 from complications related to ALS. Börje’s older brother Stig Salming was present when Söderström received the Salming Trophy. Both Salming brothers were also Brynäs defensemen. “Börje would have liked this,” Stig Salming was quoted. Previous winners of the Salming Trophy 2024-25 Victor Söderström, Brynäs 2023-24 Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Skellefteå2022-23 Jonathan Pudas, Skellefteå 2021-22 Maja Nylén-Persson, Brynäs 2020-21 Nils Lundkvist, Luleå 2019-20 No winner due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2018-19 Erik Gustafsson, Luleå 2017-18 Lawrence Pilut, HV71 2016-17 Henrik Tömmernes, Frölunda 2015-16 Niclas Burström, Skellefteå 2014-15 Tim Heed, Skellefteå 2013-14 Patrik Hersley, Leksand 2012-13 Magnus Nygren, Färjestad 2011-12 Mattias Ekholm, Brynäs 2010-11 David Rundblad, Skellefteå 2009-10 Magnus Johansson, Linköping 2008-09 Markus Ragnarsson, Djurgården 2007-08 Mikko Luoma, HV71

Derek O'Brien·2d·Partner

After Disappointing Season, Kärpät Management Addresses Fans: 'The On-Ice Goal Was Far From Achieved'

A perennial powerhouse and seven-time champion in Finland since being promoted to the top-tier Liiga in 2000, this past season was bitterly disappointing for Kärpät Oulu. Despite the high hopes and a high payroll, the team finished 13th in the 16-team league, missing the post-season for the first time since the turn of the Millenium. Keeping the puck out of the Kärpät net was a particular issue for the team, and during the course of the season the team acquired, among others, defensemen Dominik Mašin, Marcus Björk and Ville Pokka and goaltender Damian Clara, with limited success. As the transfer deadline approached, native son Jesse Puljuärvi was rumored to be headed there after securing his release from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he instead signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. On Monday, club sports director Mikko Myllykoski and GM and CEO Tommi Virkkunen offered somewhat of a public apology for the team’s performance and a promise to strive for better results in the future. In the 2024-25 season, Kärpät had its worst Liiga season in terms of results in the entire 2000s. After the spring of 2024, which ended in bronze, expectations were high and hopes for an even better season than the previous one were in the air. Unfortunately, however, the season was a big disappointment. When building the team, the idea was to assemble at least two scoring lines. The goalies and defense were already ready, and in addition to these, the offense had to be built to be powerful. Especially from import players, strong results were expected and they were achieved – Michal Kovařčík ended up second in league scoring and Reid Gardiner was seventh. Doing well in the offensive direction took energy from the defense, and on the back end, we experienced the biggest failures from everybody – the goalies, defensemen and forwards. The team did not adopt a hockey-like style of play well enough. This led to individual mistakes early in the season, and the general conversation around the team started going in the wrong direction. A gloomy November was hard, but December gave us hope for better. After the Spengler Cup, the teams that participated there have usually done excellently, but we did not get the boost we were looking for from that trip. In January and February, we occasionally played well for a period or two, even a full game, but we failed to win consecutive games. We made successful acquisitions at the transfer deadline, but unfortunately, not all the transfers we wanted came to fruition. There was a lot of talk about the coaching situation, and Ville Mäntymaa’s skills were questioned in the media from the very first games. Mäntymaa chose a very comprehensive coaching philosophy – both on and off the ice – and everyone had faith in it on the whole. We trusted in his perseverance and that the course would still turn. However, the results dragged on and we ended up replacing Mäntymaa with Petri Matikainen at the beginning of March. Matikainen was able to generate the spark the team needed, which unfortunately did not have time to fully ignite, and we finished the regular season in 13th place. The season left us with experiences that we need to learn from and that will help us be better in the future. We need to do better in building the team, as well as in leading the coaching team. Training needs to be reasonably harder both on and off the ice. The city of Oulu, Kärpät and our passionate fans can provide the team with all the tools we need to succeed in the league. Next season offers another chance to win, and we are working towards it with even more hunger! Club CEO and GM Tommi Virkkunen reiterated a lot of Myllykoski's points but also brought up the financial ramifications. “Throughout the fall and winter, Kärpät was heavily featured in various media outlets, and events surrounding the team received a lot of attention,” he said. “The new league format and changes to the playoff system meant that the regular season remained interesting right up until the very last round of games – in the final week of the regular season, the standings were still completely open.” Virkkunen continued, “Although our attendance in 2024-25 was similar to the previous season, missing the playoffs is a heavy blow financially. The on-ice goal was far from achieved, and the organization is not satisfied with the outcome.” However, he too concluded on a positive note, promising fans that “our everyday practices and strategies will be examined, mistakes made will be acknowledged, and corrective measures will be taken.”

Derek O'Brien·2h·Partner

Rumor: Erik Brännström To Switzerland

Erik Brännström has played in North America since 2018 but multiple Swedish media sources are reporting that he will return to Europe next season. HockeyNews.se is reporting that the 25-year-old Swedish defenseman is most likely headed to Switzerland, where he would sign a long-term deal – a scoop attributed to an Expressen.se article behind a paywall. The website further notes that Genève-Servette and HC Lugano are two teams in Switzerland’s National League who have room to add imports to their rosters. Both teams that have generally not been afraid to pay well for talent, particularly Genève, although both teams also struggled and missed the playoffs this past season. Originally from Eksjö, Sweden, Brännström played junior hockey and turned pro with HV71 in nearby Jönköping. Brännström was a first-round pick, 17th overall, by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and was moved to the Ottawa Senators in a 2019 multi-player deal that saw Vegas acquire Mark Stone. From 2019 to 2024, Brännström’s career was fairly stable – mostly playing in the NHL for Ottawa with occasional assignments to the Belleville Senators, the team’s nearby AHL farm team. However, this season has been quite chaotic for the diminutive, puck-moving defenseman. He signed as a free-agent with the Colorado Avalanche in the summer but was traded to the Vancouver Canucks before the season began. After playing 28 games in Vancouver, he was dealt to the New York Rangers as part of the J.T. Miller trade in late January and then traded again to the Buffalo Sabres just prior to the trade deadline. He has not played an NHL game for either of the latter two teams. Overall, Brännström has 77 points and 162 penalty minutes in 294 NHL regular-season games. If he signs in Switzerland, it will be Brännström’s second tour of duty there, although the first one only lasted 10 games with the SCL Tigers in the autumn of 2020 while the start of the NHL season was delayed by pandemic-related restrictions.

Derek O'Brien·5d·Partner

Former Av, Hab, Hawk Signs Contract Extension In Norway

Norwegian winger Andreas Martinsen, 34, has signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the Storhamar Dragons until 2028, the Norwegian Ligaen club announced on Friday. “Andreas joined Storhamar before last season and has been a rock in the team, both on the ice and in the locker room,” the club said in the announcement about five players, including Martinsen, who signed extensions. In his second season with Storhamar, Martinsen’s 46 points were second on the team behind American Cole Schneider, a fellow ex-NHLer, whose 64 points led the whole league. Martinsen was eighth in league scoring and named MVP. Storhamar finished first in the Ligaen regular season and has swept through the first two round of the playoffs with eight straight wins over Lorenskog and Valerenga Oslo. The Dragons will face the Stavanger Oilers in the finals. Martinsen played junior hockey and turned pro with the nearby Lillehammer club, eventually going to Leksand in Sweden at age 19. He spent two more seasons in Lillehammer and three more before making the jump overseas at age 25. Martinsen was never drafted by an NHL team, but the 6-foot-3, 229-pound winger eventually got some attention from overseas scouts. Between 2015 and 2019, he played 152 NHL regular-season games with the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks, scoring nine goals with 14 assists and 110 penalty minutes. He also played two playoff games with Montreal in 2017. Martinsen was also property of the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins but only played for their AHL farm teams. Since returning to Europe in 2020, Martinsen played briefly in Switzerland for EV Zug and since then back in Norway, first back in Lillehammer before heading to Storhamar in 2023. Internationally, Martinsen has represented Norway at 12 IIHF World Championships, recording 20 points in 80 games. Earlier this year, Martinsen was named to Norway's Quarter Century Second Team by The Hockey News International.

Derek O'Brien·2d·Partner

Juuse Saros Says Yes To World Championship

Assuming the team selects him – and there isn’t much doubt about that – and he stays healthy, Juuse Saros will play for Finland at the IIHF World Championship for the first time since 2016. According to Finnish news outlet Ilta-Sanomat, the 29-year-old goaltender confirmed his interest in playing this year after the Nashville Predators’ practise on Monday morning prior to the team’s road game against the Philadelphia Flyers. “Yes, the World Championship is interesting,” Saros is quoted. “There has been time to think about it, and now that we’re not going to make the playoffs here, it would be nice to go to the World Championship.” The Predators have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and the season as a whole has been a bitter disappointment, but that hasn’t been because of the play of Saros, who in 53 games has four shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.89 and a save percentage of .898. “It’s always nice to be on the national team,” said Saros. “There are always a lot of familiar friends there, and goaltending coach Aki Näykki is a friend I know from the junior national teams. It’s always nice to work with him.” Saros burst onto the international scene with a brilliant performance at the 2014 World Junior Championship in Malmö, Sweden, backstopping Finland to the gold medal and being named the tournament’s top goalie. That year would be the first of three straight that he would also be named to Finland’s senior World Championship team, but he’s never been a starter. This February, he was a member of Finland’s team at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he split the crease almost right down the middle with Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks. Playing behind a depleted defense, the Finns finished fourth in the tournament. Lankinen, Uho-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres and Saros’ backup in Nashville, Justus Annunen, are among the other goalies that will probably be available for the Finns to choose from. Emil Larmi, Harri Säteri, Lassi Lehtinen, Oskari Salminen and Christian Heljanko have all played between the pipes for Finland in European tournaments this season and might also be considered. This year's World Championship will be held May 9 to 26 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark.

Derek O'Brien·3d·Partner

Pelicans Made Finnish Finals 2 Years In A Row; Now Must Fight To Avoid Relegation; Kapanen & Nurminen Respond

Peter Abbandonato scored 1:24 into overtime to give Jukurit Mikkeli a 2-1 victory over the Lahti Pelicans and a 4-games-to-1 win in their Liiga playout series. As a result, Jukurit will again play in the top Finnish league next season, while the Pelicans will have to defeat the champion of the second-tier Mestis in a promotion-relegation series to remain. It’s a mighty fall for the Pelicans, who reached the Liiga finals in both 2023 and 2024, falling to mighty Tappara Tampere in five games each time. This season, however, the team finished 15th out of 16 teams during the regular season and then, after winning the opening game against Jukurit, lost four in a row against a team that only won five regulation-time games all season. “How is this even possible?” Finnish journalist Ilari Savonen pondered. The team has never had big stars – it’s currently led offensively by diminutive 38-year-old American Ryan Lasch, who has now played in Europe for over a decade. Other names include Czech goaltender Patrik Bartošák and defenseman Michal Jordán, 19-year-old Minnesota Wild prospect Rasmus Kumplulainen and 18-year-old defenseman Daniel Nieminen – the latter two both played in this year’s World Juniors. Without a lot of star power, the Pelicans played a solid team game under coach Tommi Niemelä, who left last summer to accept the job behind Ilves Tampere’s bench. Late in the season, the Pelicans hired former NHL forward Sami Kapanen to take over the coaching reigns but he wasn’t able to avoid the playout series. “Even though we won the first game, we weren’t mentally present,” Kapanen told MTV Urheilu after the last game on Saturday. “We didn’t play our own game during the first four games. Maybe (Friday) in Mikkeli there were already certain aspects of the execution, but now we’re back to playing our own game.” Apparently, the travelling Lahti fans in Mikkeli weren’t of the same opinion. Their frustration was mainly aimed at owner Pasi Nurminen – the former NHL goaltender who retired in 2005 at age 30 to take over as owner of his hometown Pelicans team. “It is absolutely clear that we did not reach the level that both the team itself and the entire Pelicans community expected of us,” Nurminen told MTV Urheliu. “The series against the Jukurit was difficult for us, and at no point did it go as we had hoped.” While he’s always operated the team on a limited budget, fans and media speculated that he was having cashflow problems when he released several players close to the transfer deadline. Nurminen denied rumors that payroll was ever missed. “In this kind of situation, it’s natural that various rumors will surface,” he said. “However, we can state that the club has fulfilled its obligations towards players and staff on time.” He also added that “Bankruptcy is not a current threat. The (financial) situation has been tight and continues to be tight, let’s admit it, but everything is under control.” Jokerit Helsinki, a team that features Valtteri Filppula, currently leads the Mestis final 3-1, with a chance to wrap it up in Game 5 on Monday and become the Pelicans’ opponent in the promotion-relegation series. While recent results don’t seem to back it up, both Kapanen and Nurminen seem to think the team’s play is improving and are optimistic about the upcoming series. “As big a disappointment as this is, it feels like the dressing room was more relaxed after the game and more ready to start the next series than it was last week,” said Kapanen. “We’re heading in the right direction.”

Derek O'Brien·4d·Partner

2026 Czech Draft Prospect Adam Novotný Scores In Mountfield’s Game 7 Extraliga Quarterfinal Win

Mountfield HK shut out visiting BK Mladá Boleslav 3-0 on Friday night to win Game 7 of their Czech Extraliga quarterfinal series before 6,553 fans at Hradec Králové’s ČPP Aréna. With Mountfield leading 1-0 in the second period, 17-year-old Adam Novotný, one of the top-ranked prospects for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, scored on a brilliant individual effort to double his team’s lead. “The feelings are indescribable,” Novotný said after the game. “The fans were really cheering us on and the euphoria was really beautiful. I’m glad we did it.” Novotný, whose November 2007 birthday makes him ineligible for this year’s draft, only scored once in 41 professional regular-games and was sent down late in the season to play with the club’s U20 team. After rediscovering his scoring touch with eight goals in seven junior playoff games, injuries on the big team resulted in Novotný being called back up for the third game of the series against Mladá Boleslav. Novotný scored a bit of a lucky goal in Game 6 but his goal in Game 7 was brilliant. The youngster won a race for the puck in the neutral zone against defenseman Filip Pyrochta – a former Nashville Predators prospect – then eluded another backchecker and beat goaltender Dominik Furch on a backhand deke. “I’m really glad to score such a nice goal – I must have started to believe in myself more after the first goal,” he said. “I also think that going back to junior to help the guys out in the playoffs got me back playing like myself again.” “He helped us with a beautiful goal today and I’m really glad for him,” said Mountfield coach Tomáš Martinec. “He’s a young guy, but mature for his age and he’s handled (the pressure) brilliantly.” As a 17-year-old, Novotný was the youngest member of the Czech team that won bronze at this year's IIHF World Junior Championship and he’s got another big international tournament on the horizon where he’s expected to play a larger role. Bronze Czechs Arrive In Prague: 'We Would Have Died For Each Other It’s expected that once some of the Mountfield’s regulars return, Novotný will join the Czech team’s camp in preparation for the upcoming IIHF U-18 World Championship from April 23 to May 3 in Texas. Czech teams must release their players if selected for IIHF championships but the exact timing of their release can be negotiated. “Yeah, the U-18s are slowly approaching but my head is here (in the Extraliga playoffs) right now and if I stay here for a while, that would be great too,” Novotný smiled. “We’ll see,” said Martinec. “We’ll try to make arrangements with the (U-18 national team) coaches so he can continue here for now and help us in the next series.” Mountfield, which finished second in the Extraliga regular season, begins its semifinal series against third-seeded Dynamo Pardubice on April 3. The other semifinal between Sparta Prague and Kometa Brno begins on April 1.

Derek O'Brien·1d·Partner

Filppula’s Jokerit Wins Finnish 2nd League Title, Will Now Play For Advancement

He has won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, an IIHF World Championship, a national championship in Switzerland and a Champions Hockey League title. Winning the Mestis, Finland’s second-tier professional hockey league, might not outrank all of those, but it means a lot to Valtteri Filppula right now. Back playing at home after almost two decades abroad, 41-year-old Filppula was second in team scoring with 41 points in 37 regular-season games and 14 points in 13 playoff games. The team, Jokerit, comfortably finished first overall in the regular season and then went 11-2 in the playoffs to capture the title. “We have played consistently well throughout the season,” Filppula said in an on-ice television interview following the last game, a 3-2 overtime victory over IPK in Game 5 of the finals. “We were able to raise the level (in the playoffs). Now we face an unknown future.” In the team’s second year playing back in Finland following a dramatic departure from the KHL and a season in limbo, Jokerit now has a chance to get back to the Liiga – Finland’s top league, where it played from 1989 to 2014, winning five national championships in the process. Standing in the team’s way is the Lahti Pelicans, a team that made the Liiga finals in 2023 and 2024 but then free-fell this season, finishing 15th out of 16 teams in the regular season before losing a playout series to the last-place team, Jukurit. The winner of the best-of-seven series will play in the Liiga next season, the loser will go to the Mestis. Asked how Jokerit stacks up against the Pelicans, Filpula answered, “I think we have a pretty good starting point. Let’s see how it goes.” One of Jokerit’s players, American defenseman Ben Blood, played for the Pelicans last season. After not playing most of this season, the former Ottawa Senators draft pick signed with Jokerit in time to play the team’s last six regular-season games. “It’s going to be really fun, I’m looking forward to it!” Blood said about facing his former team. “It’s God’s will. I’m just grateful to be back in Finland. I really love being here and I thank Mikko (Saarni, Jokerit’s CEO) for giving me the opportunity. Everything went great in the end. This has been fantastic!” As both series finished in five games, both teams now get a bit of a breather before the start of the qualifying series. It begins next Tuesday, April 8 and if it goes seven games, the last game will be played two weeks later on April 22. As the team defending its position in the Liiga, the Pelicans play at home in Games 1, 3, 5 and 7.

Derek O'Brien·4d·Partner

British-Born Former Isles, Bruins Prospect Signs Contract Extension In Germany

British-born Canadian forward Jimmy Lambert, 28, has signed a one-year contract extension with Grizzlys Wolfsburg, the DEL club announced on Saturday. “We are very happy that Jimmy has decided to stay with us for another year,” said Grizzlys GM Karl-Heinz Fliegauf. “He has been an absolute bright spot during a difficult season for all of us and in his short time with us. He demonstrates a very positive mindset both on the ice and in the locker room. We are convinced that he will continue to contribute a lot to our newly formed team in the coming season, both athletically and in terms of character.” Lambert was born in Newcastle, England while his father, pro hockey player Dale Lambert, played for the Newcastle Cobras of the now-defunct British SuperLeague. Jimmy’s uncle is former NHLer and current Toronto Maple Leafs associate coach Lane Lambert and his cousin is Finnish-born Brad Lambert, who currently plays in the Winnipeg Jets organization. Lambert was raised in Saskatoon, Sask., played junior hockey for the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers and then college hockey for the University of Michigan Wolverines, with whom he won a national championship in 2021-22. Never drafted by an NHL club, Lambert signed as a free agent with the New York Islanders in 2022 – at a time when his uncle Lane was the Isles head coach – and was dealt to the Boston Bruins a year later. To date, he has not played in an NHL game but had eight points in 46 AHL games. After being released by Boston in January, Lambert signed with Wolfsburg and had six points in 14 games to finish the season for the Grizzlys, who finished 11th in the 14-team DEL.

Derek O'Brien·1d·Partner

2026 Draft Prospect Ivar Stenberg Scores Lone Goal In Swedish Playoff Series Clincher

In this year’s European league playoffs, some of the top-rated prospects for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft have begun to assert themselves among the pros. Last week, Czech winger Adam Novotný scored in each of the sixth and seventh games of his team’s quarterfinal series, helping Mountfield Hradec Králové to advance over BK Mladá Boleslav. On Monday it was another 17-year-old winger, Swede Ivar Stenberg, who scored the game’s only goal in Game 6, the series-clincher for Frölunda HC over Timrå IK, the team coached by Olli Jokinen. With just over two minutes remaining in the first period, Stenberg placed his six-foot, 187-pound frame in front of Timrå goaltender Tim Juel and a fluttering shot from the point by Linus Högberg hit the shaft of his stick and deflected in. That was it for scoring in the game. Tobias Normann, starting in place of the injured Lars Johansson, stopped all 29 shots he faced to give Frölunda the 1-0 shutout victory. “I felt like I was in good position in front of the net and managed to get a bit of a tip on the puck – it was a huge stroke of luck but it’s just as nice that it went in,” Stenberg said in a TV interview during the first intermission, according to his club’s website. “It’s so much fun to play playoff hockey – I don’t want to do anything else right now, I feel,” Stenberg continued. “We had a very good first period, it looks stable all over the rink so I’m happy with the first.” It seems Stenberg, the younger brother of 19-year-old St. Louis Blues prospect Otto Stenberg, does enjoy playoff hockey. With now three points in six games, he has matched his total from 25 SHL regular-season games. And with three points, Stenberg is now tied for the fourth-most points in the SHL playoffs among players under the age of 18. The three players ahead of him are Kevin Fiala and Marco Kasper, who recorded six points in 2014 and 2022, respectively, and Frölunda defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who had five in 2017. Stenberg, of course, still has at least one more series to add to his total. Up next for Frölunda is a semifinal series with Luleå, which begins on Saturday. For Stenberg, there’s also the IIHF U-18 World Championship, which will be played April 23 to May 3 in Frisco and Allen, Tex. Last summer in Edmonton, Stenberg had 10 points in five games for Sweden at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Over the course of the season, he has 34 points in 20 games for the Swedish U-18 national team.

Derek O'Brien·6d·Partner

Fribourg-Gottéron Completes Switzerland’s Final 4 With Game 7 Road Victory

The semifinalists have been decided in Switzerland’s National League. The last game of the quarterfinals was Fribourg-Gottéron’s 4-1 road victory over SC Bern in Game 7 of their quarterfinal series on Wednesday. Fribourg led the series 2-0 and 3-1 but almost let the series get away as Bern won two games in overtime to force a seventh game. Bern is perennially one of Europe’s top-drawing teams and Game 7 was played before a sellout crowd of 17,031 at PostFinance Arena. After a scoreless first period, Fribourg broke the game open with three goals in the second period, eventually winning 4-1. Former San Jose Shark Marcus Sörensen, Dave Sutter and Maximilian Streule had three points each for the victors. Fribourg, which has never won a national championship, won the Spengler Cup back in late December. At the time, the team languished in ninth place of the 14-team National League. “We are proud of this success and convinced that it will strengthen the group for the rest of the season,” Fribourg sports director Gerd Zenhäusern said at the time. After that, Fribourg climbed to finish sixth, setting up a quarterfinal date with third-seeded Bern. The team persevered despite the loss of Jacob de la Rose, one of the team’s top offensive players, to an injury that will keep the Swede out of the lineup the rest of the season. Lausanne HC, the National League’s regular-season winner, also won its quarterfinal over the SCL Tigers in seven games – the clincher was a 6-2 victory on Tuesday, with two goals from Théo Rochette and three points from Tim Bozon. That sets up a Lausanne – Fribourg semifinal, which begins on Saturday. The other semifinal, which also starts on Saturday, features the defending National League and Champions Hockey League champion ZSC Lions from Zurich against EV Zug.

Derek O'Brien·8h·Partner

Ex-Penguin Signs Contract Extension With Czech Club

Czech forward Dominik Simon, 30, has signed a one-year contract extension with Škoda Plzeň, the Extraliga club announced on Wednesday. The former NHLer had six goals, 15 assists, 26 penalty minutes and was a plus-5 in 48 regular-season games this season. He also had an assist in four playoff games as Plzeň was eliminated in the play-in round by BK Mladá Boleslav. “Dominik showed his qualities as a player last season,” said GM Martin Straka. “We believe that he will fit perfectly into the team we are assembling for the upcoming season and we’re happy that we’ve signed a contract with him.” Simon was born in Prague and grew up playing for the city’s famous Sparta club. Although he turned pro with Sparta, he transferred to Plzeň in 2014 at age 20 and had a breakout season with 33 points in 56 games. Simon was then drafted in the fifth round, 137th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He immediately joined the Penguins organization and spent the next seven seasons in North America. Simon played 256 NHL regular-season games, mostly with Pittsburgh but also with brief stints for the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks, where he recorded 77 points and 80 penalty minutes. He also had four assists in 12 playoff games, all with Pittsburgh. Since returning to Czechia, Simon played a season each for Sparta and Motor České Budějovice before rejoining Plzeň last summer. Internationally, Simon has represented Czechia at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship and at three World Championships, winning a bronze medal on home ice in 2015.