NCAA all-star and Swedish national team member Sara Hjalmarsson has signed a two-year contract to play with the SDHL's Linköping HC.
NCAA all-star and Swedish national team member Sara Hjalmarsson has signed a two-year contract to play with the SDHL's Linköping HC.
Top NCAA graduate Sara Hjalmarsson has signed a two-year contract to play with the SDHL's Linköping HC. Hjalmarsson recently completed her fifth year of NCAA eligibility with Providence College, and is now set to return home to Sweden to begin her professional career.
"If feels very inspiring to come to Linköping Hockey Club," Hjalmarsson said in a press release. "It is a team and a club that is making a bit of a fresh start now and wants to be at the top of the table again. It offers really good opportunities to develop, both as a player and as a person, which is important to me."
This season with Providence Hjalmarsson scored 24 goals and 44 points in 37 games with the Friars. Hjalmarsson, 25, has already represented Sweden at two Olympic Games and five World Championships, including playing for Sweden this month in Brampton, Ontario. For her efforts with Providence this season, Hjalmarsson was named to the All-Hockey East First Team. She was also named Hockey East's best defensive forward for 2022-2023.
Adding a player of Hjalmarsson's stature to their roster was a major addition for Linköping according to the team's sport director, Sabina Eriksson.
"It means an incredible amount to us as a club to get Sara Hjalmarsson to Linköping Hockey Club as she is, in my opinion, one of Sweden's absolute best players," said Eriksson.
"Sara is a two-way center who has really raised her offensive qualities and has her edge there."
Linköping was represented by three other players at the recent World Championship including Haruka Toko and Ayaka Toko (Japan), and Lore Baudrit (France).
The signing of Hjalmarsson was followed by an announcement from Linköping that three players would not be returning to their lineup this coming season including former Olympian Linnea Johansson who signed with Lulea, 18-year-old Emma Pfeffer and 19-year-old Solveig Gisler who will both play for Merrimack College at the NCAA level this season.