Otto Koivula, who raised Ilves, has played the previous six seasons on the ice of North America.
Ice hockey player who played on the ice of North America for the previous six seasons Otto Koivula has signed a two-year contract with Växjö Lakers, who play in the Swedish premier league SHL, the club says on its website.
– I was very happy when the opportunity opened up for me to play in such a prestigious organization as Växjö Lakers. It will be fun to be a part of a winning culture. The opportunity to compete for the championship with a team with a successful history made my decision easy, Koivula says in the press release published by the club.
After the 2017–18 season, Koivula, who went from Ilves to the back of the net, was a contract player of the NHL club New York Islanders, but most of his time in North America he played in the jersey of the Islanders’ AHL club, the Bridgeport Islanders. The 25-year-old forward had 274 AHL games under his belt, where he scored 65+114.
In NHL bowls, the 195-centimeter and 102-kilogram Koivula was seen in a total of 28 games in three different seasons, where he scored 0+4.
Växjö, who won the Swedish championship in the second season, also has a Finnish goalkeeper Emil Larmi.