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Swedish defenseman Andreas Borgman, 29, has signed a three-year contract to play with HV71, the Jönköping-based SHL club announced on Tuesday.
Born in Stockholm, Borgman played junior hockey and turned pro with Timrå IK before first joining HV71 for the 2016-17 season – his last in Sweden before heading overseas. That year, Borgman won the SHL's rookie-of-the-year award and HV71 won the title.
“It feels fantastic and will be incredibly fun to play in front of the HV fans again,” said Borgman. “I have gained a lot of experience during my years abroad, but I think I am basically the same player as when I last played here. I have many good memories from my year in Jönköping and now we will create new ones together.”
Borgman was apparently a popular free agent. It was rumored that Skellefteå AIK, which is losing several of its top defenseman this summer – most notably Axel Sandin-Pellikka to the Detroit Red Wings – were interested.
“In Borgman we get the archetype of the modern two-way defenseman,” said HV71 GM Björn Liljander, who described him, “Incredibly strong on defense and in physical play, but also an offensive threat with his skating and dangerous shot. He was an attractive player on the market and we are very happy that he chose us.”
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Skellefteå Will Lose Sandin-Pellikka; Eyes Ex-Leaf, Lightning D-Man As Replacement Skellefteå AIK won the SHL title in 2023-24 with a good mix of veterans and young players but since then, through the retirements of older players and the younger ones moving on to greener pastures, that core is coming apart. This season, Skellefteå sits sixth in the standings but, with seven games left in the regular season, a playoff spot is not yet secured – a log-jam of four teams between them means Skellefteå is only four points ahead of 10th place. Never drafted by an NHL club, Borgman signed as a free-agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017 at age 22. Over the next four seasons, he played 48 games for Toronto and seven for the Tampa Bay Lightning, totalling 13 points and 32 penalty minutes in 55 regular-season NHL games.
Borgman has also played in Finland for Ässät, in Sweden for Frölunda and spent the past two seasons in Switzerland, where he amassed 33 points and 80 penalty minutes in 105 National League regular-season and playoff games.
HV71 won the national championship in Sweden when Borgman last played there, but the club has fallen on hard times since, finishing near the bottom of the SHL standings each of the last two seasons and needing to save its place in the league by winning a play-out series.
The club already has under contract for next season ex-NHLer Mattias Tedenby and prospects Hugo Alnefelt (goalie, Tampa Bay), Vigo Gustafsson (defense, Nashville Predators) and Herman Träff (wing, Anaheim Ducks).
Borgman is currently training with the Swedish national team, hoping to make this year’s World Championship squad.
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Five Swedish NHLers (So Far) Say Yes To World Championship At Home Five players have so far confirmed their spots on the Swedish roster for this year’s IIHF World Championship, which the Swedes will co-host with Denmark at the newly-renovated Avicii Arena in Stockholm. Continue reading...
