After 13 seasons in the NHL and AHL, former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok is officially heading home to Sweden to continue his pro-hockey career.
Earlier this morning, the announcement was made public that Jarnkrok has signed a three-year deal with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League. Which brings the 34-year-old back to his hometown of Gävle.
Jarnkrok heads home to Sweden
Jarnkrok is going back to a familiar place; he played his junior hockey with Brynäs and helped the club win an SHL championship in 2012 before making the move to North America.
He was selected 51st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Draft. However, it was with the Nashville Predators where he really established himself. He spent eight seasons in Nashville and became a dependable middle-six forward who could kill penalties, play responsibly defensively and chip in offensively when needed.
After leaving the Predators, Jarnkrok had short stops with the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames before signing a four-year contract with the aforementioned Maple Leafs in 2022, where he spent the rest of his NHL career.
His first season in Toronto ended up being one of the better offensive years of his career. Jarnkrok scored a career-high 20 goals, giving the Maple Leafs another reliable secondary scoring option. Unfortunately, injuries would go on to affect his career, including sports hernia surgery during the 2024-25 season, and now he is heading home to try and continue his career.
Jarnkrok finished his time in the NHL with 143 goals and 316 points in 774 regular-season games. Which includes his final NHL season, where he had just eight points in 56 games. Now that he has signed with Brynäs for the next four seasons, it gives Jarnkrok a chance to return home, play in front of family and friends in Gävle, and close out his career where it all started.
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