Swedish forward Dennis Rasmussen will try to carry the momentum of his success in Sweden all the way to the NHL after signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. He’ll come with an annual cap hit of $793,000.
Rasmussen, 23, was never selected in an NHL Entry Draft, but he’s improved significantly over the last few years while playing for Vaxjo HC. He scored 16 goals and was tied for ninth in the Swedish league with 40 points in 52 contests last season.
He was also on Sweden’s bronze medal winning World Championship team in 2014, although he was used sparingly in the tournament.
He won’t be the only Swedish league standout looking to make a name for himself in North America next season as the Columbus Blue Jackets inked Simon Hjalmarsson last week. Meanwhile, San Jose took Melker Karlsson, defenseman Johan Alm has joined Nashville, and Joakim Lindstrom will return to North America after signing with the St. Louis Blues.