Familiar to the Lions, Axel Rindell is looking for a new team. The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman’s last team in the SHL, HV71, announced on Friday that they have terminated his contract for the upcoming season.

The decision can be considered surprising, as Rindell was one of his team’s best players last season, scoring 10+26=36 points in 52 regular-season games. He was HV71’s second most effective player and clearly the most effective defenseman.

However, even strong statistics were not enough to convince the club’s management.

– Axel was important to us last season, but we need to look at the overall picture for next season’s team building. We do not see a role for Axel there, sports director Johan Hult commented in the club’s statement.

Rindell played for the Lions in the 2024–25 season, participating in six EHT games. The defenseman, who has played the last three and a half seasons in Sweden’s SHL, has represented Jukurit and Kärpät in the Liiga.

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