Jokerit dropped big contract news - confirmed with three new players!

Jokerit announces three new player signings. The club has signed a three-year contract with forward Teemu Turunen and one-year contracts with defenders Matt Caito and Oliver Larsen.

Turunen, 30, returns to his youth club from SHL team Örebro HK, where he scored 14 points (7+7) in 29 regular season games and 2 points (0+2) in three playoff games last season. Turunen’s contract with the club would have been valid for next season as well, but it was terminated at Turunen’s request for personal reasons.

Turunen represented Jokerit during his junior years and in the KHL during the 2021-22 season. In the Liiga, he has previously played for HPK, HIFK, and Kärpät. Turunen has broken the 50-point barrier three times in his Liiga career, and in the 2023-24 season, he won the Liiga’s goal scoring title with 30 goals while playing for Kärpät.

– During the summer, there was an unfortunate illness in my close circle, so as a family, we decided that now is the best time to return to Helsinki and home. Jokerit is a dear club to me. It’s great that I got this opportunity even this late in the summer. This is a matter of honor, he continues, Turunen commented in Jokerit’s announcement.

– Teemu’s personal situation is challenging, so it’s great that we can offer him a chance to play. It means a lot to us that Teemu decided to come home. As the length of the contract indicates, Teemu will be a significant core player for Jokerit now and in the future. He is not only a fitting acquisition according to our strategy as a homegrown talent, but he is also a point scorer, hardworking, and a player who prioritizes the team’s interests, commented Jokerit’s sports director Olli-Pekka Yrjänheikki.

American Caito, 32, has represented SHL team Leksand for the last six seasons, recording 11 points (4+7) in 50 games last season. Caito previously played in the Liiga for KooKoo during the 2019-2020 season, where he scored an impressive 43 points (8+35) in 59 games, winning the defensemen’s scoring title. Caito was awarded as the best defenseman in the Liiga that season.

Danish Larsen, 27, has played for HIFK for the last one and a half seasons, where he scored 13 points (3+10) in 53 games last season. Larsen has also represented Jukurit and KalPa in the Liiga, recording 31 points in his best season. Larsen has played in five World Championships and one Olympics for the Danish national team.

– We have been looking for reinforcements for the defense for a while, and we wanted to patiently observe the player market. Also, Olli Juolevi’s unfortunate injury changed our plans for next season. However, patience paid off, and we got two quality defensemen that fit us perfectly, Yrjänheikki explains.

– Matthew’s strength is puck-handling, which is especially evident on the power play. He has already been selected as the best defenseman in the Liiga once and will surely be one of the best again next season.

– Oliver, on the other hand, is an experienced Liiga-level defenseman. He brings puck skills that provide options for five-on-five play and power play, Yrjänheikki describes.