League star Ryan Lasch, 38, made a surprise transfer to Norwegian Vålerenga confirmed on Tuesday.

According to the club, the main reason for the transfer of the American talent was his former SHL teammate Mats Rosseli Olsen. The duo won two Swedish championships together while playing for Frölunda. Rosseli Olsen had already been talking to Lasch during their years in Sweden about considering playing in Norway at some point in his career.

– I always speak warmly of Vålerenga and Oslo. He knows that it’s my hometown, and I’ve told him several times that I think it could be a place he would enjoy, Rosseli Olsen, who still represents Frölunda in the SHL, said on Vålerenga’s website.

Lasch’s transfer to Norway can be seen as a huge surprise because he had offers on the table during the summer from more lucrative leagues, such as the Liiga, SHL, and DEL. AHL teams were also reportedly interested in the veteran center.

Lasch, who represented Pelicans for the last two seasons, has played 237 regular season games in the Finnish Liiga and scored an impressive 241 points in them.

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