A star defender known from the league is leaving his long-time club - rumors suggest he's heading to Jokerit!

In Sweden, Leksands IF, which is relegating from the SHL to Allsvenskan, confirms that American defenseman Matt Caito, who has represented the team for the last six seasons, is leaving the team to continue his career elsewhere.

– We want to thank Matt for his time in Leksand and his contribution to the club. We wish him all the best for the future, Leksand’s GM Jesper Ollas commented in the club’s statement.

Caito, 32, recorded 11 points (4+7) in 50 games for Leksand last season. During his six seasons in the SHL, he played a total of 294 regular season games, scoring 130 points (26+104).

Before his years in the SHL, Caito played in the Liiga for KooKoo during the 2019-2020 season. He won the defensemen’s scoring race that year, finishing with strong stats of 8+35=43 in 59 games. Caito was also awarded as the best defenseman in the Liiga.

According to rumors, Caito is returning to Finland for the next season. Urheilucast has previously reported that Jokerit has made a deal with Caito. KooKoo and Kärpät have also been said to be interested in Caito.