LATEST | Eight-year NHL veteran returns home, signs in Europe

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Cooper Godin
July 16, 2023 (1:16 PM)

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After missing all of last season, except one game, with concussion symptoms, eight-year National Hockey League veteran Ondrej Kase has decided to return home to Czechia.

The 27-year-old agreed to terms on a one-year contract with HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga on Sunday.

The following quote was translated from Czech

"Litvinov was the number one choice for me. I had other offers, but they didn't make sense to me. I wanted to play with my brother and I also wanted to be closer to home," Kase said. "I was attracted by the opportunity to take on the role of a leader and help the team to the higher levels of the table,"

Kase, a native of Kadan, Czechia has had a rough go over the last few years when it comes to concussions. As mentioned, this past season with the Hurricanes, he was limited to 11:02 TOI in the season opener after suffering a concussion, which forced him to miss the entire season. He also had a concussion during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season while with the Boston Bruins, only appearing in three games for them that year.

In 258 career games in the NHL with Anaheim, Boston, Toronto and Carolina, Kase had 124 points (57 goals, 67 assists), 62 penalty minutes and was a plus-14.

Source: HC Litvinov