Release from 14.08.2025

Experienced Swedish forward joins Klagenfurt

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EC-KAC has announced the signing of Mario Kempe. The two-time World Championship participant for Sweden has played 70 games in the NHL for the Arizona Coyotes. Last season, the forward played for Tappara. The 36-year-old has also played over 600 games in the KHL and SHL.

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Mario Kempe completed his final years of his youth at the traditional club MODO in Örnsköldsvik and in St. John's, Canada. He made his debut in Sweden's top league in September 2008 playing for Rögle BK. His professional career has since taken him to the best leagues in Europe and, in the meantime, to the NHL: between October 2017 and March 2019, the forward played 70 games for the Arizona Coyotes in the world's strongest league. Before and after that, Mario Kempe primarily played in the SHL (362 appearances for Rögle, Djurgården, MODO, and Luleå) and the KHL (279 games for Vityaz Podolsk, CSKA Moskva, and Dinamo Minsk). His international experience at club level was rounded off most recently by stints in the top leagues in Switzerland and Finland. The left-handed shooter represented the Swedish national team in a total of 42 international games between 2013 and 2023, and in 2019 and 2021 he was also part of his home country's World Championship squad.

Mario Kempe: "I am very happy to be moving to Klagenfurt. EC-KAC is a highly respected club, and all the information I have gathered over the past few weeks about the fans, the city, and the organization has been very positive. I want to integrate into the team quickly and contribute my experience on and off the ice to the team. We want to have a good season, and I am looking forward to being able to contribute to that starting next week."