The Bismarck Bobcats are proud to announce that Defenseman Hugo Kruse has signed a professional contract with HC Dalen in Sweden.
Kruse joined the Bobcats with fellow Swede Oscar Jonsson prior to the trade deadline. Gradually, Kruse exhibited his ability on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck as he frequented on the penalty kill. In 29 games played between the regular season and playoffs, Kruse scored twice and tacked on 9 assists for a total of 11 points.
Kruse mentioned how excited he was to sign a professional contract back home in Sweden following the conclusion of his junior hockey career. “I’m really excited to join HC Dalen and can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to taking the next step in my career, growing as a senior player, and contributing to the team’s success.
Bismarck Bobcats Assistant Coach Alec Rauhauser talked about Kruse’s impact during his time with the Bobcats. “Hugo came in and made an immediate impact for us from the start. Adding him to our defensive core as a top 4 defenseman with Eddie [Revenig] really solidified our back end down the stretch and into the playoffs. He was willing to go to greasy areas and do the dirty work and we saw the impact Hugo was able to make not only toward the end of the regular season, but also in the playoffs especially being on the penalty kill. We would like to thank Hugo for his time in Bismarck and we are excited for him to get an opportunity to play pro hockey back in his home country.”
HC Dalen is a hockey club in Sweden that plays in HockeyEttan, the 3rd tier of Swedish professional hockey.