Back in May, free agent winger Ondrej Kase was said to be generating NHL interest after a strong season back home in Czechia. However, a deal at the top level didn’t materialize so instead, he has elected to re-sign a one-year deal with HC Litvinov, per a team release.
The 28-year-old had some success in the NHL early in his career, notching 57 goals and 67 assists in 258 games over parts of seven seasons. However, concussion troubles repeatedly set Kase back to the point where he missed nearly the entire 2022-23 campaign aside from just over 11 minutes of ice time in Carolina’s season opener.
Needing a reset, Kase decided to return home last season and joined Litvinov alongside his brother David Kase. The move proved to be a strong one. Not only did Kase stay healthy but he also led his team in scoring with 23 goals and 31 assists in 48 games. His 54 points were enough to put him in third place league-wide in that department.
That landed Kase a spot on the Czechs’ entry at the World Championship back in May. Kase played a prominent role for the hosts, picking up seven points in ten games along the way to a gold medal.
With the year he had, it wasn’t surprising to see his name pop up among potential international free agents looking to get back to the NHL. But in the end, he cited family reasons as a factor in deciding to stay at home for at least one more year. If he can have another showing like his 2023-24 performance, there’s a very good chance he’ll be back on the NHL radar next spring as well.