Per various reports, the Columbus Blue Jackets have loaned Emil Bemstrom and Veini Vehviläinen to two teams in Liiga, Finland's top professional hockey league, in advance of the upcoming AHL/NHL season.
Bemstrom will join HIFK, a team coming off a successful season before the playoffs were canceled due to Covid-19. The 21-year old Swede should nonetheless challenge for a large role.
Emil Bemstrm Expressenin mukaan suuntaamassa IFK:hon lainalle: https://t.co/0WE3GotCA4#HIFK #Liiga
— Riku Laukkanen (@r1kuexposures) September 7, 2020
Vehviläinen will play for JYP Jyväskylä, where he'll immediately become the strongest goalie on the roster. The 23-year old goalie has already put up prolific numbers in Liiga, though on a much stronger Karpat team. He was expected to challenge Matiss Kivlenieks and Daniil Tarasov in AHL Cleveland this season.
Tervetuloa Veini!!
— JYP Jyvskyl (@JYPJyvaskyla) September 7, 2020
Maalivahti Veini Vehvilinen siirtyy NHL seura Columbus Blue Jacketsin organisaatiosta toistaiseksi voimassa olevalla lainasopimuksella JYPin hurrikaanipaitaan.
Lue lis https://t.co/jEKU6E7kNE#JYPliiga #VeiniVehvilinen #Liiga #Jyvskyl pic.twitter.com/Cu7Gqkzk3j
Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen mentioned Bemstrom, alongside others like Alexandre Texier and Kole Sherwood, by name as players who could continue playing in Europe between now and the restart of the NHL regular season.
It is anticipated that "quite a few" players in the Columbus organization will have an opportunity to play overseas in the intermediary.
