COVENTRY Blaze have continued their recruitment drive for the new Elite League season with the signing of 30-year-old Swedish Forward Kim Tallberg.
Tallberg moves to Coventry from the well-respected Allsvenskan with the 2022/23 campaign set to be his first playing outside of his homeland.
Last season, the Norrköping native enjoyed a second stint with Tingsryds, finishing second on the team in goals with 14, while also adding seven assists for 21 points in 52 regular season games.
Blaze Head Coach Danny Stewart said: “Kim has been a very good player at the Allsvenskan level for many years. He is a hard-nosed player that goes to the hard areas to be rewarded and score goals.
“Along with that he has a great skill set and hockey head. He’s played different roles in his career that will allow him to play a 200-foot game for us.
“He’s a great pro off the ice and has a tremendous work ethic. We are very happy with this signing!”
In 2017/18, he was the third top point-scorer with 23 (13 goals, 10 assists) in 51 games and in 2018/19 he improved further to lead the team in goals with 14, plus 16 assists for 30 points in 40 games.
Sandwiched between his seasons with Tingsryds, Tallberg spent two years with AIK, also of the Allsvenskan, where he held an associate captaincy in his first season.
Tallberg also has a prior connection with Coventry, having played under former coach Paul Thompson during the 2013/14 season with Troja-Ljungby.
Overall, Tallberg has appeared in 272 Allsvenskan regular season and playoff games amassing 93 points (48 goals, 45 assists).
The left-shooter has also iced in 272 HockeyEttan regular season and playoff games representing Nynäshamns, Kumla, Borås, Halmstad and Nybro where he was Captain during the 2016/2017 season.
During his time in HockeyEttan, Tallberg scored 168 points (84 goals, 84 assists).
