For the 2025-26 season, the SCL Tigers seem to have cast their eyes on another Finn, namely Hannes Björninen. The 29-year-old center, who is considered a two-way player, has been one of the best faceoff specialists in the Liiga in the past years, recording the highest win percentage for three consecutive seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22. Since the summer of 2022, he has been playing in Sweden, most recently with Örebro HK.
Additionally, Björninen has been a mainstay with the Leijonat, winning the gold medal at the 2022 Olympics while scoring the game-winning goal in the Final game. He also won a gold medal and a silver medal at the World Championships.