Brogan Rafferty is heading overseas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The multi-time AHL Second Team All-Star has signed a two-year deal with the V\u00e4xj\u00f6 Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League, concluding a season in which he tallied 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rafferty described the move to reporters as \u2018very exciting,\u2019 highlighting V\u00e4xj\u00f6\u2019s winning culture and style of play, while also praising the city and its fans. He added that the organization would provide an enjoyable environment for both him and his family. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old defenseman had signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2023, but was not extended beyond last season. Rafferty experienced a regression offensively and defensively compared with the previous campaign, having scored only half the goals he recorded in 2023\u201324. His NHL experience remains limited: he appeared in three games with the Vancouver Canucks between 2018 and 2021, recording a single assist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the European level, Rafferty is expected to stand out among his peers as a strong skater with notable offensive talent for a defenseman. His inability to sustain a career at the NHL level stemmed from several factors, chief among them difficulty coping with the speed of top-tier opponents. <\/p>\n
While his offensive instincts and skating ability were consistently strengths, defensive-zone coverage proved a challenge, and he was often exposed against faster forwards\u2014partly explaining his decision to continue his career in Sweden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rafferty will be competing on a more level playing field in the SHL<\/p>\n
Not every player is destined to become an NHL star, and that reality is no reflection on his talent or character. Early indications suggest that Rafferty and his family are adapting well and appear content within the V\u00e4xj\u00f6 organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rafferty possessed the raw tools to be a strong contributor at the AHL level, but he was never able to fully overcome lapses that led to mistakes. This move offers an opportunity for him to play in a setting where his strengths can shine. <\/p>\n
Over the course of 308 AHL games with the Griffins, Utica Comets, San Diego Gulls, and Coachella Valley Firebirds, he posted 168 points. He was also named to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2019\u201320 after recording seven goals and 38 assists for 48 points across 57 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We wish him well in his future endeavors and his hockey career.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brogan Rafferty is heading overseas.\u00a0 The multi-time AHL Second Team All-Star has signed a two-year deal with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":["post-141333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}