Djurgården Bolsters Lineup With Krzyzaniak, Menke, Hirschy

DIF Hockey makes a splash as the transfer window closes.

Defender Halli Krzyzaniak, forward Amy Menke, and defender Gracen Hischy are headed to the SDHL’s Djurgårdens IF, the club announced Thursday.

All three players are University of North Dakota alumni who played together over the past four years. They all played during the program’s final season. They come to Sweden with pre-established chemistry and rapport as well as familiarity with each other’s on-ice tendencies.

“We think they can be something for Djurgården for several years to come,” said DIF sports manager Nils Ekman.

Krzyzaniak centralized with Team Canada prior to the Olympics but was cut from the final PyeongChang roster. Menke returned to her home state of Minnesota after graduation to play with the Minnesota Whitecaps. Hirschy turned to coaching and has been working as an assistant with DIII Aurora University.

The Stockholm-based Djurgården currently sits fourth in the SDHL standings with 58 points, behind Luleå, Linköping, and MODO. They’ve struggled at times in a season with raised expectations after last year’s championship victory, but today’s news makes a strong statement: they’re all in.