GKS Tychy is getting close to finishing a busy offseason and has added their eighth defensemen to the roster in Swede Alexander Younan. Younan signed a one-year agreement with the club, and he is the fifth import to join the former back-to-back champions this offseason.

Younan was a highly regarded defensive prospect in Sweden during his junior time. He represented the Swedish U18 team at the IIHF U18 World Championships and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. The 6’1 defenseman played in the HV71 junior system before his final junior season with Frolunda in 2016. In 2017, he turned professional, signing with Rögle BK. He would spend the first year of the deal in the HockeyAllsvenskan but would reach the SHL in 2018. In his lone season with the top Rögle BK team, he would play in 46 games, recording seven points (3G-4A-7PTS). Starting the following season, the Jönköping native played for Västerås IK in the Allsvenskan for three seasons. The 25-year-old spent last year with Orli Znojmo in the ICE Hockey League. For his Allsvenskan career, he has played in 228 games and posted 19 goals, 37 assists, and only 40 penalty minutes.

A player with his resume is rare to see in the PHL, and he will be only the 27th player to have played in the SHL to appear in the PHL. For Tychy, Younan is likely the most significant defensive addition of the offseason in what has been a busy one for the club. Only two defensemen regularly in the 2022 lineup are returning for 2023. Tychy also added national team denders Bartosz Ciura and Oskar Jaśkiewicz, and Slovakia import Emil Bagin.

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