After splitting his time between the NHL and AHL the past few seasons, the center Austin Czarnik has decided it’s time to try something different. SC Bern of the Swiss NL announced they have signed the veteran to a one-year contract.

The 31-year-old played extensively last season with Detroit and Grand Rapids. He played in 34 games with the Red Wings, his highest total since the 2018-19 season. However, Czarnik couldn’t muster much offensively, with just one assist and 49% of his faceoffs in just 8:26 per game, a career low.

However, he was again a major producer in the minors with the Griffins. In 38 regular season games with them, Czarnik potted 10 goals and 18 assists before adding four goals and four assists in nine postseason games.

That follows a recent trend for Czarnik. He’s been a top point-getter in the minors, with 290 points in 308 career games at that level. But it hasn’t translated to much offensive success in the NHL, as he has just 51 points in 205 career appearances. Most of that has come early in his career, as Czarnik has just 16 points in 92 games over the past five years.

It seems fair to infer that Czarnik would have had two-way offers on the table if he wanted to continue in the role he’s had the past few seasons. But now he’ll get the chance to play an impactful role for a full season overseas, giving him some stability in the process. Depending on how things go in Switzerland, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Czarnik back in the NHL two-way mix next summer.