David Kämpf returns to Czechia on a three-year deal with HC Litvínov

David Kämpf is headed back to Czechia. Former Chicago Blackhawks forward David Kämpf has agreed to a three-year contract with HC Litvínov, bringing an NHL career that spanned nine seasons to a close and restarting his pro path in the Czech Extraliga.

Litvínov’s announcement places Kämpf among the key pieces the club expects to build around for its domestic campaign. For Kämpf, the move is also a return to familiar territory, where he is aiming to play with less pressure and more enjoyment than he said he felt during recent years in the NHL.

According to reports, Kämpf split his most recent NHL season between the Vancouver Canucks and the Washington Capitals and produced two goals, six points, 45 hits and a 52.3 percent faceoff win rate in 40 games. His statistical profile has long leaned toward two-way play and faceoffs, roles that translated across multiple organizations even as he shifted teams.

Kämpf began his NHL career with the Blackhawks, spending his first four seasons in Chicago from 2017-18 through 2020-21. Over 235 games with the club, he recorded 17 goals, 41 assists and 58 points, establishing himself as a depth option who could contribute in tight moments and on specialty work.

After leaving Chicago, he went on to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Vancouver Canucks and the Washington Capitals. In 576 NHL games across his career, he totaled 50 goals, 99 assists and 149 points with 498 hits, a durable bottom-six profile built around physical detail and puck management.

The NHL-to-Czechia transition also carries a recruiting and team-building angle for Litvínov. Kämpf’s departure from the league changes the options for NHL teams that might have valued his experience at both ends, while Litvínov gains a former Stanley Cup contender’s veteran, one with a track record of adapting his role from club to club.

Kämpf has framed the decision as a personal reset. As reported, he said he has been considering returning to the Czech Republic for a long time, calling his nine years overseas “demanding,” and added that in the NHL it felt “more of a job” in recent seasons. He also pointed to the opportunity to play again with the Károš brothers, who have connections to the organization, as part of what drew him home.

For fans, the immediate storyline is how Kämpf’s faceoff skills and bottom-six tendencies translate in Czechia’s style of play and ice time allocation. Litvínov’s offseason picture will also be measured by whether they can turn Kämpf’s NHL experience into consistency at full speed, not just in special situations, as the Czech season approaches.