- David Kampf signed a three-year contract with HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga
- The 31-year-old center said the NHL had turned into “more of a job” he no longer enjoyed
- Read below for why Kampf walked away after nine seasons and 576 NHL games
David Kampf is done with the NHL.
The 31-year-old center signed a three-year contract with HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga, ending a run of nine seasons in North America. His new club announced the deal on Tuesday.
His reason was blunt. Kampf told Litvinov the game had stopped being fun.
“In the NHL, it’s been more of a job for me in recent years. I didn’t really enjoy hockey. I’m looking forward to getting more space here, gaining new momentum, and having fun with hockey again.”
Home was the pull. Kampf grew up in Jirkov and said the itch to come back had been building for a long time.
“I’ve been thinking about returning to the Czech Republic for a long time. It was nine demanding years overseas. I decided on Litvinov, which I’ve had a relationship with since childhood, when I went to games there.”
What he leaves behind is a solid resume. Kampf played 576 NHL games and put up 149 points as a checking-line center and penalty killer.
He broke in with Chicago as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and stuck for four seasons. Four more years in Toronto followed, where he settled in as a trusted bottom-six piece.
Kampf’s final NHL season was a rough one. He opened 2025-26 in the AHL before Vancouver brought him in through a mutual contract termination.
Washington grabbed him at the March deadline, and he played just two games as a Capital. Six points in 40 games was where the year ended.
Buffalo only had his rights because of a bigger move. Kampf was a contract tossed into the return the Sabres landed when they sent Alex Tuch to Washington, and they never planned to sign him.
Litvinov gets him instead, a childhood club a short drive from home. The Kasovi brothers, Ondrej and David, signed long-term extensions with Verva the same day, but the headline belongs to the guy who left the NHL to enjoy hockey again.
