HC Ajoie close to a contract extension with Noah Patenaude

"We're close to reaching an agreement,” Julien Vauclair, team manager of HC Ajoie, tells the Quotidien Jurassien (relayed by SwissHabs). Patenaude is not the only player they would like to keep, though. 

Vaulclair is also trying to convince Jerry Turkulainen and Julius Nättinen to stay in Porrentruy. Negotiations with the latter are ongoing. Whether Turkulainen will stay remains to be seen. He doesn't seem close to a decision yet.

He returned to HC Ajoie's lineup in mid-October after a severe leg injury kept him out of the lineup for several months. "I didn't wait for him to return from injury to assess the situation. He, on the other hand, wanted to see where he stood first. It was his decision, and I understand it perfectly. We had to respect his vision: come back 100%, play a few games, then make a decision," Vauclair said.