NHL stars Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat among new Plymouth Argyle investors

Two of the stars of the National Hockey League in North America are part of the investment group which has bought into Plymouth Argyle.

Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat, a winger from the Czech Republic, are members of Argyle Green LLC, who are investing £4m into the club in exchange for a 20 per cent shareholding.

Hedman and Palat are leading figures in ice hockey, and were team-mates when the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

Tampa Bay reached the Stanley Cup finals for the third successive year in June but, with Hedman and Palat again part of their team, they were beaten 4-2 in the best-of-seven series by the Colorado Avalanche.

Palat then joined the New Jersey Devils on a five-year $30 million contract in July, but Hedman remains with the Lightning.

Hedman, 31, was selected second overall by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Draft. He has played in the NHL All Star game four times, including 2022, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 202 play-offs.

The 6ft 6in defenseman, a World Championship winner with Sweden in 2017, has always had a passion for football, playing it during the NHL off season.

Hedman said: "I have been a football fan my entire life and I am very excited to join Argyle as an investor and as a supporter. What Simon and the team are building at Argyle is remarkable and reminds me of what we have built in Tampa with the Lightning.

"It is a dream come true to be part of two organisations that are focused on achieving success at the highest level and sustaining that success for years to come."

Palat was drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Draft, 208th overall, by the Lightning and went on to spend 10 seasons with the Florida