Jiří Smejkal
Jiří Smejkal (born 5 November 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey forward playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Jiří Smejkal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
5 November 1996 České Budějovice, Czech Republic | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Center/Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Ottawa Senators Medveščak Zagreb HC Sparta Praha Tappara Lahti Pelicans IK Oskarshamn | ||
| National team |
 Czech Republic | ||
| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2016–present | ||
Playing career
Smejkal started his career in the youth setup at HC Ceske Budejovice. He was picked by Medveščak Zagreb in the 2013 KHL draft.[1] In 2014, he headed over the Atlantic to hone his skills in the Western Hockey League (WHL), joining the Moose Jaw Warriors.[2] In his first year with the Warriors, Smejkal made 72 WHL appearances, tallying 12 goals and 20 assists. He also started the 2015-16 campaign playing for the team but was traded to fellow WHL side Kamloops Blazers in January 2016.[3]
On 15 July 2016, Smejkal signed with Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[4] He left for HC Sparta Praha on 31 January 2017.[5]
Following a lone season in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with IK Oskarshamn in the 2022–23 season, placing third in team scoring with 23 goals and 43 points through 49 games, Smejkal was signed as a free agent to a one-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators of the NHL on 4 May 2023.[6]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Czech Republic | ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2022 Finland | |
Smejkal has represented his country on several occasions, including the under-18 World Championships in 2014, where the Czech Republic won silver,[7] and the under-20 World Championships in 2016.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Mountfield | CZE U18 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Mountfield | CZE U18 | 36 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 63 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Mountfield | CZE U20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | ČEZ Motor České Budějovice | CZE U18 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | ČEZ Motor České Budějovice | CZE U20 | 28 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 72 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 28 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 30 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | KHL Medveščak Zagreb | KHL | 26 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | HC Sparta Praha | ELH | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | HC Sparta Praha | ELH | 26 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Piráti Chomutov | ELH | 17 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HC Sparta Praha | ELH | 47 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | HC Sparta Praha | ELH | 47 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Tappara | Liiga | 48 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 28 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | ||
| 2021–22 | Pelicans | Liiga | 44 | 25 | 20 | 45 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 | ||
| 2022–23 | IK Oskarshamn | SHL | 49 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| ELH totals | 146 | 28 | 36 | 64 | 111 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Czech Republic | WJC18 |  |
6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Czech Republic | WJC | 5th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Czech Republic | WC | 7th | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Czech Republic | OG | 9th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Czech Republic | WC |  |
10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 11 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Senior totals | 22 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||||
References
- "Jít v šestnácti letech do KHL není reálné, ví Smejkal". 4 June 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- "Smejkal Enjoying New Surroundings – Moose Jaw Warriors". mjwarriors.ca. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- "Blazers Acquire Smejkal from Warriors | CFJC Today". cfjctoday.com. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- "Krejcik strenghtens [sic] D, Smejkal joins Bears' attack". www.medvescak.com. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- "HC Sparta Praha » Další posilou je talentovaný útočník Smejkal". www.hcsparta.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "Senators sign forward Jiri Smejkal to one-year, entry-level contract". Ottawa Senators. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- "Back for the attack". 2016 World Junior Championship. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database