Czech defender Libor Hájek Source: SITA/AP/Adam Hunger
PARDUBICE – Hockey defenseman Libor Hájek, who worked for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL this season, strengthened the Czech extraleague leader Pardubice.
The 25-year-old Komety Brno student has 110 games in the NHL for the New York Rangers and did not get a new contract during a tryout in Pittsburgh before the season. Hájek signed a contract with Dynamo until 2028. The club announced this on its website.
“We regularly assign reinforcements to the team before Christmas. We did not break the tradition. Libor is another player with NHL experience who signed a long-term contract with the club. He is a defender with great prospects. He returns to the Czech Republic with the aim of playing for trophies.” said investor and chairman of Dynamo’s supervisory board Petr Dědek Sr.
Hájek was an unprotected free agent in the NHL after the end of the one-year, one-way contract for 800,000 dollars after the end of last season, and he played three games in the preparation in the trial in Pittsburgh, in which he scored one assist. In mid-October, he signed a one-year contract at the Penguins farm. He played 11 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and did not score. He last joined on December 1.
Photo gallery (2) On the bottom left of the picture, Slovakian New York Rangers goalkeeper Jaroslav Halák and defender Libor Hájek Source: TASR/AP/Julia Nikhinson
In the past five seasons, Hájek played 110 games for the Rangers in the NHL and scored four goals and eight assists. He made 16 appearances for Rangers in his final year and scored one goal, but last played for them in December. After that he remained only on the stand and after two months he moved to a farm in Hartford. There he played 24 games in the regular season and scored two goals and four assists. In five playoff duels, he recorded one record.
Hájka was drafted in 2016 by Tampa Bay, who selected him in the second round in the 37th position. The Rangers acquired the Czech defender in February 2018. Participant of two U18 World Championships and one U20 World Championship in the AHL, he played a total of 129 games and recorded 17 points for four goals and 13 assists.
He already played for Kométa in the Czech extra league in the 2020/21 season, when the start of overseas competitions was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. He caught three passes in 34 games. The participant of the previous year’s World Championships appeared in the national team in nine duels, scored once and assisted on two goals.
- Author: © List/
- Source: CTK
2023-12-15 12:32:55
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