Zbyněk Michálek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈzbɪɲɛk ˈmɪxaːlɛk], born 23 December 1982) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played for Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). Michálek has also previously played in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues. He is the older brother of former NHL star and current UFA Milan Michálek.
| Zbyněk Michálek | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
23 December 1982 Jindřichův Hradec, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Minnesota Wild Arizona Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues HC Sparta Praha | ||
| National team |
 Czech Republic | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2002–2019 | ||
Playing career
editJunior
edit
Michálek played two seasons of major junior ice hockey for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He was not drafted in any NHL Entry Draft, but began playing professional hockey in 2002 with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL), winning a Calder Cup championship with the team in 2003.
Professional
editMinnesota Wild, Phoenix Coyotes
editMichálek made his NHL debut during the 2003–04 season with the Minnesota Wild, the Aeros' NHL affiliate. In 2005, Michálek was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Erik Westrum and Dustin Wood. He played five seasons for the Coyotes, leading the NHL in blocked shots during the 2008–09 season. His excellent play continued into 2010, as he helped the Coyotes earn a Stanley Cup playoff berth for the first time since 2002.[1]
Pittsburgh Penguins
editOn 1 July 2010, the first day of the NHL free agency period, Michálek signed a five-year, $20 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent.[2] Prior to his signing, Michálek was described as "The Defenseman Every Team Wants" by AOL Fanhouse due to his strong defensive skills, durability and shot-blocking.[3] In 2010–11, Michálek scored his first goal for the Penguins in a 3–1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on 8 March 2011.[4]
Return to Phoenix, St. Louis Blues, second return to Arizona
editOn 22 June 2012, during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Michálek was traded back to the Coyotes in exchange for Harrison Ruopp, goaltender Marc Cheverie and a 2012 third-round draft pick (81st overall).[5] Michálek played two further seasons in the Coyotes organization, whereupon in 2014–15, as a pending unrestricted free agent, he was traded at the NHL trade deadline on 2 March 2015, to the St. Louis Blues, along with a conditional third-round pick in 2015, in exchange for prospect Maxim Letunov, despite Michálek recovering from a concussion at the time.[6] On 1 July 2015 Michálek was re-signed by the Coyotes as a free agent.[7]
After the 2016 preseason, Michálek was cut from the Arizona Coyotes, and thus placed on waivers by the Arizona Coyotes.[8] On Sunday 19 March 2017, he was called up by the Coyotes from the Tucson Roadrunners to play the following day.[9] He ended up playing two games after that one, accumulating a total of no points, no minutes spent in the sinbin, and a plus-one rating in three total games.[10]
On 19 October 2017, Michálek signed with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga (ELH).[11]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Czech Republic
| ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2006 Riga | |
 |
2011 Bratislava | |
Michálek played for the Czech Republic, alongside his brother Milan Michálek, at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was also selected to represent the Czech Republic at the 2011 IIHF World Championship, where he won bronze alongside his brother.
Personal life
editMichálek is married to Helena (born in 1979 in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and they have three children together, a son and two daughters.[12][13][14] Michálek's younger brother Milan formerly played in the NHL.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1999–2000 | HC Becherovka Karlovy Vary | CZE U20 | 40 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 69 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 68 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 54 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 10 | ||
| 2002–03 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 62 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 55 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 76 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 48 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 75 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 72 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 73 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 62 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 34 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 59 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 53 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 70 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 43 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HC Sparta Praha | ELH | 30 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | HC Kometa Brno | ELH | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 784 | 42 | 136 | 178 | 322 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Czech Republic | WC | 
|
9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2007 | Czech Republic | WC | 7th | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2008 | Czech Republic | WC | 5th | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Czech Republic | OG | 7th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Czech Republic | WC | 
|
8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2013 | Czech Republic | WC | 7th | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Czech Republic | OG | 6th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Czech Republic | WCH | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 52 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 30 | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Coyotes reach 100-point mark by routing Avs". nhl.com. 27 March 2010.
- ^ Molinari, Dave (1 July 2010). "Penguins sign Phoenix defenseman Michalek". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ "Zbynek Michalek: The Defenseman Every Team Wants". nhl.fanhouse.com. 30 June 2010.
- ^ "Aftermath: Penguins 3, Sabres 1". Pittsburgh Penguins Official Website. 8 March 2011.
- ^ "Penguins trade Michalek back to Coyotes for Ruopp, pick". The Sports Network. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "Michalek acquired by Blues despite concussion". Yahoo! Sports. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Coyotes Sign Michalek to Two-Year Contract". coyotes.nhl.com. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ McKenzie, Bob. "Michalek and Dahlbeck from ARI on waivers".
- ^ "Coyotes Recall Michalek, Dauphin from AHL". NHL.com. 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Zbynek Michalek hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
- ^ "Přichází zkušený obránce Zbyněk Michálek!". www.hcsparta.cz (in Czech). 19 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide" (PDF). Pittsburgh Penguins. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "Michalek leads way in blocked shots". National Hockey League. 5 September 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ "Michalek welcomes new arrival". tv.nova.cz (in Czech). 30 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database