Zbyněk Michálek

Zbyněk Michálek
Born (1982-12-23) December 23, 1982
Jindřichův Hradec, TCH
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Arizona Coyotes
Tucson Roadrunners (AHL)
Minnesota Wild
Pittsburgh Penguins
St. Louis Blues
National team  Czech Republic
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2002–present

Zbyněk Michálek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈzbɪɲɛk ˈmɪxaːlɛk], born December 23, 1982) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing within the Arizona Coyotes organization of the National Hockey League (NHL). Michálek has also previously played in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins. He is the older brother of Toronto Maple Leafs winger Milan Michálek.

Playing career

Michálek, October 2011.

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.

Michálek 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 Phoenix, leading the League 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]

On July 1, 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 March 8, 2011.[4]

On June 22, 2012, during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Michálek was traded back to Phoenix 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 March 2, 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 July 1, 2015 Michálek was re-signed by the Coyotes as a free agent.[7]

International play
Medal record
Representing Czech Republic 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

Michálek is married to Helena (born in 1979 in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and has one son, Andreas,[8] who was born on June 23, 2009.[9] Their daughter, Ella, was born April 30, 2012.[10] Michálek's younger brother Milan currently plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Career statistics

Zbyněk Michálek, April 2011.

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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 — — — — —
NHL totals 781 42 136 178 322 26 0 4 4 6

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2006 Czech Republic WC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 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 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 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

References

  1. ↑ "Coyotes reach 100-point mark by routing Avs". nhl.com. 2010-03-27.
  2. ↑ Molinari, Dave (1 July 2010). "Penguins sign Phoenix defenseman Michalek". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  3. ↑ "Zbynek Michalek: The Defenseman Every Team Wants". nhl.fanhouse.com. 2010-06-30.
  4. ↑ "Aftermath: Penguins 3, Sabres 1". Pittsburgh Penguins Official Website. 8 March 2011.
  5. ↑ "Penguins trade Michalek back to Coyotes for Ruopp, pick". The Sports Network. 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  6. ↑ "Michalek acquired by Blues despite concussion". Yahoo! Sports. 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  7. ↑ "Coyotes Sign Michalek to Two-Year Contract". coyotes.nhl.com. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  8. ↑ "Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide" (PDF). Pittsburgh Penguins. 2011-10-18. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  9. ↑ "Michalek leads way in blocked shots". National Hockey League. 2009-09-05. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  10. ↑ "Michalek welcomes new arrival" (in Czech). tv.nova.cz. 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
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