Jiří Smejkal

Czech ice hockey forward (born 1996)

Ice hockey player
Jiří Smejkal
Born (1996-11-05) 5 November 1996 (age 27)
České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Ottawa Senators
Belleville Senators (AHL)
Medveščak Zagreb
Sparta Praha
Piráti Chomutov
Tappara
Lahti Pelicans
IK Oskarshamn
National team  Czech Republic
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2016–present

Jiří Smejkal (born 5 November 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey forward for the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in several European leagues.

Playing career

Smejkal started his career in the youth setup at ČEZ Motor České Budějovice. He was picked by Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) 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 season 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 KHL.[4] He left for Sparta Praha on 31 January 2017.[5] On 27 December, Smejkal was loaned to Piráti Chomutov for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.[6]

After the conclusion of Smejkal's contract with Sparta Praha, he moved to Finland and signed one-year contracts with Tappara in May 2020,[7] and then with Lahti Pelicans in July 2021.[8]

Smejkal spent the 2022–23 season with IK Oskarshamn of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He placed third in team scoring with 23 goals and 43 points in 49 games.[9]

As an undrafted free agent, Smejkal signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) on 4 May 2023.[10] The signing came in response to the Senators' stated goal of bolstering its scoring and organizational depth ahead of a 2023–24 season in which they hoped to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017. Described as a "prototypical power forward", it was hoped that Smejkal's combination of size and skill would help the team achieve that goal.[11] Smejkal was assigned to Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators, to start the 2023–24 season.[9] On 9 December, Smejkal made his NHL debut in a 5–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.[12][13] He played in two games with Ottawa before being returned to Belleville. He was recalled again, along with Angus Crookshank, on 16 December after injuries to Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier.[14] On 22 December, Smejkal collected his first NHL point, assisting on Jacob Bernard-Docker's goal in a 6–4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.[15] He played in seven games before being sent back to Belleville on 7 January 2024.[16] He was recalled again on 7 March.[17] However, his stay in the NHL was short, being returned to the AHL after Parker Kelly returned from suspension on 13 March.[18] Smejkal finished his AHL season on 4 April, recording nine goals and 22 points in 46 games with Belleville. He was recalled that day due to an injury to Crookshank[19] and remained with Ottawa until the end of the season. In the final game of the season on 16 April, Smejkal recorded his first NHL goal against Linus Ullmark in 3–1 win over the Boston Bruins.[20]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Finland

Smejkal has represented Czech national teams on several occasions, including the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships, where they won silver,[21] and the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He played for the senior team at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, 2022 IIHF World Championship, where they won bronze medals, and 2023 IIHF World Championship. Smejkal also represented the Czech national team at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

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 Lahti 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 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 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 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 2 3 5 0
2023 Czech Republic WC 8th 8 0 1 1 2
Junior totals 11 6 2 8 0
Senior totals 30 4 5 9 4

References

  1. ^ Kalinics, Michael (4 June 2013). "Jít v šestnácti letech do KHL není reálné, ví Smejkal". Českobudějovický deník (in Czech). Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Smejkal Enjoying New Surroundings". CHL.ca. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Blazers Acquire Smejkal from Warriors". cfjctoday.com. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Krejcik strenghtens [sic] D, Smejkal joins Bears' attack". www.medvescak.com. 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Další posilou je talentovaný útočník Smejkal". hcsparta.cz (in Czech). 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Výměna: Dvořák a Smejkal za gólmana Jána Laca". hcsparta.cz (in Czech). 27 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Peltola palaa Tapparaan, joukkueeseen myös kaksi tšekkipelaajaa". tappara.fi (in Finnish). 2 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Jiří Smejkal Pelicansiin". pelicans.fi (in Finnish). 15 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Belleville Senators issue preseason roster update". Belleville Senators. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Senators sign forward Jiri Smejkal to one-year, entry-level contract". Ottawa Senators. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  11. ^ Reimer, Dayton. "Senators Get More Competitive with Jiri Smejkal". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  12. ^ Warne, Steve (9 December 2023). ""The Czech Hulk" to Make NHL Debut Saturday; Crookshank Dodges Injury Bullet". The Hockey News. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  13. ^ Gold, Oliver (10 December 2023). "Debutant Smejkal probral střelce Kubalíka. Pastrňák řídil domácí výhru Bostonu". Deník.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Senators recall forwards Angus Crookshank, Jiri Smejkal from AHL". Sportsnet. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  15. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (22 December 2023). "The Breakdown: The hurt won't stop as Senators lose sixth straight in Colorado". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Senators re-assign forwards Angus Crookshank, Jiri Smejkal to AHL Belleville". Sportsnet. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Senators' Jiri Smejkal: Recalled from AHL". CBS Sports. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  18. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (13 March 2024). "Senators winger Parker Kelly ready to return after serving two-game ban". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  19. ^ Warne, Steve (4 April 2024). "With Angus Crookshank Out Indefinitely, Ottawa Senators Call Up a Forward From Belleville". The Hockey News. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  20. ^ Alden, Doug (16 April 2024). "Smejkal nets first goal, Senators upset Bruins 3-1 in finale". Toronto Star. Associated Press. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Back for the attack". 2016 World Junior Championship. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2019.

External links

  • Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database