Milan Michálek

Milan Michálek
Born (1984-12-07) 7 December 1984
Jindřichův Hradec, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Free Agent
San Jose Sharks
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
National team  Czech Republic
NHL Draft 6th overall, 2003
San Jose Sharks
Playing career 2000present

Milan Michálek (/mɪˈkælɛk/; Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɪlan ˈmɪxaːlɛk]; born 7 December 1984) is a Czech professional ice hockey left winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played under contract to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted sixth overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

His older brother is Zbyněk Michálek, a defenceman who last played within the Arizona Coyotes organization.

Playing career

Michálek during his time with the Sharks.

Michálek scored a goal in his first NHL game before suffering a serious knee injury the next game, on 11 October 2003, tearing his right ACL. After knee surgery, Michálek played in the American Hockey League (AHL) before injuring his knee again on 22 January. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Michálek did not play anywhere, spending the time rehabilitating his knee.

Michálek played his first full season with the Sharks in 2005–06, scoring 17 goals and 35 points and earning the San Jose Sharks' PlayStation Rookie of the Year award. In the 2006–07 season, Michálek emerged as a speedy, multidimensional player and an offensive threat, scoring 26 goals and 66 points. During the following offseason, Michálek signed a six-year, $26 million contract extension through 2014 while still having one year left on his original rookie contract. It was the longest and most lucrative contract ever signed by a Sharks player. In 2007–08, Michálek played primarily on the Sharks' top line with Joe Thornton. Michálek's production dipped to 24 goals and 55 points, but due to the Sharks' overall offensive struggles, he was still second on the team to Thornton in goals and points.

On 12 September 2009, Michálek was traded by the Sharks along with Jonathan Cheechoo and a second round pick in 2010 to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Dany Heatley and a fifth round draft pick in 2010.[1]

With the Senators, Michálek scored his first career NHL hat-trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning on 15 October 2009; two shorthanded and one on the powerplay. On 1 December, he scored two goals against his former team in a 5–2 loss in San Jose.[2]

Michálek suffered a concussion after colliding with teammate Erik Karlsson on 13 December 2011, causing him to miss five games.[3] At the time of the injury, he was leading the NHL in goals with 19.[4] He was later selected in fan balloting as a starter in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game and finished the season with a career high 35 goals.

Whilst injured during the 2015–16 season, Michálek was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs on 9 February 2016, in a blockbuster nine-player trade focusing around Dion Phaneuf heading to Ottawa.[5]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
World Championships
2011 Bratislava
2012 Helsinki
World U18 Championships
2002 Slovakia

Michálek played on the 2010 Czech Republic Olympic hockey team along with his brother. He played in five games and scored two goals in those Olympics. The two brothers also played for the Czech team which finished sixth in the 2014 Olympics.

Career statistics

Michálek battles for position with Willie Mitchell.

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 HC České Budějovice ELH 5 0 0 0 0
2001–02 HC České Budějovice ELH 47 6 11 17 12
2002–03 HC České Budějovice ELH 46 3 5 8 14 4 1 0 1 2
2003–04 San Jose Sharks NHL 2 1 0 1 4
2003–04 Cleveland Barons AHL 7 2 2 4 4
2005–06 San Jose Sharks NHL 81 17 18 35 45 9 1 4 5 8
2006–07 San Jose Sharks NHL 78 26 40 66 36 11 4 2 6 4
2007–08 San Jose Sharks NHL 79 24 31 55 47 13 4 0 4 4
2008–09 San Jose Sharks NHL 77 23 34 57 52 6 1 0 1 2
2009–10Ottawa SenatorsNHL 6622123418 10000
2010–11Ottawa SenatorsNHL 6618153349
2011–12Ottawa SenatorsNHL 7735256032 71124
2012–13HC České BudějoviceELH 2113112426
2012–13Ottawa SenatorsNHL 234101417 103252
2013–14Ottawa SenatorsNHL 8217223941
2014–15Ottawa SenatorsNHL 6613213433 61014
2015–16Ottawa SenatorsNHL 32641012
2015–16Toronto Maple LeafsNHL 131566
2016–17 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5 1 1 2 2
2016–17Toronto MarliesAHL 1623520
NHL totals 747208238446394 631592428

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2000 Czech Republic U17 5th 5 3 3 6 0
2001 Czech Republic WJC18 4th 7 1 1 2 6
2002 Czech Republic WJC18 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 8 7 1 8 30
2003 Czech Republic WJC 6th 6 2 2 4 2
2003 Czech Republic WC 4th 1 0 0 0 0
2009 Czech Republic WC 6th 3 1 0 1 4
2010 Czech Republic OG 7th 5 2 0 2 0
2011 Czech Republic WC 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 8 4 2 6 6
2012 Czech Republic WC 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 9 2 2 4 4
2014 Czech Republic OG 6th 5 0 0 0 0
2016 Czech Republic WCH 6th 3 2 1 3 2
Junior totals 26 13 7 20 38
Senior totals 34 11 5 16 16

See also

References

  1. "Heatley shipped to Sharks". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  2. "Michalek nets three as Senators rout Lightning 7-1". Ottawa Citizen. 14 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  3. "Michalek will return to Senators' Lineup on tuesday against Habs". The Sports Network. 2011-12-18. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
  4. "Sens' Michalek looks to regain scoring touch". Toronto Sun. 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  5. "Dion Phaneuf traded to Senators in 9-player deal". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Mike Morris
San Jose Sharks first round draft pick
2003
Succeeded by
Steve Bernier
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