Goran Bezina

Goran Bezina (born 21 March 1980 in Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing with HC Sierre of the Swiss League (SL). He previously played for Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL), the Arizona Coyotes in the National Hockey League (NHL), Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and HC Fribourg-Gottéron.

Goran Bezina
Born (1980-03-21) 21 March 1980
Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
SL team
Former teams		 HC Sierre
HC Fribourg-Gottéron
Phoenix Coyotes
Medveščak Zagreb
Genève-Servette HC
National team   Switzerland
NHL Draft 234th overall, 1999
Phoenix Coyotes
Playing career 1997–present

Playing career

As a youth, Bezina played in the 1994 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from Switzerland.[1]

A product of Monthey-Chablais HC, Bezina made his debut in the Swiss top-flight National League A (NLA) for HC Fribourg-Gottéron during the 1998-99 season and was drafted 234th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. From 2001 to 2004, he played within the Phoenix Coyotes organization with three NHL appearances for the Coyotes and 204 contests for their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.[2]

Bezina spent most of his professional career with Genève-Servette HC of the National League A (NLA) and left the club after twelve years (ten of those as a captain) upon the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. In the course of his Genève-Servette stint, Bezina appeared in 639 NLA contests, scoring 384 points.[3] In June 2016, he put pen to paper on a contract with Medvescak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL),[4] but returned to Genève-Servette on January 31, 2017.[5] He eventually played 10 games with the team this year, tallying 3 assists. At the end of the season, Bezina was not offered a contract extension, making him a free agent.

On September 1, 2017, a few days before the start of the 2017–18 season, Bezina unexpectedly returned to Geneva on a 1-year deal worth CHF 750,000. He agreed to reduce his salary to play his 14th season with the Grenats.[6] On April 17, 2018, Bezina agreed to a one-year contract extension with Geneva worth CHF 700,000.

On August 2, 2019, Bezina joined freshly promoted HC Sierre of the Swiss League (SL) on a one-year deal. On May 5, 2020, Bezina agreed to a one-year contract extension to remain with HC Sierre through the 2020/21 season.[7]

International play

Representing the Swiss national team, Bezina played at the 2006 Olympic Games and eleven World Championships.

References
  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  2. "Goran Bezina | LNH.com - Joueurs". www.nhl.com. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  3. "Actualité - Goran Bezina évoluera bel et bien en KHL | Planète Hockey". Planète Hockey. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  4. "Finally in Croatia - Bezina signs with Medvescak". www.medvescak.com. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  5. Club, www.gshc.ch, GSHC - Site officiel du Genève-Servette Hockey. "Goran Bezina de retour aux Vernets - Genève-Servette Hockey Club". www.gshc.ch (in French). Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  6. "Goran Bezina has agreed to terms with Genève-Servette HC". www.swisshockeynews.ch. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  7. "Goran Bezina jouera un an de plus avec Sierre". www.planetehockey.com. Retrieved 5 May 2020.


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