Martin Prusek
Encyclopedia
Martin Prusek is a Czech
a former professional ice hockey
goaltender
and currently ice-hockey goaltender coach. Prusek has played in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Ottawa Senators
and Columbus Blue Jackets
. Prusek currently is a coach in Czech Extraliga
's HC Vítkovice Steel.
of the Czech Extraliga. After playing there for five seasons, Prusek was drafted by the Ottawa Senators
in the sixth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft
with the 164th overall pick. He made his North American debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins
of the American Hockey League
during the 2001–02 season
. He also made his National Hockey League
debut that same season, appearing in one game with the Senators.
Prusek appeared in 47 games with the Senators over the following two seasons. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he returned to the Czech Republic
to play for Vitkovice and HC JME Znojemští Orli
. He came back to North America for the 2005–06 season, joining the Columbus Blue Jackets
. After spending most of the 2005–06 season
with the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch
, Prusek left North America and joined SKA Saint Petersburg
in the Russian Super League. During 2007–08, he rejoined HC Vitkovice in the Czech Extraliga. In 2008-09 Prusek played in Kontinental Hockey League
and after a brief contract with HC Spartak Moscow
, he joined Dinamo Riga for 2 seasons. After the 2009-10 season, Prusek once again rejoined HC Vítkovice Steel. Although he was suffered with carditis and played just in 2 Extraliga games during all the 2010-11 season, he reached a silver medal.
In summer 2011 he stepped into HC Vítkovice Steel pre-season players' camp, but on July, 26 he announced his retirement decision and also he accepted the club's offer for the position of goaltender coach.
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
a former professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
and currently ice-hockey goaltender coach. Prusek has played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) for the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Prusek currently is a coach in Czech Extraliga
Czech Extraliga
The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....
's HC Vítkovice Steel.
Playing career
Martin Prusek started his professional ice hockey career in 1994 when he joined HC VitkoviceHC Vítkovice
HC Vítkovice Steel is an ice hockey club based in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, competing in the Czech Extraliga. It plays in the newly reconstructed ČEZ Aréna ....
of the Czech Extraliga. After playing there for five seasons, Prusek was drafted by the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the sixth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft
1999 NHL Entry Draft
The 1999 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. According to Sports Illustrated and other sports news agencies, at the time the 1999 draft was considered one of the deepest in talent in years, headed by Patrik Stefan and the Sedin twins. However, the...
with the 164th overall pick. He made his North American debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League....
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
during the 2001–02 season
2001–02 AHL season
The 2001–02 AHL season was the 66th season of the American Hockey League. It was the season of the biggest growth in the AHL's history, as it accepted eight new teams. The demise of the International Hockey League brought six teams transferring from the defunct league, in addition to two expansion...
. He also made his National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
debut that same season, appearing in one game with the Senators.
Prusek appeared in 47 games with the Senators over the following two seasons. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he returned to the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
to play for Vitkovice and HC JME Znojemští Orli
HC JME Znojemští Orli
Orli Znojmo is a Czech-based ice hockey team that currently plays in the Austrian Hockey League. The club is based in Znojmo and their home arena is Hostan Arena....
. He came back to North America for the 2005–06 season, joining the Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. After spending most of the 2005–06 season
2005–06 AHL season
The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals....
with the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch
Syracuse Crunch
The Syracuse Crunch are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Syracuse, New York, at the War Memorial at Oncenter...
, Prusek left North America and joined SKA Saint Petersburg
SKA Saint Petersburg
SKA Saint Petersburg is a Russian professional ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. SKA is an abbreviation for "Sports Club of the Army"...
in the Russian Super League. During 2007–08, he rejoined HC Vitkovice in the Czech Extraliga. In 2008-09 Prusek played in Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
and after a brief contract with HC Spartak Moscow
HC Spartak Moscow
HC Spartak is a professional ice hockey team based in Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League .-History:One of the sections of the Spartak Moscow sports club, HC Spartak Moscow was established in 1946...
, he joined Dinamo Riga for 2 seasons. After the 2009-10 season, Prusek once again rejoined HC Vítkovice Steel. Although he was suffered with carditis and played just in 2 Extraliga games during all the 2010-11 season, he reached a silver medal.
In summer 2011 he stepped into HC Vítkovice Steel pre-season players' camp, but on July, 26 he announced his retirement decision and also he accepted the club's offer for the position of goaltender coach.
Awards
- Hap Holmes Memorial AwardHap Holmes Memorial AwardThe Hap Holmes Memorial Award is an ice hockey trophy awarded annually to the goaltenders of the American Hockey League team with the lowest goals against average, and who have appeared in at least 25 regular season games....
(lowest GAAGoals against averageGoals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....
in AHLAmerican Hockey LeagueThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
): 2001–02 season (with Mathieu ChouinardMathieu ChouinardMathieu Chouinard is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender who was drafted by the NHL's Ottawa Senators on two separate occasions...
and Simon LajeunesseSimon LajeunesseSimon Lajeunesse is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in one National Hockey League game for the Ottawa Senators during the 2001–02 NHL season.-Playing career:...
)
International achievements
Martin Prusek's first international team game was the game against Russia on December, 17th, 1995 in Moscow.| Year | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Ice Hockey World Championships Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European... |
WC 1997 1997 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships - Group 2 :- Second Round 1-6 Place :Teams that had played each other in the first round carried those results forward. First and second place played off for gold, third and fourth for bronze.- Consolation Round 7-12 Place :... WC 1998 1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -World Championship Group C :Played March 22-28 in Budapest, Székesfehérvár and Dunaújváros.- Group 1 :- Group 2 :- Final Round 25-28 Place :Hungary was promoted to Group B.- Consolation Round 29-32 Place :... WC 1999 1999 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -World Championship Group C:Played at Eindhoven and Tilburg, Netherlands April 5–11. Yugoslavia was supposed to particpate in this tournament, but was prevented by the host Dutch government.-Group 1:-Group 2:-Final Round 25-28 Place:... WC 2009 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 73rd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 46 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for the 2010 competition... 6th place |
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