Michel Sersen is a Slovak

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 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...

 defenceman

Defenceman (ice hockey)

Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...

 who currently plays HC Slovan Bratislava

HC Slovan Bratislava

Hockey Club Slovan Bratislava is a professional ice hockey team in the Slovak Extraliga from the Slovak capital Bratislava. They play their home games at Samsung Arena....

 of the Slovak Extraliga

Slovak Extraliga

Slovak Extraliga is the name of the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the fifth strongest league in Europe. The name of the league is leased to sponsor and changes frequently. From 1993/94 to 1997/98 season it was called Extraliga, then the name...

. Sersen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

 130 overall in the 5th round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft

2004 NHL Entry Draft

The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout which canceled all the games scheduled for the 2004–05 NHL season.- Selections by round :Listed...

.

Sersen began his professional career with Bratislava at age 17 in 2002. During the 2002–03 season he had five goals and four assists in 33 games with the junior team before being promoted to the top-level Extraliga team. At the end of the season he entered the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...

 Import Draft and was selected first overall by the Rimouski Océanic

Rimouski Océanic

The Rimouski Océanic are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League . The franchise was granted for the 1969–70 season...

, where he was teammates with the Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League...

, the Penguins' first selection in 2005

2005 NHL Entry Draft

The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft.As a lockout cancelled the games of the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on July 22, 2005. Teams were assigned 1 to 3 balls based on their playoff appearances and first overall draft picks from the past three years...

. In his first season he scored 25 points in 45 games and 6 points in 9 playoff games. He played the 2005–06 season for the Quebec Remparts

Québec Remparts

There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The first franchise played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has played since 1997. Both franchises were based out of Quebec City, Quebec...

, scoring 79 points in 63 games, and 21 points in 23 playoff games. That season he was on the Memorial Cup

Memorial Cup

The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...

 All-Star team, second-team QMJHL for the regular season and the 2005–06 QMJHL Plus-Minus champion. After failing to earn a spot on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza...

 roster in 2006, Sersen returned to Slovakia to again play for Bratislava. Pittsburgh traded the rights to Sersen to the Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...

 in October 2008.

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