Roman Vopat is a Czech

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...

 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...

 forward

Forward (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...

 currently playing for HC Litvínov in the 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....

. He is the younger brother of former NHL defenceman, Jan Vopat

Jan Vopat

Jan Vopat is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 126 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators.He is the older brother of former NHL centre, Roman Vopat....

.

Playing career

He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...

 as their seventh-round draft pick, #172 overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft

1994 NHL Entry Draft

The 1994 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Hartford Civic Center on June 28–29, 1994.-Selections by round:Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...

.

Vopat started his playing career in his native Litvínov, before spending a season in the Western Hockey League

Western Hockey League

The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...

 with the Moose Jaw Warriors

Moose Jaw Warriors

The Moose Jaw Warriors are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League which are based out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The team plays its home games at Mosaic Place. The franchise moved to Moose Jaw from Winnipeg after the 1983–84 season, where they had previously been named the...

, joining the Blues' IHL affiliate the Peoria Rivermen

Peoria Rivermen

The Peoria Rivermen are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Peoria, Illinois, USA at the Carver Arena.-History:...

 for their playoff run during the 1994–95 season. He then joined the St. Louis organization the next season but was sent back to Moose Jaw for further development, he later moved to the Prince Albert Raiders

Prince Albert Raiders

The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the Saskatchewan city of Prince Albert...

.

On February 27, 1996, Vopat, along with Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif

Patrice Tardif

Patrice Pamphile Tardif professional ice hockey centre, formerly of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings....

 and two draft picks were traded from the St. Louis Blues to the Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 for Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

. After three seasons in LA, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

 for Eric Lacroix

Eric Lacroix

Eric Lacroix is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Lacroix played eight seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators. Currently, he is the owner and governor of the Arizona Sundogs of...

, but never played a game for the Avalanche as he was then traded to the Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...

 less than a month later. After three games with Chicago he was traded once more to the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 for Mike Maneluk

Mike Maneluk

Mike Maneluk is a Canadian professional ice hockey left wing. He retired from ice hockey in 2009 after several poor seasons and a loss in form that led to him failing to find a team for the 2010 season and he finally left Switzerland and returned to Canada...

.

At the start of the 1999–2000, Vopat was sent to the Flyers' AHL

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...

 affiliate the Philadelphia Phantoms

Philadelphia Phantoms

The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were...

, which marked the end of his NHL career. After just 12 games, he spent the rest of the season with the Essen Mosquitoes

Essen Mosquitoes

The Essen Mosquitoes are a defunct professional ice hockey team that competed in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1999–2000 until the 2001–02 when they lost their license due to insolvency....

 of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. Vopat then played five seasons in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

's SM-liiga

SM-liiga

The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...

, for Pelicans

Pelicans (ice hockey)

Pelicans is an ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga, and formed in 1996. They play in the city of Lahti, Finland at Isku Arena. The team is partially owned by retired NHL goaltender Pasi Nurminen.-Notable players:* Sean Avery* Jason Bonsignore...

, Ilves

Ilves

Ilves is a Finnish sports club nowadays mostly known for their youth work. The ice hockey team plays in the SM-liiga at the Tampereen jäähalli in Hakametsä...

, and HIFK

HIFK (ice hockey)

HIFK is an ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. It was founded in 1897...

. In 2005 he returned to the Czech Republic with HC Sparta Praha

HC Sparta Praha

HC Sparta Praha is a Prague based Czech ice hockey team playing in Czech Extraliga.-Team History:Founded in 1903 by Canadian expatriate Lyle P. O'Connor, HC Sparta Praha was among the first bandy teams to play on a semi-professional level in the Austro-Hungarian Empire...

 but then returned to Finland, this time signing a contract with Jokerit

Jokerit

Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships...

, HIFK's local archrival. In 2006, he moved to Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 and signed with Leksands who play in the country second tier league.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...	Team	League		GP	G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...	A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...	Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...	PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1993–94	Litvinov CPC HC	CZE 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....		7	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Moose Jaw Warriors Moose Jaw Warriors The Moose Jaw Warriors are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League which are based out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The team plays its home games at Mosaic Place. The franchise moved to Moose Jaw from Winnipeg after the 1983–84 season, where they had previously been named the...	WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...		72	23	20	43	141		10	4	1	5	28
1994–95	Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen The Peoria Rivermen are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Peoria, Illinois, USA at the Carver Arena.-History:...	IHL		—	—	—	—	—		6	0	2	2	2
1995–96	Moose Jaw Warriors	WHL		7	0	4	4	34		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Prince Albert Raiders Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the Saskatchewan city of Prince Albert...	WHL		22	15	5	20	81		18	9	8	17	57
1995–96 1995–96 AHL season The 1995–96 AHL season was the 60th season of the American Hockey League. The AHL expands by two teams and realigns into two conferences, and four divisions. The Northern Conference includes the North and Atlantic Divisions...	Worcester IceCats Worcester IceCats The Worcester IceCats were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA at the Worcester Centrum...	AHL 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...		5	2	0	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	St. Louis Blues St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...	NHL		25	2	3	5	48		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Phoenix Roadrunners Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) The Phoenix Roadrunners were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League. The team was housed at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The team played in the IHL from 1989 to 1997. The IHL Roadrunners were named for a World Hockey Association team of the same name...	IHL		50	8	8	16	139		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Los Angeles Kings Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...	NHL		29	4	5	9	60		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98 1997–98 AHL season The 1997–98 AHL season was the 62nd season of the American Hockey League. The AHL shifts teams in their divisions, and the Canadian division reverts to being named Atlantic division. The Northern conference is renamed the Eastern conference, and the Southern conference renamed the Western...	Fredericton Canadiens Fredericton Canadiens The Fredericton Canadiens, or the 'Baby Habs' were a professional ice hockey team in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Canadiens played their home games at the Aitken Centre...	AHL		29	10	10	20	93		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		25	0	3	3	55		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		3	0	0	0	6		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		3	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		48	0	3	3	80		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00 1999–2000 AHL season The 1999–2000 AHL season was the 64th season of the American Hockey League. Nineteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hartford Wolf Pack finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...	Philadelphia Phantoms Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were...	AHL		12	1	0	1	12		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Essen Mosquitoes	DEL		33	7	9	16	153		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Pelicans Pelicans (ice hockey) Pelicans is an ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga, and formed in 1996. They play in the city of Lahti, Finland at Isku Arena. The team is partially owned by retired NHL goaltender Pasi Nurminen.-Notable players:* Sean Avery* Jason Bonsignore...	SM-l SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...		54	15	13	28	121		3	0	0	0	4
2001–02	Ilves	SM-l		30	4	3	7	92		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	HIFK	SM-l		21	8	6	14	85		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	HIFK	SM-l		39	11	12	23	90		4	0	2	2	28
2003–04	HIFK	SM-l		45	10	15	25	118		13	2	0	2	8
2004–05	HIFK	SM-l		39	3	2	5	130		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	HC Sparta Praha	CZE		27	5	6	11	81		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Jokerit Jokerit Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships...	SM-l		23	4	3	7	87		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Leksands IF Leksands IF Leksands Idrottsförening is a Swedish ice hockey team from the town of Leksand in the region of Dalarna. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Leksand has played 53 seasons in the top Swedish league – between 1951 to 2001, 2002 to 2004, and 2005–06...	Swe-2 Allsvenskan (hockey) HockeyAllsvenskan, before the 2005–06 season called Allsvenskan and SuperAllsvenskan, is the name of the second highest-level Swedish ice hockey league...		27	9	8	17	117		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Leksands	Swe-2		36	6	15	21	171		—	—	—	—	—
2008-09	Litvinov CPC HC	CZE		45	6	9	15	177		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				133	6	14	20	253		—	—	—	—	—

External links