Vojtech Polak
Encyclopedia
Vojtěch Polák is an ice hockey
left wing
under contract with the Dallas Stars
of the National Hockey League
. He was born in Ostrov nad Ohří, Czechoslovakia
(now the Czech Republic
). During the 2005–2006 season, he played significant time with the Iowa Stars
, the American Hockey League
affiliate of the Stars.
From the 2000–2001 season to the 2004–2005 season, Polák would spend his time in the Czech Extraliga
. A vast majority of his games played with HC Energie Karlovy Vary
, though he would also play for HC Dukla Jihlava and a single game for HC Sparta Praha
. In the 2003 NHL Entry Draft
, the Stars drafted him in the second round with the 36th overall pick.
In 2005, Polák played his first professional game in North America with the Iowa Stars, scoring what would be his first of 12 goals and 34 points with the team. After an impressive preseason with the Stars in September, he made his NHL debut on October 22 against the Calgary Flames
. He would dress for three games with the Stars during the 2005–2006 season, going scoreless.
Polák represented the Czech Republic at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
.
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...
left wing
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
under contract with the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
of 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...
. He was born in Ostrov nad Ohří, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(now 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....
). During the 2005–2006 season, he played significant time with the Iowa Stars
Iowa Stars
The Iowa Chops were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The club was based in Des Moines, Iowa at the Wells Fargo Arena.-History:...
, 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...
affiliate of the Stars.
From the 2000–2001 season to the 2004–2005 season, Polák would spend his time 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....
. A vast majority of his games played with HC Energie Karlovy Vary
HC Energie Karlovy Vary
HC Energie Karlovy Vary is a professional ice hockey team based in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. They play in the Czech Extraliga.-KHL Expansion:The club planned to create an independent expansion team for the 2009-10 KHL season...
, though he would also play for HC Dukla Jihlava and a single game for 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...
. In the 2003 NHL Entry Draft
2003 NHL Entry Draft
The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21, 2003.Marc-Andre Fleury was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, only the third goalie in NHL history selected as the first overall draft choice...
, the Stars drafted him in the second round with the 36th overall pick.
In 2005, Polák played his first professional game in North America with the Iowa Stars, scoring what would be his first of 12 goals and 34 points with the team. After an impressive preseason with the Stars in September, he made his NHL debut on October 22 against the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
. He would dress for three games with the Stars during the 2005–2006 season, going scoreless.
Polák represented the Czech Republic at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 26, 2003 and January 5, 2004 in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, Finland...
.