Jaroslav Svejkovský

Jaroslav Svejkovský
Born (1976-10-01) October 1, 1976 (age 48)
Plzeň, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Right
Played for Washington Capitals
Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL draft 17th overall, 1996
Washington Capitals
Playing career 1996–2000

Jaroslav "Yogi" Svejkovský (born October 1, 1976) is a Czech ice hockey coach and former professional left wing. He currently serves as an assistant coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He was drafted in the first round, 17th overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, and played for them and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Career

As a player

Drafted from the Western Hockey League's Tri-City Americans, Svejkovský made his professional debut with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League in the 1996–97 season. He played a key part in the Pirates' offence; his 38 goals and 66 points earned him the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the league's best rookie.[1] He made his NHL debut during the same season with the Capitals, appearing in 19 games and scoring seven goals. In the Capitals' last game of the 1996–97 season, Svejkovský scored four goals, as Washington beat the Buffalo Sabres 8–3.[2] He remains the only Capitals rookie to date to score four goals in one game.[3]

Svejkovský's subsequent playing years were plagued by injuries and inconsistent play. He played only 42 games over the next two seasons, missing significant time due to ankle injuries and a concussion. By mid-January 2000, Svejkovský had played only 23 of the Capitals' 37 games that season, missing seven games with a shoulder injury.[1] He had served as a healthy scratch for seven of the Capitals' last eight games when, on January 17, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a seventh-round draft pick in the 2000 NHL entry draft and a third-round pick in the 2001 draft. Up to that point, Svejkovský had not registered a goal since the Capitals' first game of the season.[4]

Svejkovský finished the season with the Lightning, then was assigned to begin the 2000–01 season in the International Hockey League with the Detroit Vipers. He sustained a concussion during his second game for the Vipers, subsequently retiring from the sport without taking part in any more games.[5] In a 2002 USA Today story, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Jay Feaster said that Svejkovský was out of hockey due to post-concussion syndrome.[6] In his NHL career, Svejkovský appeared in 113 games, scoring 23 goals and adding 19 assists.

As a coach

In 2024, Svejkovský was named an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks.[7] He is also Director of Hockey Operations with the Seafair Minor Hockey Association,[8] and Program Director of the BC Bears[9] AAA spring hockey association.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94 HC Škoda Plzeň ELH 7 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1994–95 HC Interconnex Plzeň CZE U20 25 18 19 37 30 — — — — —
1994–95 HC Tábor CZE-2 11 6 7 13 — — — — — —
1995–96 Tri-City Americans WHL 70 58 43 101 118 11 10 9 19 8
1996–97 Portland Pirates AHL 54 38 28 66 56 5 2 0 2 6
1996–97 Washington Capitals NHL 19 7 3 10 4 — — — — —
1997–98 Portland Pirates AHL 16 12 7 19 16 7 1 2 3 2
1997–98 Washington Capitals NHL 17 4 1 5 10 1 0 0 0 2
1998–99 Washington Capitals NHL 25 6 8 14 12 — — — — —
1999–00 Washington Capitals NHL 23 1 2 3 2 — — — — —
1999–00 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 29 5 5 10 28 — — — — —
2000–01 Detroit Vipers IHL 2 2 2 4 2 — — — — —
NHL totals 113 23 19 42 56 1 0 0 0 2

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b La Canfora, Jason (January 17, 2000). "Capitals notebook: Svejkovsky is traded for draft picks". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "Capitals 8, Sabres 3". Associated Press. April 13, 1997. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  3. ^ Booth, Mark (October 6, 2011). "Seafair Minor Hockey tackles concussions head on". Richmond News. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Jones, Tom (January 18, 2000). "Addition of "Yogi' bolsters front line". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Fennell, Don (October 24, 2011). "'New life' after NHL career cut short". Richmond Review. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  6. ^ "USATODAY.com". Cgil.usatoday.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. ^ "Canucks say Sedins to be more involved with coaching; promote Svejkovsky". TSN. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Seafair Minor Hockey Association (Design, Hosting, Registration & Administration tools by esportsdesk.com)". Seafairhockey.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  9. ^ "BC Bears Hockey (Design, Hosting, Registration & Administration tools by esportsdesk.com)". Bcbearshockey.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
Preceded by Washington Capitals first round draft pick
1996 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award
1996–97 		Succeeded by