Canadian defenseman Mark Pysyk, 33, has signed a one-year contract
with Sparta Prague, the Czech Extraliga club announced on Thursday.
The former NHLer is coming off a season where he helped SaiPa to the
Finnish Liiga finals.
“Last season was my first in Europe and I didn’t know what to
expect, but the SaiPa fans were
incredible,” said Pysyk. “I know Sparta
has a huge arena and a huge and loyal fan base, so I can’t wait to
get there and feel the energy, especially
when the playoffs come.”
“He is an experienced
defenseman with excellent skating and passing,”
said
Sparta
director of hockey operations Tomáš Divíšek.
“If
not for an
unfortunate injury,
he
might
still be a
stable
NHL defenseman.”
Originally
from Sherwood Park, Alta., Pysyk played junior hockey for the
hometown Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL and was chosen in the first round, 23rd
overall, by the Buffalo Sabres
in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
From
2012 to 2022, Pysyk played 521 NHL regular-season games for the
Sabres, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars, recording 104 points and
152 penalty minutes. He also played four playoff games for Florida in
the 2020 Eastern Conference playoff bubble in Toronto.
Former Sabres First-Rounder Signs in FinlandCanadian defenseman Mark Pysyk, 32, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season with SaiPa Lappeenranta, the Finnish Liiga club announced on Thursday.
In
the summer of 2022, Pysyk signed with the Detroit
Red Wings. However, a short time later, he underwent surgery to
repair a torn Achilles’ tendon and missed the season.
Pysyk
spent the 2023-24 season in the AHL
with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Penguins and Calgary Wranglers,
recording four assists in 43 regular-season and playoff games
combined. In
September 2024, he
attended the training camp of
the Anaheim Ducks on a PTO.
In
November 2024, Pysyk
signed to play the remainder of the season with SaiPa in the Finnish
Liiga. He recorded 17 points in 56 regular-season and playoff
games as SaiPa reached the finals.
Last
season, Sparta
finished first in the Extraliga regular season but was eliminated
in the semifinals by eventual
champion Kometa Brno. In addition to Pysyk, the team has under
contract for 2025-26 numerous ex-NHLers, including captain Vladimír
Sobotka, Michal Kempný, Miikka
Salomäki, Filip
Chlapík
and
goaltender Josef Kořenář, whose NHL rights are retained by the
Utah Mammoth.
There Will Be A New Czech Champion – Třinec’s 5-Year Reign Ended By Sparta
After
five long years, Oceláři Třinec’s reign as Extraliga champion is
over, following the team’s quarterfinal defeat at the hands of
Sparta Prague before a sellout crowd of 17,220 at O2 Arena on Monday.
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