Czech
goaltender Aleš Stezka, 28, has signed a
three-year contract with Kometa Brno, the Czech Extraliga club
announced on Wednesday.
Stezka had played the last two seasons in North
America in the Seattle
Kraken organization.
“After the end of the season, my agents and family
started discussing what to do next,” said Stezka. “Mr. Zábranský
approached me and asked if I would be interested in signing a
contract with Kometa. The negotiations were very pleasant, positive,
and I have to say that the agreement was great, fast, and fair. I
liked the vision for the future. We had talked about it some time
ago, but I decided to stay overseas. I am very happy that Mr.
Zábranský contacted me again and that I can become part of a club
with a great tradition and great fans.”
Originally from Plzeň in Western
Bohemia, Stezka played youth hockey in Tremosna and Liberec before
playing two years of junior hockey in the USHL
with the Sioux Falls Stampede and Chicago Steel. He was drafted by
the Minnesota Wild in the
fourth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
After playing six pro seasons back home in Czechia,
which included 112 Extraliga games for Bílí
Tygři Liberec, Piráti Chomutov and HC Vítkovice.
Former NHL Goalie Chris Driedger Signs In KHL
Canadian
goaltender Chris Driedger, 31,
has signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk, the KHL club
announced on Tuesday.
Over the past two seasons, he played one NHL game for
the Kraken on Feb. 24, stopping 20 of 23 shots in
a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He spent the rest of the time
playing in the AHL for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
He’s coming to a Kometa team that is the
reigning Extraliga champion, and has under contract for 2025-26
former teammate Peter Mueller and also
25-year-old defenseman Filip Král, who played two games for
the Toronto
Maple Leafs in
2023-24 and whose NHL rights are currently retained by the Pittsburgh
Penguins.
“It’s
clear to me that I’m going to a club that has the highest
ambitions, is followed by the media and the pressure is huge from all
sides,”
said
Stezka.
“But
I’m ready for it. I’ll try to do my best for Kometa. We want to
play good hockey, to get results and entertain our fans.”
Photo © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Kometa Brno Returns To Top Of Czech Extraliga
Kometa Brno is once again the champion of the Czech Extraliga,
defeating Dynamo Pardubice 3-0 in the seventh and decisive game of
the finals on Tuesday night in Pardubice. It was the second series in
a row that the team won a seventh game on the road.
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