Czech defenseman Jakub Zbořil, 28, has signed a one-year contract
with HC Vítkovice Ridera, the Czech Extraliga
club recently announced.
The
signing came just 10 months after Zbořil
signed
a five-year contract with rival Extraliga club
Dynamo Pardubice last October. However,
Zbořil and Pardubice mutually agreed to terminate the
contract after just one season, in which Zbořil
recorded 19 points in 46 regular-season and
playoff games.
“Jakub
is a modern defenseman with excellent skating, an
excellent overview
of the game and toughness in 1-on-1
battles,” said
Vítkovice
coach and
former NHL player Václav
Varaďa.
“He has experience from the NHL, AHL and the
national team, which will be useful in our young squad.”
Describing
Zbořil as a player, Varaďa
said,
“He
can handle difficult moments of the game. I believe that he
will
help the team on and off the ice and he will quickly win the hearts
of our fans.”
Zbořil was born in Brno, Czechia and grew up in the ranks of
Kometa Brno, where he played youth and
junior hockey before going overseas at age 17 to play for the QMJHL’s
Saint John Sea Dogs.
He was chosen in the first round, 13th overall, by the Boston
Bruins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. From 2017 until March of
2024, he played in the Bruins organization,
splitting time between Boston and the club’s AHL
farm team in Providence. In 76 NHL games, Zbořil scored one goal and
added 15 assists and 28 penalty minutes.
Jakub Lauko Returns Home To Czechia On Multi-Year DealCzech
forward Jakub Lauko, 25, has signed a three-year contract with Dynamo
Pardubice, the Czech Extraliga club announced on Friday.
At the 2023-24 trading deadline, Zbořil was
dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets
but finished the season in the minors.
Prior to last season, Zbořil’s only
career Extraliga games occurred during the 2020-21 season, where he
suited up with Kometa for 18 games before the start of the
pandemic-delayed NHL training camp.
Internationally, Zbořil represented Czechia at two
IIHF U-18 World Championships, two World Junior
Championships and the 2023 World Championship.
In
2024-25,
Vítkovice finished 12th out of 14 Extraliga teams. In 2025-26,the
team has under contract
Slovak
national team regulars Marek Hrivík
and Samuel Kňažko,
Ralfs
Friebergs of the Latvian national team,
Krzysztof
Maciaś of the Polish national
team,
French national team defenseman and former NHLer
Yohann Auvitu and 21-year-old Edmonton
Oilers prospect
Petr Hauser.
David Pastrňák
spends
his summers in Europe – he, his
Swedish wife and their daughter split their time between Sweden
and his home country in Czechia.
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