Ján Lašák
Encyclopedia
Ján Lašák is a Slovak
professional ice hockey
goaltender
currently playing for Jokerit
of the SM-Liiga
. Lašák was drafted by the Nashville Predators
of the National Hockey League
(NHL) in the 2nd round (65th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft
and spent the following four seasons in North America before returning to Europe in 2003.
of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He had a stellar debut, posting a 36-17-4 record, and was named ECHL Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year, as well as to the All-Rookie and First All-Star teams. He spent the majority of the following three seasons with Nashville's top minor league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals
of the American Hockey League
. He posted a 53-49-12 record with Milwaukee, earning some limited action with the Predators. However, he was unable to earn a permanent spot with the Predators, appearing in only 6 games for the team, and posting an 0-4 record.
Due to his inability to stick with the Predators, Lašák decided to return to Europe and spent the 2003-04 season with SKA St. Petersburg of the Russian Super League. The following year Lašák moved to the Czech Republic
to play with HC Pardubice
of the Czech Extraliga
, the team with which he would spend the next five seasons. He enjoyed much success with Pardubice, posting a 116-85-5 record and leading them to the league championship in 2004-05.
Following his successful stint in the Czech Extraliga, Lašák spent the 2009-10 season with Atlant Mytishchi of the Kontinental Hockey League
. He posted an 11-6-4 record as the team bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. He also spent part of the season on loan to HC Košice
of the Slovak Extraliga
, appearing in 17 games for the club.
Lašák signed a one-year contract with Jokerit
of the Finnish SM-liiga
for the 2010-11 season. He posted a 14-11 record along with a .923 save percentage during the regular season, and despite his efforts including a .940 save percentage and 1.94 goals against average, Jokerit lost its quarterfinal series to HIFK
.
, and one World Cup of Hockey
for Slovakia. He backstopped Slovakia to its first and to date only gold medal at the 2002 IIHF World Championship
in Sweden
, while also helping his country capture silver at the 2000 IIHF World Championship
and bronze at the 2003 IIHF World Championship
.
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
professional ice hockey
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...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
currently playing for Jokerit
Jokerit
Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships...
of the SM-Liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
. Lašák was drafted by the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
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...
(NHL) in the 2nd round (65th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft
1999 NHL Entry Draft
The 1999 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. According to Sports Illustrated and other sports news agencies, at the time the 1999 draft was considered one of the deepest in talent in years, headed by Patrik Stefan and the Sedin twins. However, the...
and spent the following four seasons in North America before returning to Europe in 2003.
Playing career
After Lašák was drafted by the Predators, he moved to North America and spent his first professional season with the Hampton Roads AdmiralsHampton Roads Admirals
The Hampton Roads Admirals were an American professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They played in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope Arena....
of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He had a stellar debut, posting a 36-17-4 record, and was named ECHL Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year, as well as to the All-Rookie and First All-Star teams. He spent the majority of the following three seasons with Nashville's top minor league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals
Milwaukee Admirals
The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:...
of 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...
. He posted a 53-49-12 record with Milwaukee, earning some limited action with the Predators. However, he was unable to earn a permanent spot with the Predators, appearing in only 6 games for the team, and posting an 0-4 record.
Due to his inability to stick with the Predators, Lašák decided to return to Europe and spent the 2003-04 season with SKA St. Petersburg of the Russian Super League. The following year Lašák moved to 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....
to play with HC Pardubice
HC Pardubice
HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice is a professional ice hockey club that plays in the Czech Extraliga. It is located in Pardubice, home venue is ČEZ Arena. The club previously was named HC Eaton Pardubice, but since the 2011–12 season the club is named HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice.-History:Ice hockey is...
of 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....
, the team with which he would spend the next five seasons. He enjoyed much success with Pardubice, posting a 116-85-5 record and leading them to the league championship in 2004-05.
Following his successful stint in the Czech Extraliga, Lašák spent the 2009-10 season with Atlant Mytishchi of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
. He posted an 11-6-4 record as the team bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. He also spent part of the season on loan to HC Košice
HC Košice
Hockey Club Košice is a professional ice hockey team playing in the Slovak Extraliga and is one of the most successful hockey teams in Slovakia and the former Czechoslovakia.-Honours:* Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League* 1985–86, 1987–88...
of the Slovak Extraliga
Slovak Extraliga
Slovak Extraliga is the name of the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the fifth strongest league in Europe. The name of the league is leased to sponsor and changes frequently. From 1993/94 to 1997/98 season it was called Extraliga, then the name...
, appearing in 17 games for the club.
Lašák signed a one-year contract with Jokerit
Jokerit
Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships...
of the Finnish SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
for the 2010-11 season. He posted a 14-11 record along with a .923 save percentage during the regular season, and despite his efforts including a .940 save percentage and 1.94 goals against average, Jokerit lost its quarterfinal series to HIFK
HIFK (ice hockey)
HIFK is an ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. It was founded in 1897...
.
International play
Lašák has been a longtime mainstay of the Slovak national team. He has appeared in nine IIHF World Championships, two Winter Olympic GamesWinter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
, and one World Cup of Hockey
World Cup of Hockey
The World Cup of Hockey is an international ice hockey tournament. Inaugurated in 1996, it is the successor to the previous Canada Cup, which ran from 1976 to 1991...
for Slovakia. He backstopped Slovakia to its first and to date only gold medal at the 2002 IIHF World Championship
2002 IIHF World Championship
The 2002 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held between April 26 and May 11, 2002 in Gothenburg, Karlstad and Jönköping, Sweden.It was the 66th annual event, and was run by the International Ice Hockey Federation .-Qualification Tournament:...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, while also helping his country capture silver at the 2000 IIHF World Championship
2000 IIHF World Championship
-Group 2 :Played in Amiens-Playoff :Played in Eindhoven-Far East :Played September 3-5, 1999 in Aomori.-First round:Like the previous two years, sixteen nations played in four groups of four...
and bronze at the 2003 IIHF World Championship
2003 IIHF World Championship
The 2003 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held between April 26 and May 11, 2003 in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku, Finland.It was the 67th annual event, and was run by the International Ice Hockey Federation .-Qualification Tournament:...
.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA Goals against average Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender.... |
SV% Save percentage Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops... |
GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1998-99 | Zvolen HKm Zvolen HKm Zvolen is a professional ice hockey team in the Slovak Extraliga. They play their home games at Zvolen Zimny Arena.-External Links:*... |
SVK Slovak Extraliga Slovak Extraliga is the name of the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the fifth strongest league in Europe. The name of the league is leased to sponsor and changes frequently. From 1993/94 to 1997/98 season it was called Extraliga, then the name... |
8 | — | — | — | 387 | 29 | 0 | 4.50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999-00 1999–2000 ECHL season The 1999-2000 ECHL season was the 12th season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, the Miami Matadors and Columbus Chill suspended operations, the Chesapeake Icebreakers, who originally suspended operations, moved to Jackson, MS... |
Hampton Roads Admirals Hampton Roads Admirals The Hampton Roads Admirals were an American professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They played in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope Arena.... |
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
59 | 36 | 17 | 4 | 3409 | 145 | 0 | 2.55 | .917 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 610 | 28 | 1 | 2.75 | .918 | ||
| 2000–01 | Milwaukee Admirals Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:... |
IHL | 43 | 23 | 17 | 2 | 2439 | 106 | 1 | 2.61 | .913 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 4.97 | .844 | ||
| 2001-02 2001–02 AHL season The 2001–02 AHL season was the 66th season of the American Hockey League. It was the season of the biggest growth in the AHL's history, as it accepted eight new teams. The demise of the International Hockey League brought six teams transferring from the defunct league, in addition to two expansion... |
Milwaukee Admirals | AHL 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... |
34 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 1981 | 79 | 2 | 2.39 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001-02 | Nashville Predators Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL 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... |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 177 | 13 | 0 | 4.41 | .875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 2002–03 AHL season The 2002–03 AHL season was the 67th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs finished first overall in the regular season... |
Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 40 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 2378 | 113 | 1 | 2.85 | .901 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 366 | 19 | 0 | 3.12 | .878 | ||
| 2002–03 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 5 | 0 | 3.33 | .872 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003-04 | SKA St. Petersburg | RSL | 34 | — | — | — | 2000 | 80 | 0 | 2.40 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004-05 | HC Pardubice HC Pardubice HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice is a professional ice hockey club that plays in the Czech Extraliga. It is located in Pardubice, home venue is ČEZ Arena. The club previously was named HC Eaton Pardubice, but since the 2011–12 season the club is named HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice.-History:Ice hockey is... |
CZE 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.... |
46 | 31 | 14 | 1 | 2769 | 108 | 4 | 2.34 | .930 | 16 | — | — | 977 | 29 | 3 | 1.78 | .950 | ||
| 2005–06 | HC Pardubice | CZE | 33 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 1936 | 82 | 3 | 2.54 | .927 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006-07 | HC Pardubice | CZE | 45 | 25 | 20 | 0 | 2625 | 113 | 6 | 2.58 | .930 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1067 | 39 | 3 | 2.19 | .932 | ||
| 2007-08 | HC Pardubice | CZE | 45 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 2617 | 118 | 4 | 2.71 | .925 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008-09 | HC Pardubice | CZE | 37 | 22 | 15 | 0 | 2165 | 99 | 1 | 2.74 | .919 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 455 | 15 | 1 | 1.98 | .931 | ||
| 2009-10 | Atlant Mytishchi | KHL Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe.... |
21 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1249 | 52 | 2 | 2.50 | .908 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 238 | 10 | 0 | 2.52 | .921 | ||
| 2009-10 2009–10 Slovak Extraliga The 2009–10 Slovak Extraliga season is the 17th season of the Slovak Extraliga since its creation after the breakup of Czechoslovakia and the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League in 1993... |
HC Košice HC Košice Hockey Club Košice is a professional ice hockey team playing in the Slovak Extraliga and is one of the most successful hockey teams in Slovakia and the former Czechoslovakia.-Honours:* Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League* 1985–86, 1987–88... |
SVK | 17 | — | — | — | 977 | 47 | 1 | 2.89 | .901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010-11 | Jokerit Jokerit Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships... |
SM-I SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
33 | 14 | 11 | — | 1987 | 72 | 2 | 2.17 | .923 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 432 | 14 | 1 | 1.94 | .940 | ||
| NHL totals | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 267 | 18 | 0 | 4.04 | .874 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AHL totals | 74 | 30 | 32 | 10 | 4359 | 192 | 3 | 2.64 | .908 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 366 | 19 | 0 | 3.11 | .878 | ||||
| CZE totals | 212 | 116 | 85 | 5 | 12470 | 538 | 18 | 2.59 | .924 | 41 | — | — | 2499 | 83 | 7 | 1.99 | .939 | ||||