This article is the ninth in a series ranking all Penguins throughout history from different countries. Some lists will rank just the top 10, due to the number of players from those countries. Today, we continue by ranking the top Penguins players from the Czech Republic.
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There have been 23 Czech players to suit up for the Penguins in their history — 15 forwards, seven defensemen and one goaltender.
Let’s rank the top 10 Czech Penguins, not necessarily in terms of overall skill, but by their impact on the Penguins during their time in Pittsburgh.
10. MILAN KRAFT
Forward
The Penguins drafted Kraft in the first round of the 1998 draft, and he made his NHL debut in 2000.
Kraft bounced between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for his first three professional seasons. He spent the entire 2003-04 season in Pittsburgh, scoring 19 goals and 21 assists in 66 games. He played a total of 207 NHL games during his time in the organization, scoring 41 goals and 41 assists.
Kraft went to the Czech Republic for the lockout season and never returned to North America. He played nine seasons in the Czech Republic before retiring in 2013.
9. MICHAL ROZSIVAL
Defenseman
The Penguins drafted Rozsival in the fourth round of the 1996 draft, and he made his NHL debut in 1999.
Rozsival spent his entire rookie season in the NHL, scoring four goals and 17 assists in 75 games. He split his sophomore season between Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh, and returned to the NHL full-time in 2002-03. He only played one game in the 2003-04 season, in the AHL, after undergoing knee surgery.
Rozsival played in the Czech Republic during the lockout season, then played with the Rangers, Coyotes, and Blackhawks before retiring in 2017.
8. JIRI HRDINA
Forward
The Penguins acquired the 32-year-old Hrdina from the Flames in Dec. 1990 in exchange for defenseman Jim Kyte, the first legally deaf person to play in the NHL. The veteran was brought in to help rookie Jaromir Jagr adjust to life on and off the ice in North America
Hrdina finished the 1990-91 regular season with six goals and 14 assists 37 games in a fourth-line role. He scored just two goals in 14 playoff games that spring, but they were big ones -- the first and third goals in a 4-0, Game 7 win over the Devils in the Patrick Division semifinals. He appeared in just two Stanley Cup Final games.
Hrdina appeared in just 56 games the following season, scoring three goals and 13 assists. He recorded two assists in 21 playoff games that spring on his way to winning his third career Stanley Cup and second as a Penguin.
Hrdina retired from playing hockey in 1992 and joined the Flames as a European scout, a position he held for seven seasons. He's been a European scout for the Stars since 1999.
7. JIRI SLEGR
Defenseman
The Penguins acquired Slegr from the Oilers in August 1997 in exchange for a third-round pick.
Slegr was a reliable defenseman for three and a half seasons with the Penguins, scoring 24 goals and 62 assists in 252 games. One memorable moment came in the 2000 first-round playoff series against the Capitals, when Slegr scored the late game-winner in Game 3 to take a 3-0 series lead.
The Penguins traded Slegr to the Thrashers the following January in exchange for a third-round pick.
Slegr returned to the Czech Republic in 2006 and played in the Czech league until 2010. He was elected to a lower level of Czech parliament in 2010, and held that position in 2013 when he stepped down to return to hockey. He played parts of two more seasons in the Czech league with HC Litvinov before retiring in 2015. He transitioned into coaching with HC Litvinov in 2015, and is currently the club's head coach.
6. PETR SYKORA
Forward
The Penguins signed Sykora as a free agent in June 2007.
Sykora played alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at different points during his first season in Pittsburgh, scoring 28 goals and 35 assists in 81 games in the regular season. He scored six goals and three assists in 20 games that postseason, including a triple overtime game-winner in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to force Game 6.
Sykora scored 25 goals and 21 assists in 76 games the following season, but was a healthy scratch by the playoffs. He appeared in just seven postseason games, recording one assist. He played just one game of the Stanley Cup Final, Game 6, and missed Game 7 with an injured foot. Still, he won the second Stanley Cup of his career, after previously winning with the Devils in 2000.
Sykora signed with the Wild the following season, but only played 14 games due to injuries. He spent 2010-11 in the Czech league and the KHL, then returned to the NHL to play with the Devils in 2011-12. He played five games in Switzerland in 2012 before retiring.
5. PETR NEDVED
Forward
The Penguins acquired Nedved, along with Sergei Zubov, from the Rangers in August 1995 in exchange for Luc Robitaille and Ulf Samuelsson.
Nedved set career highs in his first season in Pittsburgh, scoring 45 goals and registering 54 assists in 80 games. His shining moment in a Penguins’ uniform came that spring — April 24, 1996.
It was Game 4 of the Penguins’ 1996 Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup with the Capitals, and the Penguins trailed 2-1 in the series. Nedved forced overtime with a third-period power-play goal. After three scoreless overtime periods, Nedved scored the game-winner 17 minutes into the fourth overtime period at 2:22 a.m.
Nedved spent his final 17 months with the Penguins in a contract dispute that caused him to sit out the entire 1997-98 season. He briefly played for the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL before the Penguins traded him, Chris Tamer and Sean Pronger to the New York Rangers for Alexei Kovalev and Harry York.
Nedved scored 78 goals and 92 assists in 154 games as a Penguin.
Nedved retired from professional hockey in 2014, but he came out of retirement for a single game in 2017-18. Nedved, then 46 years old, suited up for one game with HC Benatky nad Jizerou of the Czech2 league in order to play against Jagr and HC Kladno. Nedved recorded one goal and one assist in a 7-2 loss in the reunion.
Nedved was named general manager of the Czech national team in June 2018.
4. JAN HRDINA
Forward
Hrdina was drafted by the Penguins in the fifth round in 1995. He made his NHL debut in 1998 and spent the next four and a half seasons in Pittsburgh.
Hrdina adjusted well to the NHL, playing a strong two-way game and scoring 13 goals and 29 assists in 82 games as a rookie. One of his most successful seasons came the following year in 1999-00, when he recorded 46 points in 70 games, and finishing No. 2 in postseason scoring for the Penguins with four goals and eight assists in nine games.
In 2000-01, his third season with the Penguins, Hrdina centered Jagr and Mario Lemieux on the night Lemieux came out of retirement. In 2001-02, Hrdina set career highs in goals and points with 24 goals and 33 assists in 79 games to finish second on the team in scoring.
Hrdina was traded to the Coyotes the following March, along with Francois Leroux, in exchange for Ramzi Abid, Dan Focht, and Guillaume Lefebvre. In addition to Arizona, Hrdina played in New Jersey, Columbus, Finland, and Sweden before retiring in 2008 due to lingering hip, groin, and back problems. He's now a member of the Czech Extraliga board.
3. ROBERT LANG
Forward
The Penguins signed Lang as a free agent in September 1997, and he was taken by the Bruins in that month's Waiver Draft. The Penguins reclaimed Lang on waivers on Oct. 25, and he scored nine goals and 13 assists in 51 games to finish the season.
Lang's production increased over the next three seasons, peaking in 2000-01 with 32 goals and 48 assists in 82 games. His line with Kovalev and Martin Straka, while never part of any championship run, was one of the better lines in franchise history.
Lang's final season in Pittsburgh was marred by injuries, and he was limited to 18 goals and 32 assists in 62 games. He scored 103 goals and 158 assists in 345 career games in Pittsburgh.
Lang signed with the Capitals in 2002, and also played for the Red Wings, Blackhawks, Canadiens and Coyotes before retiring in 2010.
2. MARTIN STRAKA
Forward
The Penguins drafted Straka in the first round, No. 19 overall, in the 1992 draft. He made his debut that fall, recording 16 points in 42 games. In his first full season, he became one of the Penguins’ top scorers, amassing 30 goals and 34 assists in 84 games.
31 games into the 1994-95 season, the Penguins traded Straka to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Troy Murray and Norm Maciver. After stints with the Senators, Islanders, and Panthers, Straka returned to Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1997.
Straka was over a point-per-game player twice in his second stint in Pittsburgh, scoring 83 points in 1998-99 and 95 points in 2000-01. He recorded a total of 165 goals and 277 assists in 560 career games with the Penguins.
The Penguins traded Straka a second and final time in a salary dump on Nov. 30, 2003, to the L.A. Kings in exchange for Martin Strbak and prospect Sergei Anshakov.
After playing for the Kings and Rangers, Straka returned to the Czech Republic for six more seasons, five of which were for his hometown HC Plzen club.
Straka was named general manager and captain of Plzen in 2008, and became majority owner the following year. In his penultimate season as a player in 2012-13, Straka amassed 54 points in 47 regular season games and led his team to their first-ever championship, scoring the Game 7 overtime winner.
Straka also added the Plzen head coaching job to his resume in 2016, and held the position for two seasons. Now 46 years old, he remains the owner and general manager of Plzen.
1. JAROMIR JAGR
Forward
Zero debate here. If we're talking about skill, Jagr is one of the greatest Penguins of all time. If we're talking about impact, the team wouldn't have remained in Pittsburgh without him. Regardless of your feelings of the way he left Pittsburgh or the way he handled his NHL comeback in 2011, you can't deny what he has meant to the organization.
