Aleš Stezka
Czech ice hockey player (born 1997)
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Aleš Stezka (born 6 January 1997) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He was drafted 111th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2015.[1]
| Aleš Stezka | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stezka with the Seattle Kraken in 2024 | |||
| Born |
January 6, 1997 Plzeň, Czech Republic | ||
| Height | 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 91 kg (201 lb; 14 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| ELH team Former teams |
HC Kometa Brno Bílí Tygři Liberec HC Vítkovice Seattle Kraken | ||
| NHL draft |
111th overall, 2015 Minnesota Wild | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Playing career
Stezka played junior hockey with the regional Czech team HC Meteor Třemošná.[2] He would join the Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga in 2010.[3]
In the 2015 NHL entry draft, Stezka was selected in the fourth round (111th overall) by the Minnesota Wild. However, he would spend the 2015–16 season with the Sioux Falls Stampede and the 2016–17 season with the Chicago Steel, both of the United States Hockey League (USHL).[4]
For the 2017–18 season, Stezka returned to the Czech Republic, once again playing for Liberec, where he formed a goaltending tandem with Roman Will.[5] During the season, he played only two games with Liberec and another 27 after being loaned to HC Benátky nad Jizerou of the 2nd Czech Republic Hockey League, where he alternated in goal with Josef Kořenář.[6]
Stezka spent the 2018–19 season on loan to Piráti Chomutov of the Extraliga and HC Slovan Ústí nad Labem of the 2nd Czech Republic Hockey League. He would then spend the following two seasons playing for AZ Havířov.[7] He then started playing for HC Vítkovice Ridera, where he would spend two seasons.[8] At the end of the 2022–23 season, writers for the Czech newspaper Právo honored him when they chose him as the Extraliga's best goaltender.[9]
Following the 2022–23 season, Stezka went back to North America, where he signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL), taking effect in the 2023–24 season.[10] Before the season, he participated in the Kraken's training camp, and was then sent down to the Kraken's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He made his NHL debut for Seattle against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 23, 2025.[11]
After his lone appearance with the Kraken in the 2024–25 season, Stezka opted to return to his native Czech Republic as a free agent to sign a three-year contract with reigning champions, HC Kometa Brno of the ELH, on 18 June 2025.[12]
International play
Stezka played with the Czech Republic during the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships. The Czech Republic was eliminated in a 3–2 loss to Canada, in which Stezka made 22 saves.[13] The next year, he played with the Czech Republic in the 2016 World Junior Championships.[14]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2015–16 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 19 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 1014 | 56 | 1 | 3.32 | .893 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 37 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 2154 | 82 | 4 | 2.28 | .916 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 796 | 27 | 3 | 2.04 | .812 | ||
| 2017–18 | HC Bílí Tygři Liberec | ELH | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 7 | 0 | 4.20 | .868 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017-18 | HC Benátky nad Jizerou | CZE.2 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 1397 | 113 | 0 | 4.85 | .858 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Piráti Chomutov | ELH | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 235 | 15 | 0 | 3.83 | .883 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HC Slovan Ústí nad Labem | CZE.2 | 28 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 1641 | 103 | 1 | 3.77 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | AZ Havířov | CZE.2 | 50 | 28 | 21 | 0 | 2928 | 125 | 4 | 2.56 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | AZ Havířov | CZE.2 | 20 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1184 | 50 | 1 | 2.53 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | HC Vítkovice Ridera | ELH | 46 | 24 | 21 | 0 | 2736 | 116 | 1 | 2.54 | .910 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 491 | 18 | 0 | 2.20 | .923 | ||
| 2022–23 | HC Vítkovice Ridera | ELH | 39 | 25 | 14 | 0 | 2382 | 85 | 5 | 2.14 | .924 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 874 | 18 | 2 | 1.24 | .960 | ||
| 2023–24 | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 27 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 1547 | 64 | 2 | 2.48 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 26 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 1525 | 78 | 0 | 3.07 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Seattle Kraken | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 3 | 0 | 3.09 | .870 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| ELH totals | 92 | 49 | 42 | 0 | 5,453 | 223 | 6 | 2.45 | .896 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 1,365 | 36 | 2 | 1.72 | .942 | ||||
| NHL totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 3 | 0 | 3.09 | .870 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Czech Republic | U18 | 6th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 6 | 0 | 3.46 | .908 | |
| 2016 | Czech Republic | WJC | 5th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 7.50 | .800 | |
| Junior totals | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 145 | 11 | 0 | 5.48 | .854 | ||||