Mark Timothy Kolesar (born January 23, 1973) is a Canadian former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

centre who played two seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

between 1995 and 1997. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1994 to 2004, was split between the minor leagues and various leagues in Europe.

Playing career

Kolesar began his

major junior Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

career with the

Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They are members of the Western Hockey League (WHL) since joining the league in the 1967–68 season. Previously, they played in the Manitoba Junior Hoc ...

of the WHL in 1991, having previously played for the

Neepawa Natives The Neepawa Titans are a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team from Neepawa, Manitoba. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, and play home games at the Yellowhead Centre. Hist ...

of the

MJHL The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

. He had a quiet season during his rookie year, registering 13 points in 53 games. His scoring improved in his second year, however, tallying 60 points in 68 games. By his third year, he was scoring at a point-per-game rate, with 66 points in 59 games. This offensive production got the attention of the

who signed him to a contract on 24 May 1994. Upon turning professional, Kolesar spent the 1994-95 season with Toronto's AHL affiliate, the

St. John's Maple Leafs The St. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, at Memorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was a ...

registering 35 points in 60 games. The following season, Kolesar split time between St. John's and Toronto, playing 21 regular season games in the NHL, scoring his first NHL goal against the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

in March 1996. The 1996-97 season was again split between Toronto and St. John's, with Kolesar playing 7 games in Ontario and 62 in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. The following season, Kolesar would begin in St. John's before being loaned out to the IHL's

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets o ...

. Kolesar was subsequently traded to the

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 OHL season, 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Cent ...

, where he finished the season. Europe would be Kolesar's next port of call, playing in the UK for BISL side

Nottingham Panthers The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society. The Nottingham Panthers have won four ...

for the 1998-99 season. His time in Nottingham was successful, registering 42 points in 40 games. The team also found success, winning the

Benson & Hedges Cup The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals. It was the third major one-day competition established in Englan ...

and reaching the finals of both the

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

and the BISL Play-off finals. Following a strong season in the UK, Kolesar moved to Germany to play for the

SERC Wild Wings The Schwenninger Wild Wings are a professional German ice hockey team from Schwenningen am Neckar in Baden-Wuerttemberg that was founded on 31 July 1904 and currently plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The greatest success of the associ ...

of the

DEL Del, or nabla, is an operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes th ...

. He managed 18 points in 55 games, as the Wild Wings struggled for much of the season, finishing 11th. For the 2000-01 season, Kolesar returned to the UK, signing for reigning BISL Champions

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their cu ...

, where he was named as an

alternate captain In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...

. At the Knights he played alongside former Wheat Kings team mates

Jeff Hoad Jeff Hoad (born January 26, 1973) is a Canadian-British former professional ice hockey player. He played in the British Ice Hockey Superleague for the Nottingham Panthers, Ayr Scottish Eagles, London Knights and the Belfast Giants. He also play ...

Mark Dutiaume Mark Dutiaume (born January 31, 1977), is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger, who played in the minor leagues and in Europe. Playing career Dutiaume was selected by the Tri-City Americans in the 1992 WHL Bantam Draft, however, he ...

and Trevor Robins. His first season in the capital was successful, registering 27 points in 47 games, helping the Knights finish 4th in the league, before narrowly losing the Play-off final to the

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 (see 1991 in sport) and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. ...

. The Knights would also have continental success, beating both the

Munich Barons The Munich Barons were a professional ice hockey team between 1999 and 2002 run by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) in the German Ice Hockey League (''German: Deutsche Eishockey Liga - DEL''). The best year the team had was in 2000 when th ...

and

HC Slovan Bratislava Hockey Club Slovan Bratislava ( sk, Hokejový klub Slovan Bratislava) is a professional ice hockey club based in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2012, it left the Slovak Extraliga and joined the international Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In 2019, i ...

in the

IIHF Continental Cup The Continental Cup is a second-level ice hockey tournament for European clubs (behind Champions Hockey League), begun in 1997 after the discontinuing of the European Cup. It was intended for teams from countries without representatives in the E ...

. Although the Swiss side

ZSC Lions The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and playe ...

would ultimately win the Cup, the Knights would take the silver medal, and their performance in the competition was considered to be the best by a British team at the time. Kolesar remained in London for the following season, where he registered 25 points in 48 games. The Knights would struggle under new coach Bob Leslie, finishing 6th in the regular season, however, they nevertheless made it to the Play-off semi-finals, again narrowly losing to the Steelers. A third season in the capital followed, with Kolesar tallying 22 points in 29 games; the team finished 5th and lost the Play-off final to the

Belfast Giants The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are the current cham ...

. Following the culmination of the 2002-03 season, the team would fold as a result of their rink, the

London Arena The London Arena (also known as London Docklands Arena) was an indoor arena and exhibition centre in Millwall, close to Cubitt Town area of Poplar, on the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England which was inaugurated in 1989 and demolished for h ...

, being sold to developers. This, coupled with the

Ayr Scottish Eagles The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena (Prestwick), Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and t ...

and Manchester Storm also folding, and the

Bracknell Bees The Bees Ice Hockey Club are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, UK. They compete in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) National League, the second tier of English Ice Hockey. History Early years The Bracknell Bees were formed in ...

deciding to drop down to the BNL, culminating in the demise of the BISL. For the 2003-04 season, Kolesar initially signed with the Italian side

Alleghe HC HC Alleghe is a professional ice hockey team in Alleghe, Italy. The team plays in the country's second-tier Italian Hockey League and play at Stadio Alvise De Toni. The team was the surprise winners of the 1992-93 Alpenliga. They were formerly co ...

, however, he only played one game before moving back to North America to play for the

Wichita Thunder The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in ...

of the CHL. Whilst he had a productive season, 59 points in 64 games, towards the end of the season Kolesar broke his leg. Subsequently, Kolesar retired from professional hockey. He briefly came out of retirement in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

to play

senior hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisdict ...

for the

Steinbach North Stars Steinbach may refer to: Businesses * Steinbach (store), a defunct American department store chain in Asbury Park, New Jersey * Steinbach Credit Union, a Canadian credit union in Manitoba * Worthmann & Steinbach, a defunct American architectural f ...

to challenge for the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are the ...

. In doing so, he once again reunited with Dutiaume and Hoad. The team had a successful exhibition season, however, they lost in the Cup semi-finals to the

South East Prairie Thunder The South East Prairie Thunder are a Canadian Senior 'AAA' ice hockey team based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba and two-time Allan Cup champions. They play an independent schedule under the jurisdiction of Hockey Manitoba. The team is inactive as of 20 ...

Post playing career

Following his retirement from professional hockey, Kolesar served as an assistant coach for the Brandon AAA Midget Wheat Kings.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and achievements

winner (1999). *

All-time points leader (74)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolesar, Mark 1973 births Living people Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in England Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Italy Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players HC Alleghe players Ice hockey people from Manitoba Ice Hockey Superleague players London Knights (UK) players Manitoba Moose (IHL) players Neepawa Natives players Nottingham Panthers players People from Neepawa, Manitoba St. John's Maple Leafs players Schwenninger Wild Wings players Toronto Maple Leafs players Undrafted National Hockey League players Wichita Thunder players