Jakub Málek (born 11 April 2002) is a Czech professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

for

Ilves Tampereen Ilves, commonly known as Ilves, (; Finnish language, Finnish for "Eurasian lynx, Lynx") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Tampere. They play in the Liiga at the Nokia Arena (Tampere), Nokia Arena. The colors of Ilves, ...

of the

Liiga The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mesti ...

as a prospect to the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL).

Playing career

Málek made his first professional start at 16 years old on 30 January 2019, for

VHK Vsetín Valašský hokejový klub Vsetín, also known as Hockey Club Vsetín, is a professional ice hockey team in the Czech 1. liga (second-level league). The team is the most successful team in Czech Republic ice hockey history, winning five straight ...

of the second-tier Czech Chance Liga against

HC Stadion Litoměřice HC Stadion Litoměřice is an ice hockey team from Litoměřice, Czech Republic. The team was founded in 2007, however, there was a different team in Litoměřice, operating from the 1970s up to the 1990s. They began in the Czech Second League. T ...

, but was pulled midway through the match after conceding four goals. Returning to the Chance Liga more permanently in the 2020–21 season, Málek recorded 8 wins and a .912 save percentage in 14 games. In 7 playoff games, he recorded a .927 en route to a semifinal exit at the hands of

HC Dukla Jihlava HC Dukla Jihlava, founded in 1956, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Republic. It won the Czechoslovak Extraliga title 12 times: six consecutive championships beginning in 1967, then in 1974, four consecutive championships beginning in 1982, an ...

. In 21 total games at the Chance Liga level, he recorded two shutouts. Despite not being ranked at all by

NHL Central Scouting The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League (NHL) that ranks prospects for the NHL entry draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate t ...

, he would be selected 100th overall in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL entry draft by the

. On 20 October 2021, early in the 2021–22 season, Málek became the first goalie in Chance Liga history to score a goal by shooting the puck directly into the net (as opposed to being credited with a goal he didn't directly score) when he scored an empty-net goal late in a 4–1 victory over

AZ Havířov AZ Havířov is an ice hockey team in the Czech Second Hockey League (third-tier league) from Havířov. The city of Havířov was established in 1955. However the beginnings of ice hockey in surrounding villages date back to 1928, when workers ...

. He would play 31 games that season and post 22 wins, two shutouts, and a .932 save percentage, earning the league award for best goaltender and making a run to the Chance Liga finals. Moving to Finland for the 2022–23 season, Málek signed a two-year contract with

of the top-level

on 3 May 2022. Early in the year, Málek was hospitalized for panic attacks caused by what he described as putting too much pressure on himself. After recovering, as well as some time playing in the second-tier

Mestis Mestis (from , meaning 'Championship series', stylized as MEST1S) is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division ...

, he returned to Ilves and finished the season with a .903 save percentage in 22 total games. In the playoffs, starting goaltender

Marek Langhamer Marek Langhamer (born 22 July 1994) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for Malmö Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Playing career After a few seasons playing as a youth within the HC Pardubice organiza ...

was unable to play midway through the semifinal series against the

Lahti Pelicans The Lahti Pelicans are a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the Liiga, Finland. Founded in 1996, they play in the city of Lahti at Isku Arena. The team is co-owned by (among others) former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender Pasi ...

, thrusting Málek into the starting role. On 6 March 2024, Ilves exercised an option in Málek's contract to sign him to a one-year extension. On 6 May 2024, Málek signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Devils.

International play

Málek was set to represent Czechia at the 2022 World Junior Championship, playing in one game before the tournament's cancellation due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Málek made his senior international debut representing Czechia in the 2023

Karjala Tournament The Karjala Tournament (), also known as Karjala Cup, is an annual ice hockey event held in Finland. The name comes from the sponsoring beer brand Karjala. History The tournament started in 1992 as the Sauna Cup. In December 1995, the tourna ...

, part of the 2023–24 Euro Hockey Tour.

Personal life

Málek is a supporter of the

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...

football club. He initially discovered the team while playing EA Sports FIFA and is a fan of their environmentally conscious operations.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Málek, Jakub 2002 births Living people Czech ice hockey goaltenders New Jersey Devils draft picks Ilves players KOOVEE players Sportspeople from Kroměříž VHK Vsetín players 21st-century Czech sportsmen