Jan Kovář (born 20 March 1990) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

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 ...

forward who currently serves as captain of

EV Zug EV Zug is a professional men's ice hockey team from Zug, Switzerland. It is a member of the National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena. History EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 season, and the second one in t ...

of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

(NL). He is the younger brother of Jakub Kovář.

Playing career

He made his professional debut with

HC Plzeň HC, hc or H/C may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine * Health Canada * Hemicrania continua * Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia Chemistry * Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc * ...

in the

Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga () is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia midway through the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season (which all Slovak and ...

during the 2008–09 season. Before moving to Russia for the

2013–14 KHL season The 2013–14 KHL season was the sixth season of the Kontinental Hockey League. The league's 28 teams played a 54-game balanced schedule. The regular season began on 4 September with the Lokomotiv Cup between last year's finalists Dynamo Moscow ...

in signing for

Metallurg Magnitogorsk Metallurg Magnitogorsk () is a professional ice hockey club based in Magnitogorsk, Russia. It is a member of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The club also competed in the Champions Hockey League (2008–09), Champion ...

and claiming the

Gagarin Cup The Gagarin Cup () is the trophy presented to the winner of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs, and is named after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. The Cup was supposedly named after Gagarin because the last po ...

. Playing within the Czech national team he advanced to the semi-finals before being knocked out. In the bronze medal playoff, he scored against Canada, but the team could not win. As an undrafted free agent after five seasons in the KHL with Magnitogorsk, Kovář signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

, his first team in the NHL on 9 July 2018. On 10 October, after failing to make the team following training camp he was placed on unconditional waivers by the Islanders with the intent of terminating his contract due to facing limited opportunities to continue his adaptation to the North American style if he reported to the AHL with affiliate,

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...

. With the intention to continue his career in North America, Kovář secured a professional try-out contract with the

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Providence, Rhode Island. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Hi ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) on 18 October. On 5 December, Kovář signed a one-month contract

of the

(ELH). After playing out the season in the ELH, Kovář left in the off-season, securing a one-year contract with Swiss club EV Zug of the NL on 18 June 2019. His contract included an NHL out-clause through 25 June.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* 1990 births Living people Czech ice hockey forwards HC Plzeň players Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Metallurg Magnitogorsk players Olympic ice hockey players for the Czech Republic Ice hockey people from Písek Piráti Chomutov players Providence Bruins players HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Russia Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland 21st-century Czech sportsmen {{CzechRepublic-icehockey-player-stub