Martin Škoula (born October 28, 1979) 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 ...

former 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 ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

, who enjoyed a lengthy career in 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) with the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty may refer to: Businesses *Mighty Audio, an American company known for its product ''Mighty'', a portable audio player *Mighty Animation, an animation studio based in Guadalajara, Mexico Films *''The Mighty'', a 1998 comedy–drama * ''The ...

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

and 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 ...

. He won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

with the Colorado Avalanche in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

Playing career

Škoula was selected in the first round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, 17th overall, by the

. After playing two seasons in the Czech Republic, Škoula came over to North America in 1997, playing for the

Barrie Colts The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League (OHL), based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The Colts play home games at the Sadlon Arena. The Colts joined the OHL in 1995, and previously competed at lower levels of junio ...

of the OHL. His size and offensive ability made him an instant success. After only one game in 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 ...

, with the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

, Škoula joined the Avalanche. In

, Škoula was a part of the Avalanche team that won the

. The following season, he played for his native country at the

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

. On February 21, 2004, Škoula was dealt by the Avalanche to the

for Kurt Sauer and a 4th round pick ( Raymond Macias). After playing 20 games with the Ducks, Škoula left as an unrestricted free agent. He spent the 2004 NHL Lockout 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 ...

with

HC Litvínov HC Litvínov, called HC VERVA Litvínov for sponsorship reasons, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Extraliga. Their home arena is Ivan Hlinka Stadion in Litvínov. Honours Domestic Czech Extraliga * Winners (1): 2014–15 * Runners-up (1) ...

Penguins Martin Skoula and Ruslan Fedotenko 2009-10-31

On August 3, 2005, prior to the 2005–06 season, Škoula was signed by the

to a two-year contract. He stayed less than a season before he was dealt at the trade deadline by the Stars, along with Shawn Belle, to the

for Willie Mitchell and a 2nd round pick. On September 29, 2009, Škoula signed a one-year contract with the

for the 2009-10 season. Škoula played in 33 games with the Penguins as a reserve defenceman before he was included in a trade with prospect Luca Caputi to 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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

for Alexei Ponikarovsky on March 3, 2010. The same day, Škoula was then traded to the

for a fifth-round pick in 2010. On June 23, 2010, after 11 years in the NHL, Škoula returned to Europe signing a one-year contract with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n team

Avangard Omsk Hockey Club Avangard (, Vanguard), also known as Avangard Omsk, is a professional ice hockey club based in Omsk, Russia. It is a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Franchise history Early years of Omsk hock ...

of the KHL. After one season in the KHL, Martin signed a new two-year contract with Avangard. In the second year of his extension, after nine games in the 2012–13 season, Skoula was released by Omsk and was transferred to newcomer KHL Czech based, HC Lev Praha on September 27, 2012. After 21 games with Lev Praha for 7 points, Skoula was placed on the unprotected list and went unclaimed. He was then reassigned to join hometown club, HC Stadion Litoměřice, of the 1. národní hokejová liga on December 26, 2012. On April 21, 2013, Skoula signed as a free agent to return to the KHL with

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

on a one-year contract. In the 2013–14 season, Skoula was one of only four Bratislava players to appear in every game with 54, helping contribute from the blueline with 13 points. He was unable to help elevate Slovan to the playoffs. After signalling an intention to move closer to his native Litomerice at season's end, he returned to the Czech Extraliga signing a one-year contract with

HC Bílí Tygři Liberec Bílí Tygři Liberec (English: ''Liberec White Tigers'') are a professional ice hockey club based in Liberec, Czech Republic. The team competes in the Czech Extraliga, the highest level of play in professional Czech ice hockey. History The firs ...

on May 27, 2014. Skoula featured in 10 games in Liberec, posting 2 goals and 7 points before ending his professional career.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

Transactions

* June 27, 1998 - Škoula drafted by Colorado Avalanche * February 21, 2004 - Škoula traded by Colorado to Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Kurt Sauer and a 4th round draft pick (Raymond Macias) * August 3, 2005 - Škoula signs with Dallas Stars. * March 9, 2006 - Škoula traded by Dallas along with Shawn Belle to the Minnesota Wild for Willie Mitchell and the Wild's second-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. * September 29, 2009 - Škoula signs a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. * March 3, 2010 - Škoula was traded by Pittsburgh to the Toronto Maple Leafs, along with teammate prospect Luca Caputi, for Alexei Ponikarovsky * March 3, 2010 - Škoula was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the New Jersey Devils for a fifth round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skoula, Martin 1979 births Living people Sportspeople from Litoměřice Avangard Omsk players Barrie Colts players HC Bílí Tygři Liberec players Colorado Avalanche draft picks Colorado Avalanche players Czech ice hockey defencemen Dallas Stars players Hershey Bears players HC Lev Praha players HC Litvínov players Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players Minnesota Wild players NHL first-round draft picks New Jersey Devils players Pittsburgh Penguins players HC Slovan Bratislava players Stanley Cup champions Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players for the Czech Republic Ice hockey people from the Ústí nad Labem Region Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Russia Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Slovakia 21st-century Czech sportsmen