Roman Horák (born May 21, 1991) 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 ...

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 ...

player currently playing for

HC Sparta Praha Hockey Club Sparta Praha, commonly known as HC Sparta Prague, is a Prague-based Czech professional ice hockey team playing in the Czech Extraliga. The club has won four Czech championships (most recently in 2007) and four Czechoslovak champio ...

of 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 ...

(ELH). He previously played nine games in the

with

HC České Budějovice 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 * ...

before coming to North America to play two WHL seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins. He was selected by the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

in the fifth round, 127th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and joined the

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

organization via trade in 2011. In 2014, he was traded by the Flames for a brief stint with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Playing career

Horák began his professional career with his hometown team

of the

, appearing in one game with the club in 2007–08 and eight more in 2008–09. He was selected by the

in the fifth round, 127th overall, at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Additionally, Horák was selected by the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

's (WHL) Chilliwack Bruins with the eighth overall pick in the

Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; , LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three me ...

(CHL) import draft. Though he had little knowledge of English, Horák moved to Canada to join the Bruins for the 2009–10 WHL season. In his first season in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( ) is a city of about 100,000 people and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the gr ...

, Horák scored 21 goals and 47 points. He improved to 26 goals and 78 points in

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. Additionally, he represented the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

at the

2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships (''2010 WJHC''), was the 34th edition of IIHF World Junior Championship, Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was hosted by Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canad ...

, where he had one goal and one assist in six games. He returned to the team for the 2011 tournament, recording one assist in five games in that tournament. Horák signed a contract with the New York Rangers on May 6, 2011. However, before he played a game with the NHL team, he was traded to the

on June 1, along with two draft picks, in exchange for defenceman Tim Erixon. The Flames discovered Horák while scouting his teammate, and their draft pick, Ryan Howse. The team realized that Howse, a 50-goal scorer in 2010–11, had become far less effective when Horák suffered an injury. Initially expected to join the Flames' minor league affiliate, the

Abbotsford Heat The Abbotsford Heat were a professional ice hockey team that played five seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) between 2009 and 2014. The team was based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and played its home games at the 7,046-seat A ...

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), to begin the 2011–12 season, Horák exceeded the team's expectations and earned a spot with the Flames. He made his NHL debut and scored his first point, an assist, against the

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 ...

on October 8, 2011. He scored his first NHL goal on October 26 against

Jean-Sébastien Giguère Jean-Sébastien Giguère (; born May 16, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played with the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and was drafted 13th overall by the Hartford Whalers ...

of 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 ...

. On November 8, 2013, Horák was traded to the

alongside goaltender prospect

Laurent Brossoit Laurent Brossoit (born March 23, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Brossoit won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, 2023. ...

in exchange for Ladislav Šmíd and minor league goalie Olivier Roy. He was subsequently reassigned by the Oilers to their AHL affiliate, the

Oklahoma City Barons The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11 AHL season, 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ...

. With his NHL rights still owned by the Oilers, Horák opted to return to Europe by 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 club Vityaz Podolsk of the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...

(KHL) on May 12, 2014. Horák played two seasons in the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (SHL; ) is a professional ice hockey league in Sweden and the highest level of the ice hockey in Sweden, Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while Li ...

with the

Växjö Lakers The Växjö Lakers Hockey Club (often referred to as the Växjö Lakers or VLH) are a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Växjö in Sweden. The club plays at the Vida Arena and plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitserien), ...

before opting to return to his native Czech Republic as a free agent. On 13 May 2020, he secured a one-year contract with HC Sparta Praha of the ELH, in which he had not played since the 2008–09 season.

Personal life

His father, Roman Horák, also played hockey in European elite leagues for 14 seasons.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horak, Roman 1991 births Living people Abbotsford Heat players Calgary Flames players Chilliwack Bruins players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Russia Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden Czech ice hockey centres Edmonton Oilers players HC Sparta Praha players HC Vityaz players Ice hockey people from České Budějovice Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics Motor České Budějovice players New York Rangers draft picks Oklahoma City Barons players Olympic ice hockey players for the Czech Republic Växjö Lakers players 21st-century Czech sportsmen