Newsletter

“Forgotten” Czech talent charms overseas. The boys’ jaws dropped from it, the coach describes

Last season, he was hampered by a nasty injury. In the end, however, the talented forward Lukáš Rousek really shined at the Buffalo hockey farm and has now caught the eye of the Sabers development camp as well.

A year ago, he went overseas as a star of the extra-league Sparta and a member of the wider staff of the Czech national team. He signed a two-year rookie contract in Buffalo, thinking about the NHL.

However, Rousek injured his knee even before the club’s training camp. At first he thought it was nothing serious, but then he heard the devastating diagnosis from the doctors – a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He had to have surgery.

“They told me I was going to miss six to nine months. It was crazy. I couldn’t believe it,” Rousek recalled to The Buffalo News a few days ago.

While the season was in full swing, he rehabbed. He missed the first 57 games at the Sabres’ farm, where they counted on him.

But when he got fully involved in training and showed his teammates what he could do for the first time, many of them stared. “Guys’ jaws dropped when they saw his tapes and his game review,” said Rochester assistant coach Michael Peca, a former standout defensive forward.

“At the same time, he was coming back from a complex operation, when it usually takes you a while to be 100 percent. I think it shows how hard he worked and how much he wanted to come back,” added Peca.

However, Rousk, who had never played overseas before, did not fare well in close matches. He finished the regular season with only four points (1+3) from 19 duels. However, his time on the ice increased, which he repaid in the playoffs, where he scored six times in ten starts (2+4).

Last week, the 23-year-old Rousek graduated from Buffalo’s development camp for young hockey players, which combines the fact that they have played only minimally or not at all in the NHL. It was another success.

“Rousek excelled against eight first-round draft picks and five players with NHL experience. He dished out exhibition shots and, thanks to his quick hands, scored in the title game,” wrote journalist Lance Lysowski, referring to the three-on-three tournament between the youngsters in attendance at the campsite.

“He’s awfully good, really,” praised Rouska’s tournament partner Jack Quinn, who is one of the Sabres’ top prospects. “I had a great time playing with him. He’s very smart and makes his teammates better hockey players.”

You could say that Rousek is a wild card for Buffalo. He went through the draft twice unnoticed. It wasn’t until the third attempt that the Sabers reached for him in the sixth round. After seeing him shine for two years in Sparta, they signed him to a two-year contract.

The first year overseas did not go well for the skilled winger. Including the playoffs, he played only 29 games and for understandable reasons was dropped from the national team. He kind of fell into oblivion.

Now he is fighting for the NHL again. Like another Czech forward, Matěj Pekař, he will probably start on the farm in Rochester, but unlike the complicated last season, he should be given a pivotal role in the team.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending