The story of the native of Michal is really interesting. He found his way to the best league in the world, although he did not impress scouts in his junior years and never passed the draft.
The turning point in his career came when, at the age of 20, he returned to his native Michaloviece after working in Scandinavia, where he won a place among the men.
After great performances at the Olympics and the World Championships, Anaheim gave him a chance, but he did not get a stable place there and later moved to San José as part of the exchange.
He had a strong preseason camp with his new club, but started the season on the farm again for the third straight time. Even two goals in two games were not enough for him to stay in the first call-up.
He continued to wait patiently and took full advantage of his chance at the next call.
The latest 20-year-old Igor Černišov to join the farm is 11 points in 15 NHL games. The reason is simple, because he did not have to go through the waiver document.
When Pavol Regenda skated on the ice in Michalovci in the summer of 2020, no one probably expected what he would achieve in the coming years.
Originally, he was only supposed to prepare for the new season with the Dukla Michalovce team, but he impressed so much in training that they signed a contract with him at the end of August.
Immediately on his extraleague debut, he impressed with two assists. After a successful playoff with points, he finished the season as the second most productive Slovak in the team after Samuel Takáč.
In the following season, he was the team’s top scorer and second in productivity. However, he impressed even more with his performances in the jersey of the Slovak national team.
At the Olympics, he helped win the bronze medal with 4 points (1+3) in 7 matches, and at the World Championships he was Slovakia’s top scorer with 5 goals in 8 matches.
Interest from the NHL was being talked about more and more loudly. On June 1, 2022, he officially signed a two-year rookie contract with the Anaheim Ducks.
He excelled in the 2022/23 pre-season camp and earned a spot on the roster for the season opener.
He became the first ever undrafted Slovak to enter the NHL directly from the Slovak extra league.
He fought on, he was not lured by Europe
Although he managed to win a place on the Anaheim roster in the shortest possible time, he did not settle in the NHL permanently. After 14 games, he was sent to farm in San Diego in December.
Even before that, he managed to score his first goal in the best league in the world in a 1:4 loss against Minnesota. After the match, he was announced as the second star of the duel.
He did not look at the NHL again until 15 months later, when in March 2024 he started in five games, but he did not manage to score in them.
In the 2024/25 season, he did not get a chance in Anaheim’s first team, he experienced the weakest year in terms of points on the farm, and on January 22 he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Justin Bailey.
It suited him better in the AHL team San Jose Barracuda and he started scoring more regularly again. He was the team’s top scorer in the playoffs, but only 3 goals were enough for him.
Although he reportedly had tempting offers from the KHL and the Czech Pardubice during the summer, he decided to stay overseas and continue to fight for the NHL.
He didn’t get a chance after a great camp
He played three matches in preparation for the current season. He scored against his former club from Anaheim and registered up to 4 assists against the Vegas Golden Knights, although the opponent started in the NHL lineup.
“Pavol Regenda wants to be part of this team and is doing a great job to get into this position,” praised journalist Max Miller.
Among players who played at least 45 minutes in the NHL preparation, he had the 3rd highest number of points in terms of playing time. Only Wyatt Johnston from Dallas Stars and Robert Thomas from St. Louis Blues.
Although he exploded for points against Vegas, he was sent to the farm. However, he had to spend 24 hours on the waiver list, from where he could be picked up by any NHL team.
But, no one showed interest in him.
He didn’t need a hockey stick to score goals
At the beginning of December, he was called up to the first team, even though he was not one of the most productive players on the Barracuda farm in the current season.
He scored in the very first game against Utah. It had been an endless 1,119 days since his last NHL goal. He gave himself an early present for his 26th birthday, which he celebrated that week.
VIDEO: Pavel Regenda’s second career goal in the NHL, he waited for it for a long 1119 days
“Every day I try to prove that I belong here, I work hard and enjoy every moment,” he said after the match.
Coach Warsofsky also commented on him: “He plays well in the AHL, wins fights and uses his body excellently. And that’s exactly what we need. We have scorers, but we lacked a big, strong player in front of the goal.”
He also scored in the next game against Washington. “I’m strong in front of the goal, that’s why the coaches put me there. And it paid off,” stated Regenda.
In both cases, he did not need a hockey stick to score. The puck brushed against him on the way to the net as he performed his duties in the goal area.
But even two goals after two games were not enough and he was sent to the farm again after the return of the injured Jeff Skinner.
An unprecedented hat-trick changed everything
Another chance came on New Year’s Eve in a meeting against Minnesota. Although he did not score in the game, he exploded with a hat trick in three days against Tampa Bay, although he spent only 9 minutes and 11 seconds on the ice.
In the entire history of the NHL, only one player netted a hat trick with a lower game load. It was Ian Laperriere, who managed it in October 2000 with a time on ice 54 seconds lower.
“I scored more goals here than for the Barracuda, so I’m happy for that. I don’t know what will happen next, I’m enjoying every day in the NHL and trying to do what I can,” he did not hide his enthusiasm.
After 9 games, he had 8 points (7+1) and did better than in the AHL, where he collected 12 points (4+8) in 28 games.
He also attracted attention with a moment against Florida, when he literally fought for the NHL. After Balinskis rough tackle on teenager Misa, he stood up for him without hesitation and dropped the gloves.
VIDEO: Fight Pavol Regenda vs. Uvis Balinskis
The fans quickly liked him and like to see a productive and tough player in their team.
He won’t be returning to the farm anytime soon
In the meantime, he played enough games to clear his waiver. It is no longer possible to send him to the lower league without being offered to other teams.
If they don’t want to lose him in San Jose, they won’t be sending him to the farm anytime soon. Last night, 20-year-old Igor Černišov was transferred to the AHL, as they needed to free up a spot on the roster.
He collected up to 11 points in 15 duels, but due to his rookie contract, he did not have to go through the waiver letter and the Sharks management did not have too many other options.
Before the next match, Pavol Regenda is training in formation with Adam Gaudett and Collin Graf. They play the New York Rangers on Friday night.
Let’s be surprised, what kind of continuation the extraordinary story of Pavel Regenda will have.
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