Andrej Sekera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Andrej Sekera |
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Sekera with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013
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| Born | 8 June 1986 Bojnice, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | HK Dukla Trencin Buffalo Sabres Slovan Bratislava Carolina Hurricanes Los Angeles Kings Edmonton Oilers Dallas Stars |
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| National team |  Slovakia |
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| NHL Draft | 71st overall, 2004 Buffalo Sabres |
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| Playing career | 2006–2022 | ||
Andrej Sekera (born 8 June 1986) is a former professional ice hockey defenceman from Slovakia. He played many seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a key player for teams like the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, and Dallas Stars.
Andrej grew up in Slovakia and started playing hockey there. He moved to North America to play junior hockey. His great skills led him to be drafted by an NHL team. He became known for his strong defensive play and helping his team score goals.
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Early Life and Junior Hockey
Andrej Sekera was born in Bojnice, Slovakia, on June 8, 1986. He started playing ice hockey with friends in his neighborhood. As a teenager, he played for the Trencin Jr. team. He also played a few games in Slovakia's top league, the Slovak Extraliga.
Becoming a Top Junior Player
Because of his talent, Andrej was chosen by the Owen Sound Attack in the 2004 OHL Import Draft. The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is a major junior league in Canada. Just a few days later, the Buffalo Sabres picked him in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 71st player chosen overall.
In his first OHL season, Andrej scored 28 points in 51 games. The next year, he was even better. He won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's best defenceman. This award showed how skilled he was.
Professional Hockey Career
Starting with the Buffalo Sabres
After his successful junior career, Andrej signed a contract with the Buffalo Sabres in 2006. He started playing for their minor league team, the Rochester Americans, in the American Hockey League (AHL). This helped him get used to professional hockey.
Andrej made his NHL debut with the Sabres in November 2006. He scored his first NHL goal in November 2007. Over time, he became a regular player for the Sabres. He played many games and helped his team. In the 2010–11 season, he had a career-high 29 points. This led him to sign a new four-year contract with the team.
During a break in the NHL season in 2012, Andrej played in Slovakia. He played for HC Slovan Bratislava in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He returned to the Sabres when the NHL season started again.
Moving to the Carolina Hurricanes
In 2013, the Sabres traded Andrej to the Carolina Hurricanes. This trade happened during the NHL Draft. With the Hurricanes, Andrej's scoring really improved. He set new personal bests for goals and points. He scored 44 points in the 2013–14 season. He was a top defenceman for the team.
Short Time with the Los Angeles Kings
In February 2015, Andrej was traded again. He joined the Los Angeles Kings for the rest of the 2014–15 season. He played 16 games with the Kings, scoring one goal and three assists.
Joining the Edmonton Oilers
On July 1, 2015, Andrej signed a big six-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers. He became an important experienced defenceman for the team. In his first season with the Oilers, he played a career-high 81 games. He scored 30 points.
In the 2016–17 season, Andrej continued to play well. He scored 35 points and helped the Oilers reach the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, during the playoffs, he suffered a serious knee injury. He tore a ligament in his knee, which ended his season.
He worked hard to recover from his injury. He returned to play in December 2017. But he faced more injury setbacks. In 2018, he injured his Achilles tendon during training. This kept him out of play for a long time. He returned to the Oilers in February 2019. After the 2018–19 season, the Oilers decided to end his contract.
Playing for the Dallas Stars
On July 1, 2019, Andrej signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars. His new coach praised him as a top defenceman. He quickly became a key player on the Stars' defence. He helped them reach the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals. This was a big achievement for the team.
Andrej signed a new two-year contract with the Stars in October 2020. He continued to play a steady role for the team. He played in 46 games in the 2020–21 season. He finished his career with the Stars after the 2021–22 season.
International Play
Andrej Sekera has proudly represented his home country, Slovakia, in many international hockey tournaments.
- He played for Slovakia's junior teams in the IIHF World U18 Championships and World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
- He joined the senior Slovak national team for the first time at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.
- He played in the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Olympics for Slovakia.
- In 2012, Andrej and the Slovak team won a silver medal at the 2012 IIHF World Championship. This was a major success for Slovakia.
- He also won a silver medal with Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
- In 2021, he was named to Slovakia's team for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Personal Life
Andrej Sekera is married to his wife, Katarina. They have one child together.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001–02 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 52 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 48 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 45 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Dukla Trenčín II | SVK.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 52 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 51 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 54 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 9 | ||
| 2006–07 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 54 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 40 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 37 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 69 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 49 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 76 | 3 | 26 | 29 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 69 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Slovan Bratislava | KHL | 25 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 37 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 74 | 11 | 33 | 44 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 57 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 81 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 36 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 24 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 57 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 46 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 32 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 842 | 51 | 202 | 253 | 212 | 46 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Slovakia |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2012 Helsinki | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Slovakia | U18 | 6th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | |
| 2005 | Slovakia | WJC | 7th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Slovakia | WC | 13th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Slovakia | WC | 4th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Slovakia | OG | 4th | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Slovakia | WC | 12th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Slovakia | WC |  |
10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2013 | Slovakia | WC | 8th | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Slovakia | OG | 11th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2016 | Team Europe | WCH | |
6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2019 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 18 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 | ||||
| Senior totals | 73 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 32 | ||||
Awards and Honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2005 | |
| First All-Star Team | 2006 | |
| Max Kaminsky Trophy | 2006 | |
Images for kids
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Sekera and Team Slovakia at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
