Roman Polák facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roman Polák |
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Polák with the St. Louis Blues in 2011
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| Born | 28 April 1986 Ostrava, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg; 16 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | HC Vítkovice St. Louis Blues Toronto Maple Leafs San Jose Sharks Dallas Stars |
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| National team |  Czech Republic |
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| NHL Draft | 180th overall, 2004 St. Louis Blues |
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| Playing career | 2005–2022 | ||
Roman Polák (born 28 April 1986) is a former professional ice hockey defenceman from the Czech Republic. He was chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Roman played most of his NHL career with the Blues before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014. He also played for the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars. Roman started and ended his hockey career in his home country with HC Vítkovice.
Contents
Roman Polák's Hockey Journey
Roman Polák was picked by the St. Louis Blues in the sixth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. This was a big step in his career. Before playing in the NHL, he played for the Kootenay Ice in the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 2004–05 season. After that, he went back to the Czech Republic to play professionally for HC Vítkovice.
Starting in the NHL
In the 2006–07 season, Roman came back to North America. He played his very first NHL game on 9 October 2006, against the Anaheim Ducks. For two seasons, he split his time between the Blues and their minor league team, the Peoria Rivermen. By the 2008–09 season, Roman earned a full-time spot on the Blues' main roster.
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Roman scored his first NHL goal in his 57th game on 20 December 2008, against the Minnesota Wild. He became a key defensive player for the Blues. In 2011, he signed a five-year contract to stay with the team.
Moving to Toronto and San Jose
On 28 June 2014, Roman was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was traded for another defenceman, Carl Gunnarsson. In his first season with Toronto, Roman scored a career-high five goals.
In February 2016, Roman was traded again, this time to the San Jose Sharks. He joined the Sharks team that made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time ever. However, they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Returning to the Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars
After playing for the Sharks, Roman returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 2016. Many thought he might be traded again, but the Maple Leafs played better than expected. They made it to the playoffs for the first time in a long time. During the playoffs, Roman got an injury that kept him from playing the rest of the season.
He signed another contract with the Maple Leafs in October 2017. On 1 July 2018, Roman signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars. He brought a strong physical presence to their defense. In the 2018–19 season, he played 77 games and had 9 points. He helped the Stars reach the second round of the playoffs.
In 2019, Roman signed another contract with the Dallas Stars. He continued to add experience to their team. In June 2020, Roman decided to return to his home country. He signed a three-year contract to play for his original club, HC Vítkovice, in the Czech Republic. He decided not to play in the NHL's special return-to-play games that year.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | HC Sareza Ostrava | CZE U18 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | HC Sareza Ostrava | CZE U20 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | HC Vítkovice | CZE U20 | 52 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Kootenay Ice | WHL | 65 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 85 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | HC Vítkovice Steel | ELH | 37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 53 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 34 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 69 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 78 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 55 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 77 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 57 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Vítkovice Steel | ELH | 22 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 48 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 48 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 71 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 56 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 55 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 24 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | ||
| 2016–17 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 75 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 65 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 54 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 77 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 69 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 2019–20 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 41 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HC Vítkovice Ridera | ELH | 36 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 75 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | HC Vítkovice Ridera | ELH | 51 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 65 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ELH totals | 146 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 235 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||||
| NHL totals | 806 | 26 | 114 | 140 | 643 | 71 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 54 | ||||
International Play
Roman Polák also played for the Czech Republic in international hockey tournaments. He helped his country win bronze medals at two junior championships.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Czech Republic |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2005 North Dakota | |
| IIHF U18 Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2004 Minsk | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Czech Republic | WJC18 |  |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2005 | Czech Republic | WJC | |
7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2006 | Czech Republic | WJC | 6th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2009 | Czech Republic | WC | 6th | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Czech Republic | OG | 7th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Czech Republic | WC | 4th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Czech Republic | WCH | 6th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | ||||
| Senior totals | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||||
