JÄnis Sprukts
Jānis Sprukts ( born January 31, 1982 in Riga, Latvian SSR) is a Latvian ice hockey player who is since October 2013 to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League contract.
Career
Sprukts began his career in his hometown at the Essamika Juniors. NHL Entry Draft 2000, he was selected by the Florida Panthers in the eighth round at position 234 and switched over to the 2001/2002 season to North America, where he played for Acadie - Bathurst Titan in the Canadian Junior Football League QMJHL.
For the 2003/04 season was Sprukts return to the Latvian league for army club ASK / Ogre. After a brief stint in Denmark in Odense IK Sprukts moved in summer 2004 to HK Riga 2000, where he was Latvian champion. In the season 2005/ 06 Sprukts played in Finland for Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho, where he won the Finnish Championship title with the team.
During the season 2006/ 07 Sprukts first moved into the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans, where he was voted player of the season. Because of its excellent performance in the AHL Sprukts was called twice during the season in the NHL for the Florida Panthers, in which Sprukts end of the season won a regular place.
In preparing for the 2007/2008 season but Sprukts received no fixed regular place in the squad and the Panthers moved to the start of the season back in the first Finnish League to Rauman Lukko. In August 2008 he signed a new two -year contract with the Florida Panthers, who applies for the NHL and the AHL. In the following season he only came to an NHL - use, so he decided to come back to Europe in the summer of 2009. In July 2009, he was taken from Dinamo Riga under contract and completed in the next three years more than 170 KHL games for Dinamo. In May 2012, he moved within the league to HK CSKA Moscow, in which he received a two-year contract. For CSKA, he completed 59 KHL games before his current contract was terminated against payment of compensation. Then Sprukts was vertragslos and was engaged only in October of the same year of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
As Sprukts particular strengths on the ice are its 1.90 m in height and 107 kg enormous physical presence, such as its excellent for a player of this size technical skills.
Internationally
Jānis Sprukts began early in his career, to represent his country at international championships. He participated in the following tournaments:
- U18 European Championship 1999
- U18 World Cup 2000
- U20 World Cup 2000
- U20 World Cup 2001
- World Cup 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
- Olympic qualification in 2005 and 2009
Career Stats
Internationally
( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )