VladimÃr Vůjtek
Vladimír Vůjtek junior ( born February 17, 1972 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia ) is a former Czech ice hockey player, who in his active period from 1988 to 2007 included for the Canadiens de Montréal, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and the Pittsburgh Penguins has played in the National Hockey League. His father Vladimír Vůjtek senior is a professional ice hockey coach.
- 2.1 International
Career
Vladimír Vůjtek junior began his career as a hockey player with the TJ Vitkovice, for the first team he 1988/89 his debut in the first league, the highest Czechoslovak league was in the season. In three games, he was doing one assist. In the following season, the winger was able to increase on seven goals and as many templates with 29 inserts. The season 1990/91 he started in Vitkovice, changed the course of the season, however, to the Tri -City Americans, for in the Canadian junior Western Hockey League, he went hunting for goals in the following one and a half years. In 1991 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected in the fourth round as a total 73 players from the Canadiens de Montréal. After he was able to convince in his second WHL season with 102 points, including 41 goals, in 53 games completely, he also came in the 1991/92 season two appearances for Montreal in the National Hockey League. In addition, he has been this year, was elected to the First All -Star Team of the Western Conference of the WHL, and the third All-Star team of the Canadian Hockey League, the umbrella organization of Canada's top junior leagues.
On August 27, 1992 Vůjtek was submitted along with Shayne Corson and Brent Gilchrist in exchange for Vincent Damphousse and a fourth- round option for the NHL Entry Draft in 1993 to the Edmonton Oilers. In the following two years he was in parallel for the Oilers in the NHL, as well as their farm team, the Cape Breton Oilers in the American Hockey League action. With Cape Breton of the Calder Cup Czech won in the 1992/93 season. After he was used in the 1994/95 season for Edmonton's farm team Cape Breton in the AHL and the Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League, he returned to Vitkovice, for which he took in the following one and a half years in the Czech Extraliga. The 1996/97 season spent the links Sagittarius at Ässät Pori in the Finnish SM- liiga. Then gave him the Edmonton Oilers, who still held the rights transfer to the player on their league rivals Tampa Bay Lightning from. In the 1997/98 season he was able to complete two just 30 games for Tampa Bay in the NHL and their AHL farm team Adirondack Red Wings because he fell ill at the Epstein- Barr virus.
In the 1998/99 season Vůjtek could convince with his hometown club HC Vitkovice in the Extraliga, scoring 55 points scorer in 47 games. Then took him the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent contract, but could there not prevail in the subsequent period and complete a total of only three games in the NHL, after he suffered severe facial injuries in a preseason game against the New York Rangers. Later in the season 1999/2000 played the former national player for HC Sparta Prague, the Czech champion he was at first. At European level, he took his team to second place in the European Hockey League in which he the top Russian club HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk subject with his team in the final with 0:2. Vůjtek, who scored two goals and two assists in the final round in four games, was elected to the All-Star team at the Final Four. In the following season, he ran for Sparta Prague, before he finished second in the 2001/ 02 season with HPK Hämeenlinna third place in the Finnish SM- liiga. For the Finns, the Czech was also impressive. In November 2001, he was voted player of the month, the SM- liiga, at the end of the season even in the All-Star team. Therefore, it undertook the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he once again with trying to establish himself in the NHL failed. Then he ran six times for Vitkovice on in the Extraliga, before he ended the season 2002 /03 at Severstal Cherepovets in the Russian Super League.
The 2003/04 season began Vůjtek at his former club HPK Hämeenlinna in Finland, the game time however but finished again in the Russian Super League, this time at Chimik Woskressensk. After another season for Vitkovice in the Czech Republic, the former NHL player was in the 2005/06 season first in Switzerland at Forward Morges HC in the National League B, and the ZSC Lions in the National League A on the ice before he doe season ended in his parent club HC Vitkovice. The season 2006/ 07 he spent the HC Ocelari Třinec, before he ended his career at the age of 35 years.
Since 2007 he works as a player agent for Euro Hockey Services sro in Prague.
Internationally
For the Czech national Vůjtek participated solely in the World Cup 1997. In this he was able to convince fully. With seven goals and as many templates he led his team to a bronze medal and was both top scorer, as well as top scorer of the tournament. In addition, he was elected to the All-Star team in the world championship.
Awards and achievements
- 2000 All- Star team of the Final Four of the European Hockey League
- 2000 Czech champion with the HC Sparta Prague
- 2001 SM liiga Player of the Month for November
- 2002 SM liiga All- Star Team