Samuel Hlavaj
| Samuel Hlavaj | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hlavaj with HC Škoda Plzeň in 2024 | |||
| Born |
29 May 2001 Martin, Slovakia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Minnesota Wild Iowa Wild (AHL) HC Slovan Bratislava HC Škoda Plzeň | ||
| National team | Slovakia | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Samuel Hlavaj (born 29 May 2001, in Martin, Slovakia) is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender for the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hlavaj has played for his country in the IIHF World Championships of 2023 and 2024.
Playing career
Junior
Hlavaj signed for Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL) during the 2018–19 season.[1] The following season, 2019–20, Hlavaj played for Canadian side Sherbrooke Phoenix, during which time he won the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy.[2]
Professional
Back in Europe, he played for Slovak team HC Slovan Bratislava for two seasons, before joining Czech side HC Škoda Plzeň in May 2023, signing a two-year contract.[3]
On 5 April 2024, after completing his first season with Plzeň, Hlavaj enacted his NHL out clause after agreeing to terms with the Minnesota Wild on a two-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2024–25 NHL season.[4]
International play
Hlavaj played for the Slovakia men's national junior ice hockey team at the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[1] Hlavaj started three games for Slovakia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. At the 2024 IIHF World Championship he didn't play in Slovakia's opening game,[5] but made five appearances, including a 4–0 win against Poland in which he completed a shutout.[6] At the tournament Hlavaj wore a mask with an image of Juraj Jánošík on it.[5]
In August 2024 he was included in the Slovakia squad for the qualification tournament for the 2026 Winter Olympics,[7] in which he played, and resulted in Slovakia, as well as Denmark and Latvia, qualifying.[8]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2017–18 | MHA Martin | Slovak.20 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 419 | 22 | 0 | 3.15 | .917 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HK Orange 20 | Slovak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 8.67 | .714 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HK Orange 20 | Slovak.1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 283 | 17 | 0 | 3.61 | .877 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HK Orange 20 | Slovak | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 212 | 21 | 0 | 5.95 | .861 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HK Orange 20 | Slovak.1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 119 | 2 | 1 | 1.01 | .957 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 22 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 1178 | 90 | 0 | 4.58 | .862 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Sherbrooke Phoenix | QMJHL | 39 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 2295 | 86 | 3 | 2.25 | .915 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Sherbrooke Phoenix | QMJHL | 20 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 1175 | 62 | 1 | 3.17 | .895 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 176 | 15 | 0 | 5.10 | .857 | ||
| 2021–22 | HC Slovan Bratislava | Slovak | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 476 | 19 | 2 | 2.39 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | HC Modré Krídla Slovan | Slovak.1 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 913 | 49 | 2 | 3.22 | .909 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 476 | 21 | 0 | 2.65 | .920 | ||
| 2022–23 | HC Slovan Bratislava | Slovak | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1060 | 45 | 1 | 2.55 | .916 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 3 | 0 | 3.10 | .900 | ||
| 2022–23 | HC Modré Krídla Slovan | Slovak.1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 370 | 20 | 1 | 3.25 | .913 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 61 | 3 | 0 | 2.96 | .923 | ||
| 2023–24 | HC Plzeň | ELH | 28 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 1511 | 78 | 0 | 3.10 | .903 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 118 | 8 | 0 | 4.07 | .877 | ||
| 2024–25 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 36 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 1958 | 93 | 1 | 2.85 | .904 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Iowa Heartlanders | ECHL | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 297 | 15 | 0 | 3.02 | .885 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| ELH totals | 28 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 1,511 | 78 | 0 | 3.10 | .903 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 118 | 8 | 0 | 4.07 | .877 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Slovakia | U18 | 7th | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 4 | 0 | 4.11 | .889 | |
| 2019 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 188 | 12 | 0 | 3.83 | .872 | |
| 2019 | Slovakia | U18 | 10th | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 201 | 15 | 0 | 4.49 | .894 | |
| 2020 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 201 | 18 | 0 | 5.37 | .851 | |
| 2021 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 119 | 8 | 0 | 4.03 | .889 | |
| 2023 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 189 | 7 | 0 | 2.22 | .932 | |
| 2024 | Slovakia | WC | 7th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 307 | 13 | 1 | 2.54 | .925 | |
| 2024 | Slovakia | OGQ | Q | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 5 | 0 | 1.67 | .929 | |
| Junior totals | 16 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 767 | 57 | 0 | 4.46 | .886 | ||||
| Senior totals | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 676 | 25 | 1 | 2.22 | .929 | ||||
References
- ^ a b "Hlavaj poputuje do zámorskej USHL, dohodol sa s Lincoln Stars". sme.sk (in Slovak). 30 December 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Slovenský brankár Hlavaj s Trofejou Jacquesa Plantea". teraz.sk (in Slovak). 28 March 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ "Hokejová Plzeň podepsala nového brankáře, do klubu přichází Slovák Hlavaj" [Plzeň hockey signed a new goaltender, Slovak Hlavaj comes to the club]. idnes.cz (in Czech). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Minnesota Wild Signs Goalie Samuel Hlavaj to Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com (Press release). 5 April 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Hlavaj spomína na kazašské nájazdy: Šiel som na párky a utieral si z úst kečup aj horčicu". sme.sk (in Slovak). 11 May 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Hlavaj po výhře nad outsiderem: Cítil jsem se hůř než proti Americe" [Hlavaj after victory against outsider: I felt worse than against America]. idnes.cz (in Czech). 16 May 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Slováci berou hráče z KHL. Šatan vyjel na novináře: Jsme apolitická instituce" [Slovaks take players from the KHL. Šatan attacks journalists: We are an apolitical institution]. idnes.cz (in Czech). 19 August 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Hokejisté Slovenska, Lotyšska a Dánska postoupili na ZOH 2026". Czech News Agency (in Czech). 1 September 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database