Tomáš Plíhal (born 28 March 1983) is a Czech former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player who last played for HC Vlci Jablonec nad Nisou of the Czech 2. liga. Plíhal played several seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) with the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

, who drafted him in the fifth round, 140th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

After being selected by the

in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Plíhal moved to Canada to play junior hockey with the Kootenay Ice of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL). Plíhal played two seasons for the Ice from 2001 through 2003. He then turned professional with the Cleveland Barons of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL), where he played three seasons. Plíhal moved with the team to Worcester (becoming the

Worcester Sharks The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2006 to 2015. Affiliated with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and located in Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachu ...

) in 2006–07. Plíhal was called-up to San Jose on 25 January 2007 and made his NHL debut on 26 January against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

. He was returned to Worcester after three games. Plíhal again rotated between Worcester and San Jose for the 2007–08 season. On 3 March 2008 Plíhal scored his first career assist against the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. On 9 March he scored on his first career penalty shot on Niklas Bäckström of the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

. In 2008–09, Plíhal played his final season in the San Jose organization, spending it entirely in the NHL. In 2009, Plíhal signed as a free agent with TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga. Plíhal played three seasons with Turku. In 2012, he signed with

Oulun Kärpät Oulun Kärpät (Finnish language, Finnish for "Oulu Stoat, Ermines", sometimes referred to as Kärpät Oulu) is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Oulu and playing in the top-tier Finnish Liiga. Kärpät have won the Finnish champion ...

. After playing in Finland for five years, Plíhal returned to his home country, signing with HC Oceláři Třinec in 2014.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plihal, Tomas 1983 births Living people HC Bílí Tygři Liberec players Cleveland Barons (2001–2006) players Czech ice hockey left wingers Heilbronner Falken players HC Kobra Praha players Kootenay Ice players EV Landshut players HC Oceláři Třinec players Orli Znojmo players Oulun Kärpät players People from Frýdlant San Jose Sharks draft picks San Jose Sharks players Stadion Hradec Králové players Tappara players HC TPS players HC Vlci Jablonec nad Nisou players Worcester Sharks players Ice hockey people from the Liberec Region Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Finland Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Germany 21st-century Czech sportsmen