Špaček Ready For New Season Following Heart Surgery
By David Motloch
This summer was especially tough for talented 17-year-old forward Michael Špaček, a top prospect for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Lifetime member of the Pardubice hockey team worked hard to prove his claim for a spot in the first team of the organization, but his training was cut short when he started having heart problems. The Mariánské Lázně native visited cardiology a couple of times and found out that he would require a heart surgery.
Three weeks ago, Špaček underwent the surgery successfully to huge delight of all of his family and friends. That all especially because such type of a surgery is one of the more dangerous surgeries and there’s always a risk. “It’s over and I feel good. I’d like to thank the organization, Ondřej Šebek and Dušan Salfický who got in touch with my agent and thanks to them I could undergo the surgery as soon as possible. It means a lot to me and I will be looking to repay the team as soon as the upcoming season,” said Špaček in a video interview for the official website of his team.
The surgery prevented him from actively participating in any hockey-related acitivities for a couple of weeks, but now that he’s healthy, he is beginning to get ready for the upcoming season. One of the most talented of Czech hockey prospects right now, Špaček has a key season ahead of him as he is eligible for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Internationally, he has played in 43 games in which he had almost a point-per-game average with 22 goals and 21 assists. Also, he appeared in seven games of the 2014 Under-18 World Juniors where he belonged to the leading point-scorers of the Czech national team.
Špaček also missed the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament due to the surgery and he was originally supposed to be one of the leaders of not just the Czech national team, but the entire 2015 draft class. Now, however, it’s time to look forward and one of Michael’s goals is to become an Extraliga regular with Pardubice. We wish him all the best.
Photo courtesy of hcpce.cz
