Roman Červenka

Roman Červenka[1] (born 10 December 1985) is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL). He formerly played with Slavia Praha of the Czech Extraliga, Avangard Omsk and Lev Praha both of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was the leading goal scorer in the KHL in 2010–11 and was named to the All-Star team in 2011–12 before moving to North America after signing a contract with the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Calgary Flames.

Roman Červenka
Born	(1985-12-10) 10 December 1985 Prague, Czechoslovakia
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NL team Former teams	SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers Slavia Praha Avangard Omsk Lev Praha Calgary Flames SKA Saint Petersburg Piráti Chomutov HC Fribourg-Gottéron ZSC Lions
National team	Czech Republic
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2003–present

Internationally, Červenka has played with the Czech Republic national team on several occasions, winning a bronze medal at the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and gold and bronze at the 2010 and 2011 IIHF World Championships, respectively. Additionally, he represented his country as a member of the Czech team at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Playing career

Červenka began playing with Slavia Praha's junior teams, playing for the under-18 team in 2000–01 and 2001–02, and the under-20 team in 2002–03 and 2003–04. During the 2003–04 season, he also made his Czech Extraliga debut, playing a total of 15 games with the top-level team. After playing for various junior-level and 1 Liga teams during the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons, Červenka rejoined Slavia Praha in 2006–07. In 2008–09, he scored 59 points (28 goals and 31 assists) in 51 games.[2][3]

Červenka has represented the Czech Republic with the national team on multiple occasions. He earned a bronze medal at the 2005 World Junior Championships. He also played at the 2009 IIHF World Championship and was selected to play for the 2010 Winter Olympics. At the time of the Olympic team selection, Červenka was leading the Extraliga with 55 points in 35 games.[4][5]

On 25 May 2010, Červenka signed a two-year contract with Russian club Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[6] He earned a place on the left wing of the first line alongside his countryman Jaromír Jágr and established himself as a prolific KHL scoring forward. In his first season in the league, Červenka was selected to play in the Kontinental Hockey League All-Star Game, collecting more fan votes than any other skater in the league.[7] Having scored 31 times in the 2010–11 season, Červenka earned the Top Goalscorer award from the KHL.[8]

On 2 May 2012, Červenka signed a one-year contract with a base salary of $975,000 and a maximum of $3.775 million with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). His debut with the team was delayed by the 2012–13 NHL lockout, during which he returned to play for Slavia Praha. He appeared in 9 games for the team, scoring 13 points. He left the team due to injury, then returned to action with Lev Praha of the KHL, but suffered another injury after only five games. He was further sidelined by a blood clot issue that left him out of the Flames' lineup to start the 2012–13 NHL season.[9] Červenka missed the first three games of the season before making his NHL debut on 26 January 2013 in a 4–3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.[10] He scored his first NHL point (an assist) in the following game, against the Colorado Avalanche.[11] Červenka's year with the Flames was disappointing largely due to missing training camp,[12] subpar conditioning, struggling with the English language[13] and coaches finding his defensive zone play to be a liability.[14]

On 16 May 2013, Červenka returned to the KHL after signing a three-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg.[15] He left after two years and then spent the 2015–16 season with Piráti Chomutov of the Czech Extraliga; he scored 23 goals and provided 38 assists in 49 games during the regular season, ranking first in league scoring.

In March 2016, he signed with HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the Swiss National League (NL).[16] After two seasons in Fribourg, on 23 May 2018, Červenka joined ZSC Lions on a one-year contract. On 20 June 2019, Červenka signed a one-year contract with his third Swiss club, SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, to remain in the NL.

Personal life

Červenka in 2011.

Červenka is Orthodox Christian, after Jaromír Jágr took him to churches in Omsk where he would be baptized.[17]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2003–04	HC Slavia Praha	ELH		15	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	HC Slavia Praha	ELH		22	0	0	0	12		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	HC Slavia Praha	ELH		51	6	6	12	54		6	3	1	4	6
2007–08	HC Slavia Praha	ELH		41	19	11	30	72		14	4	4	8	20
2008–09	HC Slavia Praha	ELH		51	28	31	59	56		18	13	11	24	20
2009–10	HC Slavia Praha	ELH		50	30	43	73	56		16	9	15	24	34
2010–11	Avangard Omsk	KHL		51	31	30	61	56		12	5	4	9	4
2011–12	Avangard Omsk	KHL		54	23	16	39	18		20	11	10	21	4
2012–13	HC Slavia Praha	ELH		9	5	8	13	14		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	HC Lev Praha	KHL		5	1	2	3	2		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Calgary Flames	NHL		39	9	8	17	14		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	SKA Saint Petersburg	KHL		53	14	25	39	34		10	6	11	17	8
2014–15	SKA Saint Petersburg	KHL		55	13	23	36	22		22	2	5	7	10
2015–16	Piráti Chomutov	ELH		49	23	38	61	96		8	3	6	9	12
2016–17	HC Fribourg-Gottéron	NLA		44	16	35	51	32		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	HC Fribourg-Gottéron	NL		32	13	24	37	28		5	1	4	5	4
2018–19	ZSC Lions	NL		22	5	16	21	8		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers	NL		32	14	27	41	30		—	—	—	—	—
ELH totals				288	111	138	249	362		70	32	37	69	94
KHL totals				218	82	96	178	132		64	24	30	54	26
NHL totals				39	9	8	17	14		—	—	—	—	—

International

Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
World Junior Championships
	2005 USA
World Championships
	2010 Germany
	2011 Slovakia

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005	Czech Republic	WJC			7	1	0	1	8
2009	Czech Republic	WC	6th		7	2	1	3	2
2010	Czech Republic	OG	7th		5	0	2	2	0
2010	Czech Republic	WC			9	1	1	2	2
2011	Czech Republic	WC			9	4	6	10	4
2014	Czech Republic	OG	6th		5	2	0	2	2
2014	Czech Republic	WC	4th		10	2	3	5	4
2015	Czech Republic	WC	4th		10	2	3	5	0
2016	Czech Republic	WC	5th		8	2	5	7	2
2016	Czech Republic	WCH	6th		2	0	0	0	0
2017	Czech Republic	WC	7th		8	3	3	6	4
2018	Czech Republic	OG	4th		6	3	1	4	4
2018	Czech Republic	WC	7th		8	0	2	2	8
Junior totals					7	1	0	1	8
Senior totals					87	21	27	48	32

Awards and honours

Award	Year
KHL
KHL Best Sniper Award	2010–11	[18]
Golden Helmet Award All-Star team	2011–12	[19]
Gagarin Cup	2014–15

References

1. Prague Post
2. "Roman Cervenka". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
3. "Roman Cervenka". Eurohockey. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
4. "Czech Republic finalizes Olympic hockey squad". The Sports Network. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
5. "Provisional Rosters". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
6. "Чемпион мира, лучший нападающий Чемпионата Чехии подписал двухлетний контракт с "Авангардом"" [The World Champion signs a two-year contract] (in Russian). Avangard Omsk. 25 May 2010. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
7. "Fans' Choice". KHL. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
8. "The League's Finest". KHL. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
9. Sportak, Randy (7 January 2013). "Newcomer Cervenka won't be starting camp". Calgary Sun. p. S8.
10. Maki, Alan (27 January 2013). "Flames respond to early-season struggles with 4–3 win over Oilers". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
11. "Paul Stastny scores twice to lead Avs past Flames". ESPN. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
12. Francis, Eric (15 May 2013). "Roman Cervenka was a risk worth taking for Calgary Flames". Calgary Sun.
13. Sportak, Randy. "Flames' Cervenka shows he deserves another look". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
14. Gilbertson, Wes (15 May 2013). "Flames forward Roman Cervenka has signed with St. Petersburg of the KHL". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
15. Fox, Luke (16 May 2013). "Flames' Cervenka signs with KHL team". sortsnet.ca.
16. "Le champion du monde Roman Červenka renforcera Fribourg-Gottéron pour la saison 2016/2017 | HC Fribourg-Gottéron". www.gotteron.ch. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
17. Роман Червенка: «Ягр требовал, чтобы я платил ему за работу пресс-атташе»
18. Duhatschek, Eric (2 May 2012). "Flames splash cash to sign Roman Cervenka". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
19. Busby, Ian (25 May 2012). "Flames signee a KHL all-star". Calgary Sun. p. S7.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database