Karel Plasek

October 2023- Plasek was traded alongside prospect Jack Rathbone to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Ty Glover and Mark Friedman. Cedrick Blais-Turcotte

October 2023 – After a brief stint in the AHL, Plasek returned to his home country last season to play with HC Olomouc in the Tipsport Extraliga. Plasek managed to score six goals and provide nine assists in 31 games, which was a significant achievement for him since he had practically missed the entire previous season due to injury. Plasek is now set to make his comeback in the AHL this season with the Abbotsford Canucks. Cedrick Blais-Turcotte

March 2022 – Unfortunately, Plasek’s first North American stint has not gone to plan. Just six games into his season, the Czechia native suffered a knee injury which would keep him out until March. Through eight matches, he has yet to find the scoresheet. He will look to the final stretch and next year’s training camp to make his mark on the organization. Dave Hall

June 2021 – Plasek, now 20, has officially inked his ELC with Vancouver Canucks and will make his way to Abbotsford to kick-start his North America tour. The slippery winger is coming off a career-best 10 points (6G + 4A) during his third season with Kometa Brno (Czech). Over the two years since being drafted in the sixth round (2019), he has added some much-needed weight to his frame and has taken solid strides each year towards becoming a better offensive threat. While the vote of confidence by the organization is good for his overall development, whether he can transition into an everyday NHL mainstay remains a large question mark. Regardless, his skill set is well worth the contract and he should provide a secondary boost to the farm’s top-nine. Check back in a year. Dave Hall

March 2020 – It was a solid season for the 19-year-old. Plasek was a lineup jumper for the Czech’s at the WJC – elevating into a premier role as the tournament wore on. His deployment in the top Czech league didn’t mimic that experience, but he still managed to produce a few points despite. It’s unclear at this point where Plasek will play in 2020-21 but it’s likely back with Kometa. He’ll look to boost his opportunities and his production before crossing the pond to give North American pro hockey a go. Cam Robinson

December 2019 – Plasek has been invited to the Czech World Junior Selection camp. The 19-year-old has two goals and four points in 22 games in the top Czech league while seeing bottom-six minutes. Plasek is a slight and skilled winger who could mesh well next to highly talented forwards on this team. It will be interesting to see if he can force out some of the draft-eligible talents vying for a spot. Cam Robinson

July 2019 – The Canucks selected overage Czech winger, Karel Plasek with the 175th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The slight and slippery winger split his draft-plus one campaign between the U19, second, and top professional league in the HC Kometa Brno organization. He was far too good for the junior league, recording 10 goals and 15 points in 10 games. His 29 contests in the top league saw him skate primarily in a depth role but continually created offensive chances when on the ice. He was one of the top U19 performers at the Champions Hockey League tournament for his club, trailing only Samuel Fagemo, Aleksi Heponiemi, and Rasmus Kupari in points by a teenager.

Plasek will return to his club team for 2019-20 with an eye towards a full-time top-six role. Adding weight to his frame will be item number one of the checklist before crossing the pond and giving the American league a twirl. Cam Robinson