Samuel Hlavaj (born May 29, 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.
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.[2]
On April 5, 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.[3]
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, and followed that up by playing five matches in the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
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 | ||
| 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.
- ^ "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.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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