Eurolanche

Svatos: A career marred by injuries

The Colorado Avalanche drafted Marek Svatos with the 227^th overall pick (7^th round) in 2001. After coming to North America, Svatos played for the Kootenay Ice of the WHL, appearing in 92 games and racking up 118 points (61 goals, 57 assists). Svatos and his junior teammates won the 2001/2002 Memorial Cup. He also played for Slovakia at the World Juniors, scoring an impressive 7 goals in as many games en route to becoming the tournament’s top scorer.

During the 2002/2003, Svatos played for Colorado’s AHL affiliate in Hershey, appearing in 30 games and collecting 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists). He made his NHL debut the following season, but only appeared in 4 regular season games due to injuries. Svatos impressed during the play-offs, appearing in 11 games and collecting 6 points (a goal and 6 assists). During the lockout in 2005/2006, he returned to Hershey, playing 72 games and collecting 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists).

The 2005/2006 season was his best in the NHL, as he scored 32 goals and 18 assists in 61 games. His performance earned him a nomination for the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he played in 6 games, but finished the tournament without a point. A shoulder injury after the Olympics ended his season. Before his injury, Svatos led all NHL rookies in game-winning goals (9) and was one of the best rookie scorers in the NHL.

His numbers went down during the 2006/2007 season. Due to a groin injury, Svatos only appeared in 66 games, collecting 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists). The following season, he scored 26 goals in 62 games, the most among Avalanche players. His season was ended by a torn ACL.

On July 25, 2008, Svatos signed a two-year extension with the Avs. During the 2008/2009, he played in 69 games, registering 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists). He missed several games because of a hand injury. The 2009/2010 season was his last with the Avalanche. Svatos only had 11 points (7 goals, 4 assists) in 54 games. He missed 18 games due to a groin and jaw injury. Then-head coach Joe Sacco didn’t trust him and his ice-time began to shrink. Although he had his worst season in the NHL, he earned himself a place in Slovakia’s team for the 2010 World Championship, scoring a goal and collecting an assist in 6 games.

Following the World Championship, Svatos signed with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. He appeared in 19 games, collecting three goals and five assists. After his brief stint in Russia, he returned to the NHL, signing a two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues. Due to him playing in the KHL, Svatos had to go through waivers, where he was claimed by the Nashville Predators. He played 9 games for Nashville, scoring once and registering two assists. The Predators put him in waivers prior to the trade deadline and he was claimed by the Ottawa Senators. He played 19 games for the Senators, collecting 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists). His season and his NHL career were ended by a concussion. The concussion made him miss the entirety of the 2011/2012.

He attempted a comeback to the NHL before the lockout-shortened 2012/2013 began, signing a try-out offer with the Florida Panthers, but wasn’t offered a regular contract after his try-out ended. He signed with Slovan Bratislava before the end of the regular season of the KHL, playing in 6 games and scoring a goal. He played two games in the play-offs, but didn’t get on the scoresheet. 

Svatos returned to Košice, where he began his career, for the 2013/2014 season, where he played 26 games and collected 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists). He played 10 games in the play-offs, registering a goal and three assists en route to winning the Slovak title.

This article was originally written by Rudolf Sery and translated by Michal Hezely

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