Martin Špaňhel

Martin Špaňhel
Date of birth	July 1, 1977
place of birth	Gottwaldov , Czechoslovakia
size	189 cm
Weight	94 kg
position	Left wing
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft	1995 , 6th lap, 152nd position Philadelphia Flyers
Career stations
until 1995	HC Zlín
1995	Lethbridge Hurricanes
1995-1996	Moose Jaw Warriors
1996-1998	HC Zlín
1998-2000	HC Plzeň
2000-2002	Syracuse crunch
2002-2003	HC Sparta Prague
2003-2004	HIFK Helsinki HC Plzeň
2004-2005	Lillehammer IK
2005-2006	HC Sparta Prague
2006-2009	Frederikshavn White Hawks

Martin Špaňhel (born July 1, 1977 in Gottwaldov , Czechoslovakia ) is a former Czech ice hockey player who spent most of his career in the Czech extra league and in Scandinavia. He also played ten games in the National Hockey League for the Columbus Blue Jackets .

Career

Martin Špaňhel began his career as a hockey player in his hometown with HC Zlín , for whose professional team he made his debut in the Czech extra league during the 1994/95 season . He was then selected in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in the sixth round as a total of 152nd player from the Philadelphia Flyers , for which he however never played. Instead, the attacker ran in the 1995/96 season in the Canadian Junior League Western Hockey League for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors . From 1996 to 2000 he was on the ice in his Czech homeland for two years each for his ex-club HC Zlín and HC Plzeň .

On May 30, 2000 Špaňhel signed as a free agent a contract with the newly founded Columbus Blue Jackets , for which he scored two goals in ten games in the National Hockey League within two seasons . But mainly he played for their farm team Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League . For the 2002/03 season, the left shooter moved to the reigning Czech champions HC Sparta Prague , which he left again at the end of the season. After he had started the following season at HIFK Helsinki in the Finnish SM-liiga , he finished it at HC Plzeň in the Extraliga.

In the 2004/05 season, Špaňhel stormed for Lillehammer IK in the Norwegian GET-ligaen . The following season he spent again at HC Sparta Prague, with whom he won the Czech championship for the first time . From 2006 to 2009 the 2000 World Champion played for the Frederikshavn White Hawks in the Danish AL-Bank Ligaen .

At the beginning of the 2011/12 season he tried to get a contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones , but was unsuccessful. Therefore, he then ended his career.

International

For the Czech Republic , Špaňhel took part in the U20 World Junior Championship in 1997 and the World Championship in 2000 .

Achievements and Awards

• 2000 gold medal at the world championships
• 2006 Czech champion with HC Sparta Prague

statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
NHL Regular Season	2	10	2	0	2	4th
NHL playoffs	-	-	-	-	-	-
AHL regular season	2	117	18th	25th	43	118
AHL playoffs	1	2	0	0	0	8th

Web links

• Martin Špaňhel at eliteprospects.com (English)
• Martin Špaňhel at legendsofhockey.net (English)
• Martin Špaňhel at eurohockey.com