Marek Schwarz

Marek Schwarz
Born April 1, 1986
Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team 		St. Louis Blues
HC Sparta Praha (CZE)
NHL Draft 17th overall, 2004
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 2003–present

Marek Schwarz (born April 1, 1986 in Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the HC Sparta Prague.

Playing career

Schwarz played junior in his native Czech Republic with Sparta Praha's junior team. He made his debut at the senior level with Sparta Praha playing one game in the Czech Extraliga in 2002–03. The following season, he joined the Extraliga full-time at seventeen-years-old and played between three teams – HC Plzeň, HC Oceláři Třinec and Sparta Praha. That off-season, Schwarz was drafted 17th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Upon being drafted, he moved to North America to play major junior in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Vancouver Giants. He posted a 2.67 GAA and a winning record before moving back to the Czech Republic the following season to continue to play for Sparta Praha.

In 2006–07, he began playing for the Peoria Rivermen, the Blues' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He was called up that season and played in his first NHL game on December 12, 2006, against the Chicago Blackhawks. Schwarz made 21 saves on 24 shots as the Blues lost 3–2.[1] At 20 years old, he became the third youngest goaltender in Blues history to play in a game.

On October 25, 2008, Schwarz combined with third-string goalie Ben Bishop for a 4-0 shutout against the Florida Panthers. With Manny Legacé and Chris Mason out due to injuries, Schwarz was called up to play backup to Bishop when Bishop also went down with an injury in the third period. Schwarz completed the shutout with 15 minutes to go.[2]

Career statistics

Regular season

   
Season Team League GP MIN GA EN SO GAA W L T/OTL SV SV%
2002–03 Sparta Praha CZE 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 0 0 —
2003–04 HC Plzeň CZE 10 603 33 0 0 3.28 4 5 1 389 .922
2003–04 HC Oceláři Třinec CZE 5 280 12 0 0 2.57 3 2 0 163 .931
2003–04 Sparta Praha CZE 8 335 20 0 0 3.58 1 6 1 173 .896
2004–05 Vancouver Giants WHL 56 3304 147 0 2 2.67 26 24 4 1325 .900
2005–06 Sparta Praha CZE 15 746 32 0 1 2.57 7 8 0 369 .920
2006–07 Peoria Rivermen AHL 34 1912 88 5 1 2.76 19 13 0 782 .899
2006–07 St. Louis Blues NHL 2 60 3 1 0 3.00 0 1 0 22 .880
2007–08 Peoria Rivermen AHL 33 1808 84 6 1 2.79 14 14 2 686 .891
2007–08 Alaska Aces ECHL 6 375 13 0 0 2.08 6 0 0 158 .924
2007–08 St. Louis Blues NHL 2 50 6 0 0 3.00 0 1 0 11 .647
NHL totals 4 110 9 1 0 4.91 0 2 0 33 .786

Playoffs

   
Season Team League GP MIN GA EN SO GAA W L SV SV%
2005 Vancouver Giants WHL 6 378 18 0 2.86 2 4 186 .903
2006 Sparta Praha CZE 1 1 0 0 0.00 0 0 0
2008 Alaska Aces ECHL 8 25 0 3.21 5 2 280 .911
NHL Totals -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

References

  1. ↑ "Chicago vs. St. Louis". USA Today. 2006-12-12. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  2. ↑ "Blues beat Panthers 4-0". usatoday30.usatoday.com (Tysons Corner, VA: Gannett). 2008-10-26. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved 2008-10-28.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Shawn Belle		 St. Louis Blues first round draft pick
2004 		Succeeded by
T. J. Oshie