Radek Faksa

Radek Faksa
Born January 9, 1994
Opava, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 213 lb (97 kg; 15 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Dallas Stars
Texas Stars (AHL)
NHL Draft 13th overall, 2012
Dallas Stars
Playing career 2013present

Radek Faksa (born January 9, 1994) is a Czech ice hockey player.[1] He is currently playing with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.[2] In his rookie season in the OHL he was the league's leading rookie scorer while playing for the Kitchener Rangers.[3] Faksa was drafted 13th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2012 NHL Draft.

Playing career

Amateur

Faksa began his hockey career in his birth city of Opava, but at age 11, his single mother was struggling to pay for his hockey career. Faksa and his family received an offer from HC Oceláři Třinec for Faksa to play in Třinec's system. Faksa and his family accepted the offer and Faksa moved alone to Třinec where he lived by himself in a hotel paid for by his team until the age of 17.

Faksa was drafted 22nd in the CHL Import draft by the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.

In his first season with the Rangers, Faksa played mostly on the second line, scoring 29 goals and 37 assists for 66 points in 62 games in his first season of North American hockey. Faksa's draft stock rose throughout the season, and he solidified himself as a top prospect, and was listed fourth on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's midterm ranking of North American skaters.[4]

He was selected to participate in the 2012 CHL Top Prospects Game where he won the “Showdown Breakaway Challenge” in the Top Prospects Skills Competition.[5]

Faksa finished his as the rookie leading scorer in the OHL, and finished second in voting for the Emms Family Award, awarded to the top first year player in the OHL behind 15 year old Aaron Ekblad.[3]

On January 10, 2014, Faksa was traded by Kitchener to the Sudbury Wolves in exchange for fellow Czech Dominik Kubalik and two 2nd round draft picks.[6]

Professional

On June 22, 2012, Radek Faksa was drafted 13th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2012 NHL Draft. He was the first Czech taken in the first round since Jakub Voracek in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In addition, he was picked 7th overall in the 2012 KHL Junior Draft by HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.

On July 6, 2012, Faksa signed an entry level contract with the Dallas Stars.[7] Upon completing his junior career with the Sudbury Wolves, on April 3, 2014, Faksa was reassigned by the Dallas Stars to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.[8]

International play

Faksa competed with the Czech junior national team at the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships, the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 HC Oceláři Třinec Czech U20 36 19 19 38 52
2010–11 HC Oceláři Třinec Czech U20 24 9 6 15 12 2 2 2 4 4
2011–12 Kitchener Rangers OHL 62 29 37 66 47 13 2 4 6 10
2012–13 Kitchener Rangers OHL 39 9 22 31 26 10 4 2 6 4
2012–13 Texas Stars AHL 2 0 1 1 0
2013–14 Kitchener Rangers OHL 30 16 11 27 22
2013–14 Sudbury Wolves OHL 29 5 16 21 26 5 1 2 3 10
2013–14 Texas Stars AHL 6 1 2 3 6 21 4 0 4 8
2014–15 Texas Stars AHL 32 4 6 10 12
AHL totals 40 5 9 14 18 21 4 0 4 8

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2011 Czech Republic WJC18 8th 6 0 0 0 2
2012 Czech Republic WJC 5th 6 2 0 2 4
2013 Czech Republic WJC 5th 6 0 2 2 2
2014 Czech Republic WJC 6th 5 1 0 1 2
Junior totals 23 3 2 5 10

References

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jamie Oleksiak
Dallas Stars first round draft pick
2012
Succeeded by
Valeri Nichushkin