Slovak center Marek Hrivík, 33, has signed a three-year contract with HC Vítkovice Ridera, the Ostrava-based Czech Extraliga club announced on Friday.
“He is an experienced and complex forward who has performed consistently at the international level, whether in the Slovak national team or in the Swedish SHL, where he was a cornerstone of the Leksands IF team for years,” said Vítkovice coach Václav Varaďa. “He is a player with excellent skating and a feel for the game. We believe that his leadership skills, hockey IQ and ability to be a difference-maker will be a great asset to our team.”
“I believe that the team that is being built here under coach Varaďa has great potential, so I didn’t have to hesitate too much about his offer,” said Hrivík. “I have only good references for the club from friends who work or have played for Vítkovice. Of course, I am also looking forward to the Vítkovice fans and the city itself.”
Hrivík’s family and friends from back home will be happy with this move – his hometown of Čadca, Slovakia is less than 50 km from Ostrava and Žilina, where he played his youth hockey up to age 17, isn’t much farther.
Hrivík went overseas to play junior hockey for the Moncton Wildcats in 2009, helped that team to the QMJHL title that year and played in the Memorial Cup. Undrafted he signed with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale (later the Harftord Wolf Pack) as a free agent in early 2012. Between 2012 and 2018, Hrivík played mostly in the AHL but also 24 NHL games with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames, recording three assists and two penalty minutes.
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By winning their group at the final round of qualifying this past weekend, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/latvia-denmark-slovakia-and-maybe-france-qualify-for-2026-olympics">Slovaks have qualified for the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics</a> in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Hrivík played the 2018-19 season with Vityaz Podolsk and part of the 2021-22 season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL, but has otherwise played in the Sweden with Leksands IF up till the 2024-25 season. In 209 SHL regular-season and playoff games, Hrivík has 145 points and 68 penalty minutes. He was the league’s leading scorer and MVP in 2020-21.
Internationally, Hrivík has represented Slovakia at two IIHF U-18 World Championships, two World Junior Championships, four senior-level World Championships and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where he captained the bronze-medal-winning team.
This past season, Vítkovice finished 12th out of 14 Extraliga teams. In 2025-26, in addition to Hrivík, the team has under contract Roberts Bukarts and Ralfs Friebergs of the Latvian national team, Krzysztof Maciaś of the Polish national team, French national team defenseman and former NHLer Yohann Auvitu and 21-year-old Edmonton Oilers prospect Petr Hauser.
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On Monday, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/slovakia-names-olympic-qualifying-roster">Slovak Ice Hockey Association named its 25-man roster for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament</a> in Bratislava, and it’s since been a source of discussion for who was and wasn’t included.