David Tomášek was close to NHL contract, Swedish media reports

June 15 was the deadline for NHL teams to sign undrafted players without owing compensation to their European clubs. Several players were signed in the days leading up to it and Czech forward David Tomášek had some interested teams, according to an article published in Swedish newspaper Värmlands Folkblad and reported by website HockeyNews.se. No team is specifically mentioned.

During the recent IIHF World Championship, Tomášek was frequently asked in post-game interviews about the NHL, but he was evasive in answering. Since the deadline passed, however, he has apparently opened up to Swedish media.

“It has been a crazy month with the World Championship gold and the celebrations afterwards,” Tomášek is quoted. “Since then, there have been ups and downs in the talks with NHL clubs. The talks have been handled by people other than me, but sometimes it felt like there was going to be a one-way contract and sometimes not. There is a lot of politics involved and maybe it played a small role that the deadline was June 15.”

Tomášek, 28, has never played in the NHL. His English is excellent, however, as he played youth hockey in Michigan and junior for the Belleville Bulls in the OHL. Since then, he has played professionally in Czechia, Finland, Russia, and spent last season with Färjestad BK in the SHL, where he recorded 25 goals and 45 points in 52 regular-season games.

“Had I been 23 or 24, I might have taken a chance on a two-way contract,” he pondered. “But at my age and the season I had, I didn’t want to take that chance.”

Nonetheless, Tomášek still hasn’t totally given up on his dream of playing in the NHL. He obviously feels that he can duplicate or build on last season’s success and go into next summer in a good bargaining position. If not, he’s signed with Färjestad through the 2025-26 season.

“I still see it as an option,” he said about the NHL. “I won’t become a worse hockey player, and hopefully I can become an even better one in the coming year.”