In early April, the Edmonton Oilers signed David Tomášek, a 29-year-old Czech winger who has never played in the NHL, to a one-year, one-way contract worth $1.2 million US, according to PuckPedia.

Reportedly, Tomášek was close to an NHL deal last year but ended up returning to Färjestad in Sweden, where he led the SHL in (24) goals, (33) assists and (57) points in 2024-25, and won the league’s MVP award.

Although he’s never played professional hockey in North America, he did play three years of youth hockey in Michigan and then two seasons for the OHL’s Belleville Bulls. He was never drafted, however, and has spent the decade since back in Europe – in Czechia with Dynamo Pardubice and Sparta Prague, with JYP in Finland, with Amur Khabarovsk in Russia and with Färjestad. 

An injury at the end of the season kept Tomášek out of this year’s IIHF World Championship, but he’s since recovered and is now back home in Prague, getting ready for what lies ahead.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he recently told Hokej.cz’s Ondřej Mach. “Edmonton is an excellent organization, they’ve been to the Stanley Cup finals the last two years, they have two of the best players in the world... It’s a small reward for the work I’ve put in, and something new to motivate me.”

Did you have several NHL offers to choose from?
“I wouldn’t say there were that many. Two or three teams that were more seriously interested. I had some discussions with Edmonton last year, but it didn’t work out. Some clubs were only offering two-way contracts. I guess the deciding moment was when they visited me in Sweden – that always convinces you in some way.”

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 <a href="https://www.vf.se/2024/06/18/tomasek-om-nhl-forhandlingarna-och-galna-manaden-har-aldrig-varit-med-om-nagot-liknande-3fc82/"><em>Värmlands Folkblad</em></a> and reported by website <a href="https://hockeynews.se/nyheter/tomasek-det-har-varit-en-galen-mnad">HockeyNews.se</a>. No team is specifically mentioned.

Was this your last chance to try to break through in North America? It’s not a common practise for clubs to take a chance on European players around 30 years old.
“I guess so. There are also cases of older players – everyone has their own path – but it doesn’t happen every day, so I’m glad it worked out. I can say that I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my career, and I can still improve.”

Are you looking forward to meeting Connor McDavid and some of the other stars on the team?
“Definitely. I’m looking forward to seeing how those players work, think about the game, practise... I hope that camp goes well for me and I can win a stable spot.”

Did you watch this year’s Stanley Cup final on TV?
“Yeah, I couldn’t not watch it. Really amazing hockey – something incredible for June. Edmonton gave it a good fight, but Florida was the best team in the NHL and didn’t give them much of a chance. They deserved to win. It’s incredible what those guys can do.”

Is it a benefit for you to go to a team with such high ambitions?
“I don’t see it that way. I don’t think it matters where I go – I’m coming from Europe as an undrafted player. I had to somehow make my way there, to earn my way in Sweden. I see it the same way, even though I’m heading to a very high-end team. I want to play my best, and I’ll accept any role. I’ll start from there and not worry about what I can’t influence.”

Zurich Lions Win Champions Hockey League Final – Back-To-Back Titles For Switzerland For the second year in a row, a Swiss team has defeated a Swedish team in the Champions Hockey League final. On their home ice, the ZSC Lions defeated visiting Färjestad 2-1 before a sell-out crowd of 12,000 at Swiss Life Arena in Zurich.

Have you arranged your housing yet?
“Not yet. I was waiting, because they played for quite a long time, to see how it would turn out. Now we’ll slowly start working on that. We’ll figure it out somehow.”

How did the farewell in Sweden go?
“Slightly emotional. It was only two seasons, but from a personal point of view, it was excellent. They treated me well. There was a bit of bitterness left from the loss in the playoffs, and from the loss in the Champions League final. That’s how hockey is sometimes. It’s about 20 people, and (this time) it didn’t work out. But otherwise, they were great seasons for me, and they really did a lot for my career.”

How’s your summer going? When are you planning to fly to Canada?
“First I had to recover from an injury. The usual thing – putting myself together. We took a break, now I’m more or less in the training process. I want to give myself the best chance to be healthy and ready. I still have quite a bit of time before I leave.”

In February, the NHL schedule will be interrupted by the Olympics in Milan. Do you think at all about playing for the Czech team?
“Of course. Playing for the national team is an honor. It didn’t work out this year, but I want to prepare even more so that my body can be ready. Something new awaits me – a demanding season. It’s one of the things that motivates me, but at the same time, it’s a long way off. I’ll have to take it one step at a time. First, I have to fight for a place on the team, and then take what comes next.

Photo: Fredrik Karlsson / BILDBYRÅN / COP 185 / FK0364 / Champions Hockey League

Czechs have lots of options for 2026 Olympics It's often difficult to know what to expect from the Czechs, who can produce wildly different results depending on which players are in their lineup. They surely have some elite talent and then a lot of rather mediocre depth players on both sides of the Atlantic that almost seem interchangeable. For that reason, predicting their roster is a bit of a guessing game. If Radim Rulík remains head coach through the 2026 Winter Olympics, he might stick with the team that gelled very nicely at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won gold on home ice, especially with the Olympics on a wider European ice surface.