Roman Červenka wins IIHF Male Player of the Year

Roman Červenka has been named IIHF Male Player of the Year, the hockey world’s governing body announced on Monday.

Červenka, 38, was captain of the Czech national team that won the gold medal at last month’s IIHF World Championship on home ice. In the tournament, he recorded 11 points in 10 games, which tied him for sixth along with six others, including fellow finalists Erik Karlsson on Sweden and John Tavares of Canada. The two Swiss finalists, Kevin Fiala and Roman Josi, finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

During the season, Červenka was also captain of the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in Switzerland’s National League. He had 40 points in 47 games, which led the Lakers and tied him for 15^th in the league.

With 31.3 percent of the vote, Červenka barely edged out Norris Trophy finalist Josi for the award:

1. Roman Červenka – 31.3%

2. Roman Josi – 30.3%

3. Lukáš Dostál – 20.4%

4. Kevin Fiala – 11.2%

The remaining 6.8 percent was split between Karlsson and Tavares.

The result is somewhat surprising and probably a reflection of the high number of Czech journalists who were accredited for the IIHF World Championship last month in Prague and Ostrava. Anyone who was accredited to a men’s World Championship in any age category was eligible to vote.

There were two rounds of voting. In the first, anybody who played in a men’s IIHF international tournament and a top-tier league was eligible to be nominated. The IIHF announced the top six nominees on June 11, which was followed by a second vote.

Červenka has played the last five seasons in Rapperswil-Jona and is signed for a sixth in 2024-25. Previously, he played for Swiss clubs Fribourg-Gottéron and the ZSC Lions, KHL clubs Avangard Omsk, Lev Prague and SKA St. Petersburg, Slavia Prague and Piráti Chomutov in the Czech Extraliga, and 39 games with the Calgary Flames in 2012-23. Internationally, he has represented Czechia at 11 World Championships, from which he has won two gold medals, and is the active all-time leader in assists and points in the competition. He has also played in four Winter Olympics, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and has been captain of the Czech national team since 2022.

Červenka was also a finalist for the Warrior Career Excellence Award at last week’s European Hockey Awards in Prague. That award was won by Finn Valtteri Filppula.