Slovak winger Miloš Kelemen arrived in Pardubice on Thursday and met his new Dynamo teammates. He was given the option to play in Friday night’s game in Liberec but, between the jetlag, not skating in four days or having practised with his new team at all, the 25-year-old Slovak opted to hold off until Sunday.
Kelemen spoke with Slovak journalist Tomáš Prokop of Denník Šport about the chain of events that led him to this point. Over the past two seasons, he played in 12 NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes, recording a goal and an assist.
“The last two seasons were a positive experience, and gave me a lot in terms of hockey,” Kelemen said about playing in North America. “It’s a different style – on a smaller rink everything is close. We’ll see how that helps me further in my career.”
After a good summer of training and a solid performance at the Olympic qualifiers, where he helped Slovakia secure a spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics, he went into training camp ready to take the next step.
“I’ll be honest, I was expecting a better chance,” Kelemen said about making the Utah HC roster. “I had it in my head all summer, I prepared well, but things didn’t turn out the way I wanted. We addressed it with the management, but it’s a business, everyone is trying to make the best moves for the team. I accept that.”
Not happy with how things were developing with the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL, where he had just one assist in 10 games, he and Slovak teammate Patrik Koch decided that a move back to Europe would be better for their careers.
“They were a bit surprised at first, but I explained my reasons and vision to them,” he said about his talks with Utah management. “Then we agreed.”
It’s important to note that Utah did not release Kelemen or Koch but, rather, these are loans, and the still-nameless NHL club retains their NHL rights. Koch has gone to Oceláři Třinec, the Czech Extraliga’s five-time reigning champion.
“I'm not closing that chapter yet, but I’m not even going to think about it right now,” Kelemen said about another shot at the NHL. “At the moment, I think I made the right decision.”
According to Prokop, Kelemen should get a chance to play on Pardubice’s top line with Roman Červenka and Lukáš Sedlák. The team also has ex-NHLers Martin Kaut, Jiří Smejkal, Libor Hájek, Jasper Weatherby and Jakub Zbořil in its lineup. After Friday night’s 4-1 win in Liberec, Pardubice has opened up an eight-point lead atop the Extraliga standings with 52 points in 25 games. The team’s next game is Sunday in Plzeň.
“I like challenges and I am glad that there are similarly high visions and goals in Pardubice,” said Kelemen. “I’m looking forward to my teammates – I already know a few of them well. I think there should be no problem with anything. I want to enjoy hockey and win.”