Czech defenseman Jakub Zbořil, 28, has signed a one-year contract with HC Vítkovice Ridera, the Czech Extraliga club recently announced. The signing came just 10 months after Zbořil signed a five-year contract with rival Extraliga club Dynamo Pardubice last October [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/surprise-jakub-zboril-signs-in-czechia-but-not-with-kometa-brno]. However, Zbořil and Pardubice mutually agreed to terminate the contract after just one season, in which Zbořil recorded 19 points in 46 regular-season and playoff games. “Jakub is a modern defenseman with excellent skating, an excellent overview of the game and toughness in 1-on-1 battles,” said Ví [https://www.hc-vitkovice.cz/article/13346-Prichazi-dalsi-reprezentant-Jakub-Zboril-bude-hrat-za-Vitkovice]tkovice coach and former NHL player Václav Varaďa [https://www.hc-vitkovice.cz/article/13346-Prichazi-dalsi-reprezentant-Jakub-Zboril-bude-hrat-za-Vitkovice]. “He has experience from the NHL, AHL and the national team [https://thehockeynews.com/international/game-day/jakub-zboril-nets-winner-as-czechs-finns-each-win-on-road-in-beijer-hockey-games-openers], which will be useful in our young squad.” Describing Zbořil as a player, Varaďa said, “He can handle difficult moments of the game. I believe that he will help the team on and off the ice and he will quickly win the hearts of our fans.” Zbořil was born in Brno, Czechia and grew up in the ranks of Kometa Brno, where he played youth and junior hockey before going overseas at age 17 to play for the QMJHL [http://thn.com/qmjhl]’s Saint John Sea Dogs. He was chosen in the first round, 13th overall, by the Boston Bruins [http://thn.com/boston] in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. From 2017 until March of 2024, he played in the Bruins organization, splitting time between Boston and the club’s AHL [http://thn.com/ahl] farm team in Providence. In 76 NHL games, Zbořil scored one goal and added 15 assists and 28 penalty minutes. Jakub Lauko Returns Home To Czechia On Multi-Year Deal [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/528a5010-429c-46fa-a73f-176530bccee6.webp] Jakub Lauko Returns Home To Czechia On Multi-Year Deal Czech forward Jakub Lauko, 25, has signed a three-year contract with Dynamo Pardubice, the Czech Extraliga club announced on Friday. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/jakub-lauko-returns-home-to-czechia-on-multi-year-deal] At the 2023-24 trading deadline, Zbořil was dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets [http://thn.com/columbus] but finished the season in the minors. Prior to last season, Zbořil’s only career Extraliga games occurred during the 2020-21 season, where he suited up with Kometa for 18 games before the start of the pandemic-delayed NHL training camp. Internationally, Zbořil represented Czechia at two IIHF U-18 World Championships, two World Junior Championships and the 2023 World Championship. In 2024-25, Vítkovice finished 12th out of 14 Extraliga teams. In 2025-26,the team has under contract Slovak national team regulars Marek Hrivík [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/ex-ranger-flame-slovak-national-team-captain-signs-multi-year-deal-with-czech-club] and Samuel Kňažko [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/former-columbus-d-prospect-signs-in-czechia], Ralfs Friebergs of the Latvian national team, Krzysztof Maciaś of the Polish nationa [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/whler-macias-scores-twice-in-polands-first-world-championship-game-since-1992]l team [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/whler-macias-scores-twice-in-polands-first-world-championship-game-since-1992], French national team defenseman and former NHLer Yohann Auvitu [https://thehockeynews.com/international/predicting-frances-2026-olympic-roster-will-bellemare-play] and 21-year-old Edmonton Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton] prospect Petr Hauser. INTERVIEW: David Pastrňák Looking Forward To First Game Against Marchand [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/b736c33e-ab84-47a8-9849-be55c3b50237.webp] INTERVIEW: David Pastrňák Looking Forward To First Game Against Marchand David Pastrňák spends his summers in Europe – he, his Swedish wife and their daughter split their time between Sweden and his home country in Czechia. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/interview-david-pastrnak-looking-forward-to-first-game-against-marchand]
