On Sunday, news broke that 25-year-old defenseman Simon Mack [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/317518/simon-mack], who played last season with the Calgary Wranglers, will play for HK Spišská Nová Ves in the Slovak league this upcoming season. Initially undrafted, Mack made his way into the Wranglers organization during the 2024-25 season, skating two games after serving as captain with Penn State University. Last year, his first full season in professional hockey, he split time between Calgary and the Rapid City Rush, scoring two goals and totaling nine points. The native of Brockville, ON, played minor hockey in Canada before relocating to the United States, where he played two years with the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL and then four seasons at Penn State. As a right-handed defenseman, he's a rare commodity in hockey and plays a role most teams covet, since most defenders are left-handed. According to their team page on Elite Prospects [https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/632/hk-spisska-nova-ves?tab=stats], HK Spišská Nová Ves is stockpiling up experienced players from North America. Based on their current lineup, there's a combined 13 NHL games and 426 AHL games, plus 125 from the SHL, Liiga, and Czechia leagues. Last year, HK Spišská Nová Ves went 21-23 in 54 games for 78 points, which ranked seventh in the league. Meanwhile, the Mack departs a Wranglers team that finished last in the Western Conference and has eight defensemen left [https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/35900/calgary-wranglers] on its projected lineup for 2026-27.
