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Martin Nečas

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Martin Nečas
Nečas in 2018
Born (1999-01-15) 15 January 1999 (age 25)
Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Carolina Hurricanes
Kometa Brno
National team  Czech Republic
NHL draft 12th overall, 2017
Carolina Hurricanes
Playing career 2017–present

Martin Nečas (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmarcɪn ˈnɛtʃas]; born 15 January 1999) is a Czech professional ice hockey forward for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nečas made his professional debut with Kometa Brno in 2016, and played a prominent role on the team as they won the Czech Extraliga championship. Regarded as a top prospect for the 2017 NHL entry draft, he was selected 12th overall by the Hurricanes, and made his NHL debut in 2017. Internationally, Nečas represents the Czech Republic.

Playing career

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Junior

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In 2012, Nečas participated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a youth team from Chomutov.[1] A standout junior player, Nečas led the Czech under-16 league in scoring in 2014–15 with 91 points in 34 games, split between the junior teams of Žďár nad Sázavou and HC Kometa Brno.[2] His production decreased in 2015–16 due to missing games from injuries and illness, appearing in only 18 games, with nine goals and 21 assists.[3] Nečas made his professional debut with Brno in 2016, joining the senior team in the Czech Extraliga.

At the conclusion of the 2016–17 Czech Extraliga season and prior to the start of the playoffs for Kometa Brno, Nečas was loaned to Horácká Slavia Třebíč of the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League, the second level of Czech ice hockey, for their playoff series, playing in their final game.[4] Nečas appeared in 41 games for Brno during the 2016–17 season, recording 15 points.[5] During the playoffs he scored another four goals in 10 games, second best on the team, and helped Brno reach the final. However he was unable to play in the final as he was instead sent to the 2017 World U18 Championships;[6] Brno ultimately won the championship.[7]

When the NHL Central Scouting Bureau released its mid-term rankings of eligible prospects for the 2017 NHL entry draft, Nečas was listed as the fifth-best international skater.[8] He maintained this position on the final list released after the conclusion of the 2016–17 NHL regular season.[9] Scouts considered him an undersized forward, but smart and someone who has good offensive instincts and a strong skater.[5] Following his selection by the Hurricanes, 12th overall, Nečas was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with Carolina on 15 July 2017.[10]

NHL

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Nečas during a game against the Seattle Kraken in 2023.

Initially it was expected that Nečas would not join the Hurricanes immediately, and instead was expected to either return to the Czech Republic, or play for the Hurricanes' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, or the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who selected him in the CHL Import Draft in 2017.[11] His play during Hurricanes' training camp, where he demonstrated his skill, earned him a roster spot. The decision to keep Nečas with the team was aided due both to an injury to veteran Lee Stempniak, and that Nečas could play up to nine regular season games in the NHL before it counted against one year of his contract.[12] Though named to the roster, Nečas was a healthy scratch and only practiced with the team, and his NHL debut came 17 October 2017, in a 5–3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.[13][14] Nečas remained on the Hurricanes roster until 23 October, though did not appear in any more games, when he was returned on loan to continue his development in Brno.[15] Nečas had 17 points in 24 games, leading junior-aged players in scoring, and helped Brno win the Czech Extraliga championship for a second year in a row.[16][17]

Nečas started the 2018–19 season with the Hurricanes in the NHL. On 16 October 2018, he recorded his first NHL goal on a pass from fellow rookie Warren Foegele in a 4–2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.[18] After seven games with the Hurricanes, where he had one goal and one assist, Nečas was assigned to Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.[19]

Considered the top prospect in Carolina's system going into the 2019–20 season, Nečas was named to the team for the start of the season. On 3 October 2019, he scored a power play goal in the season-opening 4–3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens.[20] On 9 August 2022, Nečas was re-signed to a two-year contract extension until the end of the 2023–24 season.[21] In the first year of the extension, during the 2022–23 season, Nečas led the Hurricanes in points with 71. On 29 July 2024, the Hurricanes re-signed Nečas to a two-year contract.[22]

International play

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Nečas at the 2017 World Junior Championships
Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Czech Republic
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold medal – first place 2016 Czech Republic/Slovakia

Nečas first played internationally with the Czech Republic under-17 team at the 2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he served as captain and recorded five points in five games, leading his team in scoring.[2] He again was captain for the Czech Republic team at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, an invitational tournament, where he finished seventh overall in scoring with six points in four games, helping the team win gold.[23][24] He later made his debut in the 2017 World Junior Championships, where he had three points for the Czech Republic junior team. He also participated at the 2017 World U18 Championships, serving as captain of the team, and had three assists in five games as the Czech Republic team lost in the quarterfinals.[25]

Nečas led the 2018 World Junior Championships with eight assists and tied for the scoring lead (with Casey Mittelstadt of the United States) with 11 points, helping the team to a fourth-place finish.[19] He was then named to the Czech Republic senior team for the 2018 World Championship, finishing with five points in seven games.[16] The Hurricanes lent Nečas to the 2019 World Junior Championships, where he served as captain of the Czech Republic team.[26]

He represented the Czech Republic senior team at the 2024 World Championship and won a gold medal.[27]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 Žďár nad Sázavou Czech.16 36 29 29 58 14 — — — — —
2014–15 Žďár nad Sázavou Czech.16 25 24 47 71 10 — — — — —
2014–15 Kometa Brno Czech.16 9 8 12 20 4 4 4 5 9 2
2014–15 Kometa Brno Czech.18 4 1 2 3 4 — — — — —
2015–16 Kometa Brno Czech.18 18 9 21 30 14 10 4 11 15 6
2016–17 Kometa Brno Czech.20 1 1 2 3 4 — — — — —
2016–17 Kometa Brno ELH 41 7 8 15 6 10 4 0 4 8
2016–17 Horácká Slavia Třebíč Czech.2 — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Kometa Brno ELH 24 9 8 17 6 14 4 5 9 6
2018–19 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 7 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
2018–19 Charlotte Checkers AHL 64 16 36 52 36 18 5 8 13 6
2019–20 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 64 16 20 36 20 8 1 3 4 0
2020–21 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 53 14 27 41 10 11 2 3 5 0
2021–22 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 78 14 26 40 32 14 0 5 5 0
2022–23 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 82 28 43 71 32 15 4 3 7 2
2023–24 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 77 24 29 53 42 11 4 5 9 0
ELH totals 65 16 16 32 12 24 8 5 13 14
NHL totals 362 97 146 243 138 59 11 19 30 2

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 Czech Republic U17 7th 5 4 1 5 4
2016 Czech Republic IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 2 4 6 2
2017 Czech Republic WJC 6th 5 1 2 3 2
2017 Czech Republic U18 7th 5 0 3 3 4
2018 Czech Republic WJC 4th 7 3 8 11 0
2018 Czech Republic WC 7th 7 3 2 5 0
2019 Czech Republic WJC 7th 5 1 3 4 18
2024 Czechia WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 1 6 7 2
Junior totals 31 11 21 32 30
Senior totals 12 4 8 12 2

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
ELH
Rookie of the Year 2017
Champion 2017, 2018
Zlatá helma Sencor (MVP) 2018
AHL
Calder Cup champion 2019 [28]

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b Willis, Jonathan (5 November 2015). "North America no problem for Czech star Necas". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  3. ^ Woodlief, Kyle (2 December 2016). "NHL draft 2017: Active month in rankings; biggest surprises in Europe". USAToday.com. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  4. ^ Hedbávný, Marek (2 March 2017). "Posila pro Třebíč. Proti Slavii jí pomůže Martin Nečas" (in Czech). Hockej.cz. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  5. ^ a b Mahiban, Dhiren (19 June 2017). "Learning from the pros". IIHF.com. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  6. ^ Sport.sk (13 April 2017). "MS18: Čechom príde na pomoc aj ich vychádzajúca hviezda Nečas" (in Slovak). Sport.aktuality.sk. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  7. ^ O'Brien, Derek (21 April 2017). "Kometa Brno wins Czech title". IIHF.com. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  8. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (18 January 2017). "2017 Draft: Nolan Patrick tops midterm rankings". NHL.com. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  9. ^ NHL (2017). "2017 Draft Prospect Rankings – European Skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Hurricanes agree to terms with Martin Necas". NHL.com. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  11. ^ Alexander, Chip (29 June 2017). "Canes' top draft pick takes the ice. How did he look?". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  12. ^ Alexander, Chip (3 October 2017). "Young enough for you? Two rookie forwards, D-man on Canes' opening-night roster". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  13. ^ Smith, Michael (19 October 2017). "Necas Ready for NHL Debut in Edmonton". NHL.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  14. ^ Alexander, Chip (18 October 2017). "Hurricanes start fast, turn back Oilers 5-3". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  15. ^ Wells, Rosie (23 October 2017). "Hurricanes return Necas to HC Kometa Brno". NHL.com. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  16. ^ a b Vickers, Aaron (20 May 2018). "Necas primed for successful future with Hurricanes". NHL.com. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  17. ^ Alexander, Chip (27 June 2018). "Canes' Necas more polished and confident, ready to be in NHL this season". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  18. ^ Long, Corey (16 October 2018). "Johnson scores hat trick in Lightning win against Hurricanes". NHL.com. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  19. ^ a b Kreuz, Julia (19 December 2018). "Hurricanes loan forward Martin Necas to Czech Republic for world juniors". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Recap: Canes Top Canadiens in Shootout on Opening Night". NHL.com. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Canes Re-Sign Necas To Two-Year Contract". NHL.com. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Necas signs 2-year, $13 million contract with Hurricanes, avoids hearing". NHL.com. 29 July 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  23. ^ Vavřina, Radoslav (21 September 2016). "Češi na příštím draftu: Překoná Nečas Zachu?" (in Czech). NHL.cz. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  24. ^ O'Brien, Derek (23 December 2016). "Necas' meteoric rise". WorldJunior2017.com. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  25. ^ Zatloukal, Tomáš (21 April 2017). "Kapitán Nečas: Měl jsem dát víc gólů, konec ve čtvrtfinále je neúspěch". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). Prague. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  26. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (31 December 2018). "Czechs to quarters after clutch win". IIHF.com. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  27. ^ "Czechs strike gold on home ice". IIHF.com. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Check and Mate! Charlotte wins Calder Cup". American Hockey League. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Carolina Hurricanes first round draft pick
2017 		Succeeded by
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