Tomáš Tatar
Slovak forward who won Calder Cup MVP with Grand Rapids.
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Tomáš Tatar is a Slovak professional ice hockey forward who played for the Detroit Red Wings after being drafted 60th overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft. He made his NHL debut on 31 December 2010, scoring his first goal against Dwayne Roloson of the New York Islanders, and later won the Calder Cup with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2013, earning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP.
Lore & Background
Tatar began his professional career in the Slovak Extraliga with HKM Zvolen before moving to North America after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings on 25 September 2009. He spent his first three professional seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins, becoming the team's leading scorer in 2011–12 and again in the 2013 playoffs, where he led the Griffins to a Calder Cup championship. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he played for ŠHK 37 Piešťany in Slovakia, then split the remainder of the season between Detroit and Grand Rapids.
In his first full NHL season (2013–14), Tatar finished second on the Red Wings in goals with 19. He was named Second Star of the Week twice during the 2014–15 season. After signing a four-year, $21.2 million extension in July 2017, he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in February 2018, then to the Montreal Canadiens before the 2018–19 season. With Montreal, he set a career high in points (61) in 2019–20 and played on the first line during the Canadiens' run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, though he was frequently a healthy scratch.
Tatar later played for the New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, and Seattle Kraken before returning to New Jersey on a one-year contract in July 2024. In 2025, after 14 NHL seasons, he signed a two-year contract with EV Zug of the Swiss National League, where the team announced he would be used as a centre.
Reader's Guide
Tomáš Tatar's career with the Detroit Red Wings spanned from his draft in 2009 through his trade in February 2018. He developed through the AHL system, becoming a key offensive contributor for the Grand Rapids Griffins and winning the Calder Cup in 2013, where he was named playoff MVP. In the NHL, he provided consistent secondary scoring, finishing second on the Red Wings in goals during his first full season and earning multiple weekly honors.
His tenure in Detroit established him as a reliable forward before he was traded as part of a rebuild, bringing back significant draft capital. Tatar's later career included a career-high 61 points with Montreal and a role in New Jersey's first playoff series win since 2012. His international play for Slovakia and Team Europe, including a silver medal at the 2012 World Championship and a silver at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, further underscores his versatility and longevity.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Silver 2012 IIHF World Championship
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2005–06 | Spartak Dubnica nad Váhom | SVK U18 | 35 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006–07 | Spartak Dubnica nad Váhom | SVK.2 U18 | 48 | 33 | 44 | 77 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006–07 | Spartak Dubnica nad Váhom | SVK U20 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U18 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 42 | 31 | 45 | 76 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008–09 | HKM Zvolen | SVK | 48 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| 2008–09 | HC 07 Detva | SVK.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009–10 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 58 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 70 | 24 | 33 | 57 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 76 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | ŠHK 37 Piešťany | SVK | 8 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 61 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 50 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 23 |
| 2012–13 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 18 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2014–15 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 82 | 29 | 27 | 56 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 2015–16 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2016–17 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 82 | 25 | 21 | 46 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 62 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 20 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2018–19 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 68 | 22 | 39 | 61 | 36 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 2020–21 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021–22 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2023–24 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 27 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | Seattle Kraken | NHL | 43 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024–25 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025–26 | EV Zug | NL | 41 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 39 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 927 | 227 | 269 | 496 | 316 | 56 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 26 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Slovakia | WJC | 4th | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 4 |
| 2010 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 2010 | Slovakia | WC | 12th | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 2012 | Slovakia | WC | Silver | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2014 | Slovakia | OG | 11th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2014 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| 2015 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 2016 | Team Europe | WCH | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 2022 | Slovakia | WC | 8th | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | Slovakia | WC | 7th | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 2024 | Slovakia | OGQ | Q | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2026 | Slovakia | OG | 4th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Junior totals | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 10 | |||
| Senior totals | 71 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 38 | |||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Tomáš Tatar (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- He is a supporter of FC Bayern Munich.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Tomáš Tatar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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