Paul Szczechura

Did You Know?

• Szczechura is of Polish descent.
• He grew up in Brantford, Ontario, the hometown of Wayne Gretzky, Pat Hickey, Chris Gratton, Keith Jones and Adam Henrique.

Playing career

Paul Szczechura first laced up skates in his hometown of Brantford, playing minor hockey with the Brantford Saints and Brant Bandits AAA teams. He took part in the 1999 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing Brantford. Though the Barrie Colts picked him in the 11th round of the 2001 OHL Priority Selection, he opted for an NCAA route instead, spending three seasons with the Brantford Golden Eagles in the OHA Midwestern Ontario Jr. B. League. In 2003, he accepted a scholarship to Western Michigan University. His college career there was followed by stints in the AHL with the Iowa Stars and Norfolk Admirals. On April 24, 2008, he signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning, making his NHL debut against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 2. He netted his first NHL goal six days later, beating Boston’s Tim Thomas. On December 23, he scored again and added an assist against the Pittsburgh Penguins, earning first-star honors. He later joined the Buffalo Sabres organization, playing for their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, and was recalled by Buffalo on November 26, 2011. In May 2012, he signed a one-year deal with HC Lev, a Czech team entering the KHL. After just three games in the 2012–13 season, he moved to fellow KHL club Dinamo Riga on September 26, 2012. Two years later, in May 2014, he inked a two-year contract with HC Dinamo Minsk. When that deal ended, he signed with Traktor Chelyabinsk in May 2016. Following three seasons there, he agreed to a one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on July 16, 2019, marking his fifth KHL team.