Michael Frolík
Czech right winger who won the Stanley Cup in 2013.
Michael Frolík (born 17 February 1988) is a former Czech professional ice hockey right winger.
He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Florida Panthers, who selected him tenth overall in the 2006 draft, as well as the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013.
As a youth, Frolík played in the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from Chomutov. He began his North American major junior career in the 2006–07 season with the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Before entering the NHL, Frolík played two seasons in the Czech Extraliga for Rabat Kladno. He made his NHL debut with Florida in the 2008–09 season, recording 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points in 79 games, and followed that with 43 points the next season.
On 9 February 2011, during his third season with the Panthers, Frolík was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks along with goaltender Alexander Salák in exchange for Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman, and David Pacan. He scored his first goal as a Blackhawk on 2 March 2011 against Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames in a 6–4 win. He made his Stanley Cup playoff debut on 13 April against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks, scored his first career playoff goal on 19 April against Roberto Luongo, and on 24 April scored the first playoff penalty shot goal in Blackhawks history against Cory Schneider. On 15 July 2011, he signed a three-year contract extension worth an annual average of $2.333 million.
During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Frolík played for Piráti Chomutov in the Czech Extraliga. He returned for the shortened 48-game regular season, playing 45 games with three goals, seven assists, and 10 points, helping the Blackhawks win the Presidents' Trophy. On 27 May 2013, he scored his second career playoff penalty shot goal against Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, becoming the first NHL player to score more than one playoff penalty shot goal. He recorded ten points (three goals, seven assists) in all 23 playoff games as the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in six games, including an assist on Dave Bolland’s Stanley Cup-clinching goal.
On 30 June 2013, Frolík was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a third- and fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft.
Quick Facts
- Height
- 6 ft 1 in
- Weight
- 190 lb
- Position
- Right wing
- Shoots
- Left
- Born
- 17 February 1988
- Birthplace
- Kladno, Czechoslovakia
- Draft
- 10th overall
- Drafted by
- Florida Panthers
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Frolík began his North American major junior career with the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in the 2006–07 season. He was drafted tenth overall by the Florida Panthers in 2006 and made his NHL debut with them in the 2008–09 season, recording 45 points. In February 2011, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2013. During the 2013 playoffs, he became the first player in NHL history to score more than one career penalty shot goal in the playoffs.
On 30 June 2013, Frolík was traded to the Winnipeg Jets. In the 2013–14 season opener, he scored twice in a 5–4 win against the Edmonton Oilers. He signed a one-year contract with the Jets in July 2014 and finished the regular season with 19 goals and 23 assists, but was held pointless in the 2015 playoffs as the Jets were swept by the Anaheim Ducks. He later played for the Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and several European teams, including Lausanne HC and Bílí Tygři Liberec, before returning to Rytíři Kladno in 2023.
Reader's Guide
Michael Frolík's tenure with the Winnipeg Jets spanned two seasons, from 2013 to 2015. He was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for draft picks shortly after winning the Stanley Cup. In his first season with the Jets, he scored 42 points in 79 games, and in his second season he recorded 19 goals and 23 assists. He played in the 2015 playoffs but did not register a point as the Jets were swept in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks. After the 2014–15 season, he left as an unrestricted free agent, signing a five-year contract with the Calgary Flames. His time in Winnipeg was a productive middle segment of his NHL career, following a Stanley Cup victory and preceding later stops with several other teams.
Did You Know?
- Frolík scored the first Stanley Cup playoff penalty shot in Chicago Blackhawks history in 2011.
- He scored twice in his first game with the Winnipeg Jets, a 5–4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on 2 October 2013.
- His wife, Diana Kobzanová, is a former Miss Czech Republic model and TV/radio personality.
More in Winnipeg Jets Players 1-24
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