Jozef Balej

Jozef Balej (born February 22, 1982) is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent having last played for EHC Freiburg of the DEL2. He previously spent parts of three seasons in the National Hockey League, and several seasons in the Czech Extraliga.

Jozef Balej
Born (1982-02-22) February 22, 1982
Myjava, Czechoslovakia
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Right
team
Former teams
Free agent
Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers
Vancouver Canucks
HC Fribourg-Gottéron
HC Oceláři Třinec
HC Kometa Brno
HC Slovan Bratislava
HC Plzeň
Piráti Chomutov
ŠHK 37 Piešťany
HC Ambrì-Piotta
KHL Medveščak Zagreb
MsHK Zilina
EHC Freiburg
NHL Draft 78th overall, 2000
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2002present

Playing career

As a youth, Balej played in the 1995 and 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a team from Bratislava.[1]

Balej left his native Slovakia in 1998 to develop his game in North America, and spent a season in the USHL before moving to the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League. After a solid first season in Portland in which he recorded 22 goals, Balej was selected 78th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He would spend two more seasons in Portland, turning in a dominant performance in 2001–02 with 51 goals in 65 games.

Signed by Montreal, Balej turned pro in 2002 and spent the 2002–03 season in the AHL, where he struggled, recording just 5 goals and 20 points in 56 games. While he possessed dynamic speed and a heavy shot, the slightly-built Balej struggled with the bigger, stronger pro game and took time to adjust. However, he showed marked improvement in 2003–04, scoring 25 goals and 58 points in 55 games, and earned a four-game callup to Montreal.[2]

At the trade deadline near the end of the 03–04 season, Balej was traded to the New York Rangers as the centerpiece of a deal for star winger Alexei Kovalev. With the Rangers out of the playoff picture, he was given an extended look in New York, appearing in 13 games and scoring his first NHL goal and adding 4 assists for 5 points. At the conclusion of the season, he was re-assigned to the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL for the playoffs where he scored 9 goals and 16 points in 16 games. He continued to play for Hartford during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, but had a disappointing year with 20 goals and 42 points in 69 games.

At the start of the 2005–06 season, Balej was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks with a 6th round draft pick in 2008 for Fedor Fedorov. He played well for the AHL Manitoba Moose to start the season, and earned a one-game callup to the Canucks, in which he played well and recorded an assist. However, shortly after his return to Manitoba he suffered a gruesome injury when he crashed into the boards and harpooned himself in the midsection with his stick. The blow crushed his kidney and caused severe internal bleeding, and was initially feared to be career-threatening.[3] However, he battled back to return for the end of the season and the playoffs.

Balej was given a qualifying offer by the Canucks to return for the 2006–07 season, but opted instead to sign in Switzerland for HC Fribourg-Gottéron, where he recorded 13 goals and 30 points in 37 games. Balej re-signed with the Canucks for 2007–08, but suffered through an injury-plagued year in the minors in which he appeared in only 16 games.

In 2008, Balej signed with HC Oceláři Třinec of the Czech league. Unfortunately, injuries have continued to plague his career, as he has been limited to only 52 appearances in two years with Oceláři Třinec.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1998–99 Thunder Bay Flyers USHL 3887159
1998–99 Rochester Mustangs USHL 170112
1999–00 Portland Winter Hawks WHL 6522234533
2000–01 Portland Winter Hawks WHL 4632215318 1669156
2001–02 Portland Winter Hawks WHL 6551419252 70226
2002–03 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 565152029 31012
2003–04 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 5525335832
2003–04 Montreal Canadiens NHL 40000
2003–04 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 513421 16971610
2003–04 New York Rangers NHL 131454
2004–05 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 6920224246 60004
2005–06 Vancouver Canucks NHL 10110
2005–06 Manitoba Moose AHL 3914152920 41014
2006–07 Fribourg-Gottéron NLA 3713173044
2007–08 Manitoba Moose AHL 16491310
2008–09 HC Oceláři Třinec ELH 3917102740 53032
2009–10 HC Oceláři Třinec ELH 134596 52136
2010–11 HC Kometa Brno ELH 271041412
2011–12 HC Slovan Bratislava Slovak 2056118
2011–12 HC Kometa Brno ELH 2523512 173146
2012–13 HC Plzeň ELH 411582316 73254
2013–14 Piráti Chomutov ELH 37861416
2014–15 HC Plzeň ELH 47661228 20110
2015–16 ŠHK 37 Piešťany Slovak 18961526
2015–16 HC Red Ice NLB 2813162933 84596
2016–17 HC Red Ice NLB 4322224426 53476
2017–18 KHL Medveščak Zagreb EBEL 30981712 60226
2018–19 MsHK Zilina Slovak 31381118
2018–19 EHC Freiburg DEL2 85274
2019–20 EHC Freiburg DEL2 42024
ELH totals 2296242104130 5116112724
NHL totals 181564

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2000 Slovakia WJC18 5th 6 0 5 5 4
2001 Slovakia WJC 8th 7 3 3 6 4
Junior totals 13 3 8 11 8

Awards and honors

Award Year
WHL
West First All-Star Team 2002
CHL Second All-Star Team 2002
AHL
All-Star Game 2004 [4]

References

  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  2. "Highlight-reel goal scored with the Hamilton Bulldogs". YouTube. 2004-02-03. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
  3. "Balej career in doubt after injury". Canoe.ca. 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2006-02-09.
  4. "Canadian AHL All-Stars 9, PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars 5". American Hockey League. February 9, 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
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