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	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	2002–present

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		38	8	7	15	9		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		17	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		65	22	23	45	33		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		46	32	21	53	18		16	6	9	15	6
2001–02	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		65	51	41	92	52		7	0	2	2	6
2002–03	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		56	5	15	20	29		3	1	0	1	2
2003–04	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		55	25	33	58	32		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		5	1	3	4	21		16	9	7	16	10
2003–04	New York Rangers	NHL		13	1	4	5	4		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		69	20	22	42	46		6	0	0	0	4
2005–06	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		1	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Manitoba Moose	AHL		39	14	15	29	20		4	1	0	1	4
2006–07	Fribourg-Gottéron	NLA		37	13	17	30	44		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Manitoba Moose	AHL		16	4	9	13	10		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	HC Oceláři Třinec	ELH		39	17	10	27	40		5	3	0	3	2
2009–10	HC Oceláři Třinec	ELH		13	4	5	9	6		5	2	1	3	6
2010–11	HC Kometa Brno	ELH		27	10	4	14	12		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	HC Slovan Bratislava	Slovak		20	5	6	11	8		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	HC Kometa Brno	ELH		25	2	3	5	12		17	3	1	4	6
2012–13	HC Plzeň	ELH		41	15	8	23	16		7	3	2	5	4
2013–14	Piráti Chomutov	ELH		37	8	6	14	16		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	HC Plzeň	ELH		47	6	6	12	28		2	0	1	1	0
2015–16	ŠHK 37 Piešťany	Slovak		18	9	6	15	26		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	HC Red Ice	NLB		28	13	16	29	33		8	4	5	9	6
2016–17	HC Red Ice	NLB		43	22	22	44	26		5	3	4	7	6
2017–18	KHL Medveščak Zagreb	EBEL		30	9	8	17	12		6	0	2	2	6
2018–19	MsHK Zilina	Slovak		31	3	8	11	18		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	EHC Freiburg	DEL2		8	5	2	7	4		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	EHC Freiburg	DEL2		4	2	0	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
ELH totals				229	62	42	104	130		51	16	11	27	24
NHL totals				18	1	5	6	4		—	—	—	—	—

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.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database