Milan Jurčina

Milan Jurčina
Jurčina with the Providence Bruins in 2005
Born	(1983-06-07) 7 June 1983 Liptovský Mikuláš, Czechoslovakia
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	243 lb (110 kg; 17 st 5 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Right
team Former teams	Free agent Boston Bruins Washington Capitals Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Lukko HC Fribourg-Gottéron Dinamo Riga KHL Medveščak Zagreb Eisbären Berlin Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers
National team	Slovakia
NHL draft	241st overall, 2001 Boston Bruins
Playing career	2003–present

Milan Jurčina (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmilan ˈjurtʂina]; born 7 June 1983) is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins (the organization that drafted him 241st overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft), Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders. Internationally, he has played for the Slovak national team.

Playing career

Jurčina began his career with Liptovský Mikuláš' under-18 and -20 teams from 1997 to 2000 to

The 6-foot-4 Jurčina was drafted by the Boston Bruins 241st overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. After spending three seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Jurcina began his American Hockey League (AHL) career with the Providence Bruins in the 2003–04 season and was brought into the main Boston Bruins roster during the 2005–06 season.

On 1 February 2007 Jurčina was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2008. He was later re-signed to a two-year deal by the Capitals on 27 July 2007.

Jurčina, along with Capitals captain Chris Clark, were traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on 28 December 2009 in exchange for winger Jason Chimera.

Jurčina was selected to represent Slovakia in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, finishing fourth with his team.

At the trade deadline on 3 March 2010 Jurčina was traded back to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. However, surgery to repair a sports hernia prevented him from playing in the remainder of the 2009–10 season.

On 2 July 2010 Jurčina, an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the New York Islanders.

On 22 August 2014 Jurčina joined Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on trial, eventually signing a one-year contract eight days later.

Jurčina remained in the KHL in 2015–16, but took his game to Croatia, suiting up for Medveščak Zagreb. He made 49 appearances for the club, scoring four goals while assisting on ten more. In early February 2016, Jurčina parted ways with Medveščak to finish the season elsewhere. On 15 February 2016 he put pen to paper on a contract with Eisbären Berlin of the German top-tier Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.

In September 2016, he signed a multi-year deal with fellow DEL side Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers to begin from the 2016–17 season.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1999–2000	HK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš	SVK U20		58	1	15	16	56		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Halifax Mooseheads	QMJHL		68	0	5	5	56		6	0	2	2	12
2001–02	Halifax Mooseheads	QMJHL		61	4	16	20	58		13	5	3	8	10
2002–03	Halifax Mooseheads	QMJHL		51	15	13	28	102		25	6	6	12	40
2003–04	Providence Bruins	AHL		73	5	12	17	52		2	0	1	1	2
2004–05	Providence Bruins	AHL		79	6	17	23	92		17	1	3	4	30
2005–06	Providence Bruins	AHL		7	0	3	3	8		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Boston Bruins	NHL		51	6	5	11	54		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Boston Bruins	NHL		40	2	1	3	20		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Washington Capitals	NHL		30	2	7	9	24		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Washington Capitals	NHL		75	1	8	9	30		7	0	0	0	6
2008–09	Washington Capitals	NHL		79	3	11	14	68		14	2	0	2	12
2009–10	Washington Capitals	NHL		27	0	4	4	14		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		17	1	2	3	10		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	New York Islanders	NHL		46	4	13	17	30		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	New York Islanders	NHL		65	3	8	11	30		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Piráti Chomutov	ELH		22	0	3	3	20		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Lukko	SM-l		14	5	2	7	26		12	1	6	7	16
2013–14	TPS	Liiga		21	1	5	6	18		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	HC Fribourg–Gottéron	NLA		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Dinamo Riga	KHL		46	5	5	10	46		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	KHL Medveščak Zagreb	KHL		49	4	9	13	12		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Eisbären Berlin	DEL		8	0	4	4	6		5	0	0	0	27
2016–17	Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers	DEL		37	5	11	16	38		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers	DEL		49	2	11	13	59		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers	DEL		37	1	9	10	24		6	0	1	1	4
2019–20	HC Sparta Praha	ELH		29	3	6	9	48		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	HC Sparta Praha	ELH		21	3	3	6	16		11	0	2	2	8
2021–22	HC Sparta Praha	ELH		23	0	1	1	39		16	0	1	1	6
NHL totals				430	22	59	81	280		21	2	0	2	18

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2001	Slovakia	WJC18		6	0	0	0	6
2002	Slovakia	WJC		7	1	1	2	14
2003	Slovakia	WJC		1	0	0	0	0
2006	Slovakia	OG		6	0	1	1	8
2006	Slovakia	WC		7	2	1	3	8
2007	Slovakia	WC		7	1	1	2	8
2010	Slovakia	OG		7	0	0	0	0
2011	Slovakia	WC		6	0	2	2	4
2013	Slovakia	WC		8	0	2	2	6
2014	Slovakia	OG		4	0	0	0	0
2015	Slovakia	WC		7	0	0	0	4
Junior totals				14	1	1	2	20
Senior totals				52	3	7	10	38

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Milan Jurčina at Olympedia (archive)
• Milan Jurčina at Olympics.com
• Milan Jurčina at Olympic.sk (in Slovak)