Free agents are approaching close distance, which is the stressful time for unrestricted free agents (UFAS) and restricted free agents (RFA). With an uncertain future, some foreign players are choosing to sign with their own teams, such as Tomas Tatar earlier in the offseason. On June 18, Seattle Cleken goalkeeper Ales Stezka announced that he had signed with HC Kometa Brno, his native Czech Republic.
Stezka has not had a long term in the NHL. He was originally signed by Kraken as a free agent on May 2, 2023. He spent Kraken’s American Hockey League (AHL) member Coachella Valley Firebirds in the 2023-24 season. He has performed well in the season, playing in 27 regular season games and winning a 18-6-2 record, with a goal average (GAA) of 2.48 and saving 0.914 percentage (SV%). Although the Firebirds reached the Calder Cup final that season, Stezka didn’t play between the pipes throughout the run.
In the 2024-25 season, Stezka appeared in 26 games and won a 9-12-5 performance. Not only does his record slip, but his GAA and SV % are at 3.07 and .899. Although the Firebirds have entered the playoffs again this season, Stezka has not played a single game.
On February 23, 2025, Stezka participated in his first NHL game against Tampa Bay Lightning. The game caused losses, with Stezka’s GAA of 3.09 and SV% of .870. He stopped 23 of 26 shots, but that wasn’t enough to give Kraken a victory.
Although Stezka has played in Czechia in the past, this will be his first time playing with HC Kometa Brno. He used to be
From 2019-2020 to 2020-21, AZHAVí late. In these two seasons, he has a record of 36-32-0. He played with HC Vítkovice in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons before being signed by Seattle. In the case of HC Vítkovice, he has a record of 49-35-0.
Just as unfortunate as his stat slide in the 2024-25 season, he remains a decent goalkeeper for the Firebirds. We hope Stezka goes well!
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