WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have signed defenseman Libor Hájek to an American Hockey League contract for the 2023-24 season.
Hájek split time between the NHL and AHL last season with the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack. Hájek scored one goal for the Rangers over a 16-game span while adding two goals and four assists for six points in 24 games with the Wolf Pack.
The 25-year-old blueliner recently attended Pittsburgh Penguins training camp on a professional tryout.
A native of Smrček, Czechia, Hájek has played in a total of 118 AHL games. He has totaled 17 points (4G-13A) in those contests while skating as a member of the Wolf Pack or the Syracuse Crunch.
He also has 110 games of NHL experience, all with the Rangers. A second-round draft pick (37th overall) by the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2017, Hájek has earned 12 NHL points (4G-8A).
Before coming to North America, Hájek played 17 games in the Czech Extraliga with HC Kometa Brno as a 16-year-old. The 6-foot-2, left-handed defenseman then played three seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League for the Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats. In 192 WHL games, Hájek racked up 91 points (19G-72A).
