Aleš Stezka

Aleš Stezka (born 6 January 1997) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He was drafted 111th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2015.

Playing career

Stezka played junior hockey with the regional Czech team HC Meteor Třemošná. He would join the Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga in 2010.

In the 2015 NHL entry draft, Stezka was selected in the fourth round (111th overall) by the Minnesota Wild. However, he would spend the 2015–16 season with the Sioux Falls Stampede and the 2016–17 season with the Chicago Steel, both of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

For the 2017–18 season, Stezka returned to the Czech Republic, once again playing for Liberec, where he formed a goaltending tandem with Roman Will. During the season, he played only two games with Liberec and another 27 after being loaned to HC Benátky nad Jizerou of the 2nd Czech Republic Hockey League, where he alternated in goal with Josef Kořenář.

Stezka spent the 2018–19 season on loan to Piráti Chomutov of the Extraliga and HC Slovan Ústí nad Labem of the 2nd Czech Republic Hockey League. He would then spend the following two seasons playing for AZ Havířov. He then started playing for HC Vítkovice Ridera, where he would spend two seasons. At the end of the 2022–23 season, writers for the Czech newspaper Právo honored him when they chose him as the Extraliga's best goaltender.

Following the 2022–23 season, Stezka went back to North America, where he signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL), taking effect in the 2023–24 season. Before the season, he participated in the Kraken's training camp, and was then sent down to the Kraken's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He made his NHL debut for Seattle against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 23, 2025.

After his lone appearance with the Kraken in the season, Stezka opted to return to his native Czech Republic as a free agent to sign a three-year contract with reigning champions, HC Kometa Brno of the ELH, on 18 June 2025.

International play Stezka with the Czech Republic during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Stezka played with the Czech Republic during the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships. The Czech Republic was eliminated in a 3–2 loss to Canada, in which Stezka made 22 saves. The next year, he played with the Czech Republic in the 2016 World Junior Championships.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2015–16 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 19 6 10 1 1014 56 1 3.32 .893 — — — — — — — — 2016–17 Chicago Steel USHL 37 22 10 3 2154 82 4 2.28 .916 13 9 4 796 27 3 2.04 .812 2017–18 HC Bílí Tygři Liberec ELH 2 0 2 0 100 7 0 4.20 .868 — — — — — — — — 2017-18 HC Benátky nad Jizerou CZE.2 27 5 22 0 1397 113 0 4.85 .858 — — — — — — — — 2018–19 Piráti Chomutov ELH 5 0 5 0 235 15 0 3.83 .883 — — — — — — — — 2018–19 HC Slovan Ústí nad Labem CZE.2 28 8 20 0 1641 103 1 3.77 .903 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 AZ Havířov CZE.2 50 28 21 0 2928 125 4 2.56 .909 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 AZ Havířov CZE.2 20 8 11 0 1184 50 1 2.53 .914 — — — — — — — — 2021–22 HC Vítkovice Ridera ELH 46 24 21 0 2736 116 1 2.54 .910 8 3 5 491 18 0 2.20 .923 2022–23 HC Vítkovice Ridera ELH 39 25 14 0 2382 85 5 2.14 .924 12 6 6 874 18 2 1.24 .960 2023–24 Coachella Valley Firebirds AHL 27 18 6 2 1547 64 2 2.48 .914 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Coachella Valley Firebirds AHL 26 9 12 5 1525 78 0 3.07 .899 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Seattle Kraken NHL 1 0 1 0 58 3 0 3.09 .870 — — — — — — — — ELH totals 92 49 42 0 5,453 223 6 2.45 .896 20 9 11 1,365 36 2 1.72 .942 NHL totals 1 0 1 0 58 3 0 3.09 .870 — — — — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2015 Czech Republic U18 6th 2 0 1 0 105 6 0 3.46 .908 2016 Czech Republic WJC 5th 1 0 0 0 40 5 0 7.50 .800 Junior totals 3 0 1 0 145 11 0 5.48 .854