Eduard Šalé

Eduard Šalé (born 10 March 2005) is a Czech professional ice hockey forward for the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 20th overall by the Kraken in the 2023 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Šalé played as a youth with hometown club HC Kometa Brno, first appearing as a 13-year-old at the under-16 level. During the 2020–21 season, Šalé having appeared with the under-20 team, he briefly left Brno and made seven appearances at the Finnish under-18 SM-sarja competition with Ilves.

Returning to Brno, Šalé made his senior professional debut in the Czech Extraliga during the 2021–22 season, finishing with two goals and three assists in 10 regular season games. Eligible for major junior ice hockey in North America, Šalé was selected in the first round, 29th overall, in the 2022 CHL Import Draft by the Barrie Colts.

Continuing his tenure with Brno, Šalé, in his first full professional season in 2022–23, managed seven goals and seven assists through 43 regular season games.

Touted as a potential first-round pick, he was selected 20th overall by the Seattle Kraken in the 2023 NHL entry draft. He was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kraken on 17 July 2023. Šalé started the 2023–24 season with the Colts, although he was eventually traded to the Kitchener Rangers.

International play

Šalé first represented Czech national under-18 team at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and in the following year he was recognised as one of the top ranked stars in the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Šalé won a silver medal with the Czech national junior team at the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Šalé won a bronze medal the following year, in a comeback win that saw Team Czechia overcome a 5–2 deficit. At the 2025 World Juniors, in his final year of eligibility, Šalé was chosen as captain of team Czechia. The team went on to win a third consecutive medal and second consecutive bronze, capped off by a record setting 14-round shootout in which Šalé scored in both the 13th and 14th rounds, securing the win.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2020–21 HC Kometa Brno Czech U20 8 4 2 6 0 — — — — — 2021–22 HC Kometa Brno Czech U20 39 42 47 89 56 5 5 5 10 0 2021–22 HC Kometa Brno ELH 10 2 1 3 2 — — — — — 2022–23 HC Kometa Brno ELH 43 7 7 14 2 6 0 0 0 0 2023–24 Barrie Colts OHL 25 7 13 20 6 — — — — — 2023–24 Kitchener Rangers OHL 24 8 10 18 2 10 5 7 12 8 2024–25 Coachella Valley Firebirds AHL 51 6 15 21 14 3 0 0 0 0 2025–26 Coachella Valley Firebirds AHL 58 13 14 27 14 12 2 2 4 4ELH totals 53 9 8 17 4 6 0 0 0 0

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2021 Czech Republic HG18 6th 4 1 2 3 2 2022 Czech Republic U18 4th 6 1 8 9 0 2022 Czech Republic HG18 4th 5 4 2 6 0 2023 Czech Republic WJC 7 1 5 6 2 2024 Czech Republic WJC 7 3 4 7 0 2025 Czech Republic WJC 7 6 2 8 4Junior totals 36 16 23 39 8