KHL club Dinamo Minsk has announced they have come to an agreement with 32-year-old defenseman Lukas Krajicek on a two-year contract extension which will keep him with the team through the 2016-2017 season.
Lukas Krajicek signs extension with Dinamo Minsk
”I am very happy that I remain in Minsk,” Krajicek said.
“This is a wonderful city, it is a pleasure to play. My family is very happy that we won’t have to move, we have become accustomed to life in the capital of Belarus. I hope that in future seasons I will be able to help the team to get to the playoffs and get as far as possible. Last year we played well and scored a large number of points. We managed to put the bar high; I hope next season to surpass this milestone,” he said.
Krajicek was drafted by the Florida Panthers 24th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft after a strong junior season with the Peterborough Petes in the OHL. In 328 NHL games split between the Panthers, the Vancouver Canucks, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers, Krajicek posted 11 goals, 72 points, 245 penalty minutes and a plus-minus of -30. Despite being a large defenseman, he has good puck-handling skills with a great eye for the game. In addition to that, Krajicek keeps his game simple – which limits his mistakes.
He has been an essential element to Minsk’s defense, and survived the cut of legionnaires when Minsk received new sponsors that had huge demands. The Czech defenseman joined Minsk in 2011, since then participating in 218 games (regular season and playoffs) recording 8 goals and 51 assists while averaging 22 minutes of ice time per-game. Internationally, Krajicek has participated in three World Championships (2006, 2011, 2012) and one Olympic tournament – last year in Sochi.
Dinamo Minsk made it to the playoffs this season but fell out quickly after five games, losing the series against HC Jokerit 4-1.
Крайчек останется с нами еще на два года! http://t.co/oNcSOXpKQA pic.twitter.com/ZXNLmcTnSH
— ХК Динамо-Минск | HC Dinamo Minsk (@hcdinamoby) March 18, 2015
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