Jan 5, 2019 San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Lukas Radil (52) celebrates with center Logan Couture (39) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie forward Lukas Radil singed a one-year extension with the San Jose Sharks, the club announced Sunday. The deal keeps Radil under club control through the 2019-20 season.
Though the 28-year-old Radil has only nine points (six goals, three assists) in 18 games in his first season in the NHL, the club is 11-4-3 with Radil in the lineup. What’s more, his plus-10 rating is third on the team.
“He has seized the opportunity that he has been given and earned his place on our team,” general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement released by the team. “His love for the game is apparent as is his character and maturity to how he plays the game. We feel that his game will continue to grow.”
Radil began the season with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League, netting six points (one goal, five assists) in 11 games.
The Sharks originally signed Radil as a free agent last April. He posted 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) and a plus-11 rating in 51 games with Spartak (Moscow) of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) last season, leading the club in plus-minus. He also skated for the Czech Republic at the 2018 Winter Olympics, going scoreless and registering four penalty minutes in six games.
San Jose is third in the Pacific Division but just three points behind conference-leading Calgary for the Western Conference’s best record.
—Field Level Media