Penguins sign Radim Zohorna to a one-year, two-way contract
- Thread starter dogthateats
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HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
Been a busy day, so I don't really have time to do a huge recap but the gist of it is, he's a guy that knows he's not really a finesse player, but works hard to get open and get pucks on net.
Sully's gonna love this dude if he's got a translator or speaks decent English (like many young Czechs do these days). Most of the interviews are him saying things like "We have to work hard. I was just trying to get into the right place and put a shot on net."
Pandaman11
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The Great Mighty Poo
Thank You 59.
gopens66
Hop in the Cordoba, Baby, we're goin' bowlin!
Does that mean there's a fourth brother who just didn't measure up?
HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
That's a pretty good comparison, in some ways, actually. The other two have some NA experience, but they're also a lot older (Tomáš is 32, I think, Hynek is 30, and Radim is only 24). Radim was the only one the last few years to play in the Extraliga though, Hynek and Tomáš play for Amur in the KHL.
Also, for what its worth, Radim seems to get loaned out a lot to other clubs, which isn't uncommon for younger Czech players who are tweeners on more dominant teams.
Also, Radim is by far the biggest.
Dipsy Doodle
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Factorial
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Interview with him and he jokes about bringing his older brothers:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=cs&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.idnes.cz%2Fhokej%2Fnhl%2Fradim-zohorna-mlada-boleslav-pittsburgh-penguins-nhl.A200430_165700_nhl_rmp
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=cs&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.idnes.cz%2Fhokej%2Fnhl%2Fradim-zohorna-mlada-boleslav-pittsburgh-penguins-nhl.A200430_165700_nhl_rmp
OnMyOwn
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This translation is great. “It's true that I would wash them one on one, but in two they would be a worse nut (laughs).”
HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
Interesting things from the interview (not Google translate) the gist of it per exchange:
1) Pittsburgh reached out to him, not the other way around. His agent called him and said there was an offer.
2) His brothers are happy for him, because Tomas always wanted to play in the NHL, and Hynek abandoned that dream early on.
3) One on one, he'd beat his brothers (what @OnMyOwn said above), but two on one, they'd kill him.
4) It's a little bit like a fairy tale, but he knows he has to fight his way up from the AHL to the big club.
5) Wants to play with all three of his brothers on the same team (good call, whoever called him Staal). His older brothers played together but he hasn't played with Tomas yet (who's an assistant captain, I think on Amur Khabarovsk)
6) He's eager to experience Pittsburgh, (
) but he doesn't want to make a mistake there.7) Pittsburgh showed the most interest in him, though there were other offers who wanted to wait to see what happens post Coronavirus. He's always loved the Pens, so when he heard about the offer he replied back loud and clear.
8) He says the Pens said that if he didn't make the team out of camp, he'd be on the farm club, but it worked the same way as the big club (i.e. success there would bring him up in the same system), plus they had lots of good staff there to help him train and adjust.
9) The Pens became interested in him after watching him play in a tournament in November. Says his agent let him know the Pens were always asking about him.
10) He's prepared to go to the AHL, but he's putting all of his thoughts right now into making the big club.
11) Dominik Simon called him yesterday to welcome him. The club invited him to come to Pittsburgh to get to know the city, and if the Pens are playing by then, he could practice along side of the team for the postseason.
Randy Butternubs
Registered User
Nice.
And somehow I missed that he signed on his birthday. Happy belated birthday Radim!
And somehow I missed that he signed on his birthday. Happy belated birthday Radim!
HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
Don't worry, his name day is August 25th, so he can get his presents then.
I am curious to see if he would be eligible to play for the Pens should the postseason actually happen this year-- postseason doesn't count against burning a year on a contract, right?
OnMyOwn
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For postseason play you had to be on the team prior to the trade deadline, I believe.
EightyOne
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Randy Butternubs
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They probably had to be part of the 50-man contract limit before the deadline for an emergency recall.
HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
That was more my line of thinking, since there's no way Sully's going to ice him instead of ZAR or whoever unless he's absolutely forced into doing it.
HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
Ah, right forgot about that. Nevermind then, carry on.
Still, it's good news that he'll get a chance to practice with the team (once the visa paperwork is sorted and teams return to practicing) before camp.
We have 15 NHL forwards with Jake back, not counting Lafferty (16) and Angello (17) so I doubt there will be a need for additional forwards in the playoffs.
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Dipsy Doodle
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The Great Mighty Poo
Thank You 59.
Actually its "The Warrior of the Wasteland, The Ayatolla of Rock and Rolla, Lord Humunous".
The Great Mighty Poo
Thank You 59.
Kinda, since it would be a waste to sign a dude then just have him leave when the season is rebooted without ever playing, the ECHL and AHL are done until next season.
Honour Over Glory
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