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| Jakub Voracek | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jakub Voracek |
| Birth date | 15 August 1989 |
| Birth place | Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Weight lb | 198 |
| Position | Right wing |
| Shoots | Right |
| League | NHL |
| Played for | Columbus Blue Jackets; Philadelphia Flyers; Arizona Coyotes |
| National team | Czech Republic |
| Draft | 7th overall, 2007 NHL Entry Draft |
| Drafted by | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Career start | 2006 |
Jakub Voracek is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger known for his playmaking, puck handling, and point production in the NHL. Born in Prague when it was part of Czechoslovakia, he developed through Czech and Canadian junior ranks before becoming a top draft pick and an offensive leader with the Philadelphia Flyers. Voracek has represented the Czech Republic at multiple IIHF World Championships and at the Winter Olympics.
Voracek was born in Prague, in the former Czechoslovakia, into a family with ties to Czech sport and grew up during the post-Velvet Revolution era alongside contemporaries who later played in the NHL. He moved to North America to join the Western Hockey League with the Portland Winterhawks after skating in Czech junior competitions and appearing for HC Slavia Praha and HC Kladno youth setups. In the WHL he played with teammates who became NHL prospects and faced opponents from Canadian Hockey League clubs such as the Everett Silvertips and Vancouver Giants, boosting his profile ahead of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. His draft season included comparisons to established forwards from Czech Republic like Jaromír Jágr and contemporaries from Russia and Sweden who were prominent in international tournaments.
Drafted seventh overall in 2007 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Voracek debuted in the NHL with Columbus and skated alongside veterans from the franchise such as Rick Nash and prospects who transitioned from the American Hockey League affiliates like the Syracuse Crunch. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011 in a multi-player deal that involved blue-chip talents linked to the NHL Trade Deadline market and put him on a line with stars like Claude Giroux and under coaches including Peter Laviolette and Craig Berube. Voracek recorded career highs during seasons where he ranked among the NHL scoring leaders and earned selections to marquee events such as the NHL All-Star Game, while navigating contract negotiations with the National Hockey League Players' Association and arbitration processes modeled on cases involving players like Ryan O'Reilly and Dion Phaneuf. In 2021 he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in a deal reflecting roster strategies similar to transactions involving Taylor Hall and Jakob Chychrun, and he later continued professional play in European leagues and international club competitions.
Voracek represented the Czech Republic at under-18 and under-20 levels, competing in IIHF World U18 Championship and IIHF World U20 Championship tournaments against national teams such as Canada and United States. As a senior international he skated for the Czech team at multiple IIHF World Championship editions, contributing assists and power-play minutes while facing opponents from Sweden, Finland, and Russia. He also played for the Czech Republic at the Winter Olympics, joining compatriots who had NHL experience and competing under the International Olympic Committee eligibility frameworks and national program selection processes.
Voracek is characterized as a right-shooting playmaker with strong vision, passing, and puck protection, drawing stylistic comparisons to fellow forwards from Czech Republic and eastern Europe; analysts in The Hockey News, ESPN, and TSN have highlighted his assist totals and power-play quarterbacking. Coaches and commentators such as Claude Giroux’s linemates, former coaches from Philadelphia Flyers staffs, and international selectors have praised his board play and passing while noting defensive-zone consistency relative to two-way specialists like Anže Kopitar and offensive catalysts like Sidney Crosby. Media coverage in markets including Philadelphia and Prague emphasized his leadership during playoff pushes and his role in special teams.
Voracek's family includes relatives involved in Czech athletics and entertainment, and he has been active in community initiatives connected to franchises he played for, partnering with local charities and youth hockey programs in cities such as Columbus, Ohio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Phoenix, Arizona. He has been the subject of feature pieces in outlets like The Philadelphia Inquirer and Czech publications based in Prague, and has maintained ties to Czech cultural institutions and sports academies.
Voracek's professional statistics include NHL regular-season games, goals, assists, and points across tenures with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Arizona Coyotes, as well as international totals for the Czech Republic at IIHF tournaments and the Winter Olympics. His seasonal point-per-game rates placed him among yearly leaders during peak campaigns and his career assist totals reflect power-play deployment similar to recorded numbers for top playmakers in the NHL.
Category:Czech ice hockey players Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Columbus Blue Jackets players Category:Arizona Coyotes players Category:Ice hockey right wingers