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Milan JurcinaSlovak ice hockey player, defenseman
Date of Birth: 07.06.1963
Country:  Slovakia |
Content:
Biography of Milan Jurcina
Milan Jurcina is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenseman, currently an unrestricted free agent. He last played for the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). Prior to that, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins (the organization that drafted him 241st overall in the 2001 NHL Draft), Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Islanders. On the international level, he represented the Slovak national team.
Early Career
Jurcina began his career with the Liptovský Mikuláš teams under 18 and under 20 from 1997 to 2000. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches tall, he was selected 241st overall in the 2001 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. After spending three seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Jurcina started his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins in the 2003-04 season. He was then included in the main roster of the Boston Bruins in the 2003-04 season.
NHL Career
On February 1, 2007, Jurcina was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional 4th round pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. Later on July 27, 2007, the Capitals re-signed him to a two-year contract. Jurcina, along with Capitals captain Chris Clark, was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 28, 2009, in exchange for forward Jason Chimera. Jurcina represented Slovakia in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, finishing in fourth place with his team.
On the trade deadline day, March 3, 2010, Jurcina was traded back to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional 6th round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. However, a sports hernia surgery prevented him from playing for the rest of the 2009-10 season. On July 2, 2010, Jurcina, as an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year contract worth $1 million with the New York Islanders.
KHL and DEL Stints
On August 22, 2014, Jurcina joined Riga Dynamo in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on try-out basis and eight days later signed a one-year contract. Jurcina remained in the KHL for the 2015-16 season but moved to Croatia, playing for Medveščak Zagreb. He appeared in 49 games for the club, scoring four goals and recording ten assists. In early February 2016, Jurcina parted ways with Medveščak and finished the season elsewhere. On February 15, 2016, he signed a contract with Eisbären Berlin in the top German league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), for the remainder of the 2015-16 season.
Recent Career
In September 2016, Jurcina signed a multi-year contract with DEL team Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers, joining his former teammate Thomas Sabo for the 2016-17 season.
