Man of the Week: Libor Sulak

KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Libor Sulak. The Admiral’s defenseman had a strong week, despite it has been a rocky season for his team, receiving Best defenseman honors and scoring five points in the seven-day stretch. The Sailors recorded only one win, over Salavat Yulaev on Sunday (4:2).

It has been a turbulent campaign for Admiral, who have spent much of the season trying to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference, without much success even after parting ways with head coach Leonids Tambijevs, now replaced by Oleg Bratash. Yet, amid the ups and downs, one constant has been the influence of Libor Sulak on the blue line. Named Best Defenseman of the Week for the third time in his career, Sulak produced 5 (2+3) points in three games, finishing plus-2. The Czech blueliner scored the game-winning goal in Sunday’s 4:2 victory over Salavat Yulaev, while also adding three hits and three blocked shots over the week. On a team fighting to keep its mathematical playoff hopes alive, his leadership and two-way presence have been invaluable.

Early years

Sulak’s path to becoming one of the KHL’s most reliable offensive defensemen has been anything but linear. He was born in Pelhrimov, a town in the Central part of Czechia, like former Metallurg Novokuznetsk goalie Filip Novotny and his namesake Jiri, who spent eight seasons in our league, including captaining HC Lev to the Gagarin Cup finals in 2014. Sulak developed in the Czech system before getting his feet wet in Russian hockey in 2012–2013, when he played for the Tatranski Vlci in the MHL, where he recorded 11 points in 50 games, gaining early exposure to the Russian style of play. He turned professional in his homeland with Pirati Chomutov before making a decisive step with Orli Znojmo in what then was the Austrian EBEL. There, he blossomed offensively, posting 18 points in 52 games in 2015–2016 and following up with 28 points the next season. He was also awarded Rookie of the Year honors in his debut season in the league.

Ranking up

That progress earned him a two-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings in 2017. In North America, he split time between the NHL and the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, collecting 14 points in 61 AHL games and appearing in six NHL contests during the 2018–2019 season. Although he did not secure a permanent NHL role, he gained significant experience and had a chance to represent Czechia twice at the World Championship level.

Returning to Europe, Sulak had a brief stint with Severstal, but then found stability and top-pair minutes in Finland’s Liiga. With KooKoo, he had an encouraging 16 points in 31 games in 2019-2020. A subsequent spell with Karpat Oulu further underlined his value as a mobile, offensively inclined blue-liner capable of logging heavy minutes.

Move to Admiral

However, it was in Vladivostok that Sulak truly found a long-term home. Since joining Admiral, the Czech defenseman has consistently ranked among the club’s leading scorers, often pacing the defence in points while matching up against opponents’ top lines.

After two excellent seasons in the Far East, he moved to Avangard for the 2023-2024 seasons, but he was traded back to Vladivostok after 31 games, where he posted a respectable 12 (4+8) points. Back with Admiral, Sulak continued producing at an excellent rate, and this season is again his team’s top scorer, currently at 38 (13+25) points across 61 games.

The Sailors will probably miss the playoffs this time around, but Sulak can’t surely  be disappointed with his own season and think about returning  even stronger next year.