After a solid season that saw him put up a career best 95 points, Bruins forward David Pastrnak has been named Czech Athlete of the Year. Pastrnak became the first hockey player to win the award since Jaromir Jagr in 2005. He joins Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl who won the same award, but in his home country of Germany.
The 2019-20 season was a career year for Pastrnak. As mentioned, he had 95 points in 70 games, and he finished the regular season with 48 goals tying him with Alexander Ovechkin for the league lead which earned both players the Rocket Richard Trophy.
.@pastrnak96 has been named the 2020 Czech Athlete of the Year. Congrats, Pasta! 👏https://t.co/X6z39gHf1v— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 23, 2020
"I would never have imagined that I could win the Athlete of the Year of the Czech Republic. In hockey, the biggest prize is collective success, but having your name on such a trophy with a great history is something amazing," Pastrnak said.
Pastrnak, 24, was drafted in the first round, 25th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. In 390 regular season games, he's recorded 379 points (180 G, 199 A), 171 penalty minutes, and is a +63. In 52 career playoff games, Pastrnak is a tad above a point-per-game player, putting up 53 points (20 G, 33 A), 20 penalty minutes, and is a +/-0.
Internationally, Pastrnak has represented the Czech Republic on multiple occasions, most recently at the 2018 IIHF World Hockey Championships. In 5 games, he tallied 6 points (4 G, 2 A) and was a +6, as the Czech Republic finished seventh following a loss to the United States in the quarterfinals.
Back in September, Pastrnak had hip surgery and was scheduled to miss five months, which would put him on track to return sometime in mid-February.
