Kevin Fiala
| Kevin Fiala | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
22 July 1996 Uzwil, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Nashville Predators HV71 | ||
| National team |
 Switzerland | ||
| NHL Draft |
11th overall, 2014 Nashville Predators | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Kevin Fiala (born 22 July 1996) is a Swiss professional ice hockey winger currently playing with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Fiala was selected by the Predators in the first round, 11th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He has previously played for HV71[1] of the Swedish Hockey League.
Playing career
Fiala played in various junior leagues in his native Switzerland prior to joining the Swedish club Malmö Redhawks for the 2012–13 season. His time was split between the U18 club in the J18 Elit and J18 Allsvenskan, and the U20 outfit in the J20 SuperElit. Fiala then joined HV71, with whom he debuted for during the 2013 European Trophy.[2] Throughout the 2013–14 season, Fiala split time with the HV71 junior team in the J20 SuperElit and the senior team, which plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was praised by Head Coach Ulf Dahlén for his play following his SHL debut, a 5–4 defeat to Linköpings HC.[3] Fiala was nominated for the SHL's Rookie of the Year award following the completion of his junior season, but lost to Toronto Maple Leafs' prospect Andreas Johnson.
After his selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft on 15 July 2014, Fiala was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Nashville Predators.[4]
Fiala scored his first NHL goal on January 14, 2016, against Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets.[5]
International play
Fiala played in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2012 and 2013 as a member of the Swiss U18 national team. He also skated for his country at the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he was lauded as one of the key players on the Swiss roster.[6] In five WJC games, he recorded one goal and four assists, as Switzerland was eliminated by Canada in the quarter-finals. In May 2014, Fiala represented Switzerland at the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Belarus, registering two assists in seven games.[7] Fiala is just the third player in history to play in the Under-18, Under-20 and Men’s World Championships in the same year, the others being Andrei Kostitsyn and Vadim Karaga.[8]
Personal
Fiala is a native of St. Gallen, Switzerland, although his parents are both Czech.[9] His father, Jan, played professional hockey in the Swiss lower leagues.[8] Fiala speaks five languages: Czech, English, French, German and Swedish.[4]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Malmö Redhawks | J20 | 33 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | HV71 | J20 | 27 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | HV71 | SHL | 17 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | ||
| 2014–15 | HV71 | SHL | 20 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 33 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 66 | 18 | 32 | 50 | 78 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SHL totals | 37 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | ||||
| NHL totals | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Switzerland | IH18 | 6th | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Switzerland | IH18 | 6th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| 2014 | Switzerland | WJC18 | 7th | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | |
| 2014 | Switzerland | WJC | 7th | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2014 | Switzerland | WC | 10th | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Switzerland | WJC | 9th | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 16 | |
| 2015 | Switzerland | WC | 8th | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 24 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 44 | ||||
| Senior totals | 15 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||||
References
- ↑ "Kevin allein im Ausland - Eishockey - Live Eishockey und News bei sport.ch" (in German). Sport.ch.sportalsports.com. 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ↑ "HV71 2013–14 player statistics". eliteprospects.com. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
- ↑ "Fiala hailed by Ulf Dahlen". expressen.se. 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- 1 2 "Nashville Predators sign first round pick Fiala". Nashville Predators. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ↑ "Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets". Nashville Predators. 2016-01-14.
- ↑ "Holiday hockey is best to watch prospects". freep.com. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
- ↑ "Kevin Fiala". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- 1 2 Campbell, Glenn (9 May 2014). "Kevin Fiala completes Swiss hockey trifecta". The Hockey News. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ Manasso, John. "Predators' Fiala part of upward trend in Swiss talent". NHL Official Website. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Kevin Fiala's SHL profile
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Seth Jones |
Nashville Predators first round draft pick 2014 |
Succeeded by Dante Fabbro |