(Sherbrooke) It happens somewhere last summer. Stéphane Julien, head coach of the Sherbrooke Phœnix, goes to Dorval airport to bring back an 18-year-old defender who has arrived from the Czech Republic.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
Approaching the Champlain Bridge, the young man recognizes the surroundings. “We pass in front of L’Île-des-Sœurs, he said: “Ah, I lived there!” He remembered it, ”says Julien.
If his new player remembered it, it’s because Montreal was his home a dozen years ago. His name: David Spacek. His father: Jaroslav Spacek, a nice guy who played two and a half years in Montreal.
Today, it’s the son’s turn to perform in Quebec. David Spacek, a defender like his father, protects the Phoenix blue line and hopes to be drafted by one of the 32 NHL teams in the summer.
“We lived in the same place for three years, it was well located between Brossard and the city center, tells us Jaroslav Spacek on the phone. It was good for the family, it was good for cycling, it was clean and the people were nice. »
David being then at the age to go to school, he spent three years in the Quebec school network. He says he spoke and understood French, memories corroborated by the father.
“At school, he learned French and English. He also took private lessons. We also had a babysitter, and after three months, he told her she could speak French to him! It’s a shame he doesn’t remember… I hope it will come back to him with the French speakers on his team. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAROSLAV SPACEK
David and Jacob Spacek, during Jaroslav Spacek’s stay with the Canadian
If he forgot the language, he has fond memories of the Bell Centre, but not the ones you expect, like the spring of 2010.
“I went to most games at the Bell Centre, but I only watched the first period and then went to the joint lounge. I was playing mini-hockey with Brian Gionta’s kids, it was a lot more fun there! he says with a chuckle.
Whose genes?
At first glance, you think you recognize the features of the father. He obviously doesn’t have the build, but at 6′, he might look like him eventually. “He looks more like his mother, corrects Jaroslav Spacek. But he’s starting to have cheeks, so he’s coming like me! »
During his 880-game NHL career, Spacek was considered a relatively complete defenseman, able to support offense while being defensively responsible. Three times he surpassed the 40-point mark.
“There are some similarities between our styles, says David Spacek. But I’m right-handed and he was left-handed. »
This detail fascinates the father.
Our two sons are right-handed. I think it’s the mirror effect. Your children look at you and want to imitate you, but they do it upside down. Several of my friends have sons who don’t pull on the same side as them. I’m glad my guys are right-handed, but sometimes it’s hard to teach them things, like how to play up the ramp.
Jaroslav Spacek
In progress
Ignored in the draft in his first year of eligibility, in 2021, David Spacek returned to the radars of recruiters in particular thanks to a harvest of 44 points in 48 games this season, which earned him 10and rank of the defenders of the Courteau circuit.
“Everything was canceled in the Czech Republic last year, so that didn’t help me,” said David Spacek. I played about ten matches and from mid-November, it was only training. I also played a few games in the Under-18 World Championship, but I didn’t have a very big role. »
This is why, last summer, Spacek reconnected with Jocelyn Thibault, his former teammate of the Chicago Blackhawks and the Buffalo Sabers and, incidentally, one of the shareholders of the Phoenix. They spoke to each other for the first time when David was 16, but “with the quota of two international players per team, it’s not easy”, recalls the father.
PHOTO MAXIME PICARD, LA TRIBUNE ARCHIVES
David Spacek (18)
Here he is at 18, more mature and ready to play a major role in one of the powerhouses of the QMJHL.
“He impresses me. He is a good defender, good in recovery, good defensively, lists Stéphane Julien. He’s tough to beat one-on-one. He has a pro shot. He is given 27, 28 minutes per game. He’s a good person too, much like his father. A lot of recruiters already had him on their list, but he’s going to come up. Since the holidays, he’s been playing big hockey. Our success is a lot thanks to our two Europeans.
“He didn’t play a lot last year and didn’t have a good U18 tournament, continues Julien. If I hadn’t known him before, I would have had more doubts. Because of the pandemic, recruiters haven’t seen much of him. I think we will have a nice surprise in the repechage. »
Spacek came to 81and rank in the mid-season ranking of North American skaters from the NHL Central Scouting. He was born in Columbus, he has fond memories of Montreal and he says he enjoys watching Drew Doughty and Cale Makar. Does this mean that he would like to be drafted by the Blue Jackets, the Canadiens, the Los Angeles Kings or the Colorado Avalanche?
I don’t really have a team of choice, but my father was drafted by the Panthers and it seems to be good to play in Florida!
David Spacek
Jaroslav Spacek has played for seven teams. But what is quite special is that he played between 145 and 205 games for 5 of these teams. There is therefore not a particular team with which it is associated.
“I liked all my teams. It would be nice if one of my teams drafted him, he says. The funny thing is, I started in Florida and then just moved up north. If there had been a team at the North Pole, I would have played there! I just want him to be drafted by a team where he will have a chance. »