Andrej Sekera

Andrej Sekera (born 8 June 1986) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey defenceman.

He played for the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Born and raised in Slovakia, Sekera played in the Slovak Extraliga for Dukla Trenčín before moving to North America to play with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

During his first season in the OHL, Sekra finished the regular season with 28 points in 51 games to rank seventh on the team in scoring.

The following year, Sekra won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding defenceman.

Sekera was born on 8 June 1986, in Bojnice, Slovakia where he began playing ice hockey with neighborhood friends.

As a teenager, he played two full seasons with the Trencin Jr. team, and three games in the Slovak Extraliga for Dukla Trenčín.

As a result of his outstanding junior play, he was drafted in the third round, 71st overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

As a result of his hometown play, Sekera was drafted second overall by the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the 2004 Import Draft.

A few days later, Sekera was drafted 71st overall by the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

During his first season in the OHL, Sekra finished the regular season with 28 points in 51 games to rank seventh on the team in scoring.

The following year, Sekra won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding defenceman.

Following the 2005–06 OHL season, Sekera signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres on 14 July 2006.

As such, he participated in the Sabres' pre-season games and recorded two penalty minutes and nine shots on goal through four contests.

He was subsequently assigned to the Sabres' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans, to begin the 2006–07 season.

Sekera was limited to 11 games with the Americans due to an injury but earned his first NHL callup on 24 November.

He made his NHL debut that night in a 2–1 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

He was returned to the AHL and finished the season with 17 points through 40 games.

Sekera also spoke highly of his AHL experience, saying it helped him adjust his game to the professional level.

Sekera returned to the Sabres organization for the 2007–08 season but was again re-assigned to the Rochester Americans.

However, following an injury to Jaroslav Spacek, he earned a recall to the NHL a few weeks later.

During this time, he recorded his first career NHL goal on 28 November against St. Louis Blues' goaltender Manny Legace in a 4–3 loss.

In December, Sabres' coach Lindy Ruff announced that Sekera would remain on the NHL roster following further injuries to Dmitri Kalinin and Henrik Tallinder.

As a result of the Sabres' numerous injuries, Sekera's ice time increased and he averaged 17:17 minutes of ice time.

As the team recovered, he was returned to the AHL but called up again in March.

During the month, the Sabres battled to qualify for the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs from their 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

As a result of his performance during the previous season, Sekera began the 2008–09 season with the Sabres.

He tallied 13 points through 43 games before suffering an ankle injury.

Prior to the injury, he was also averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game.

Upon returning to the lineup, he finished with a career-high 19 points through 69 games.

Sekera was once again named to the Sabres' opening night roster to begin the 2009–10 season and played in three games before suffering a rib injury.

In the final year of his contract, Sekera recorded a career-high of 29 points through 76 games, including three goals.

As such, he signed a four-year contract extension with the Sabres worth $11 million.

He had originally requested salary arbitration.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, which canceled the majority of the first half of the 2012–13 season, Sekera played in his native Slovakia with Slovan Bratislava of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Sekera spent seven seasons with the Sabres before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013.

In his one and a half seasons with the team, Sekera broke out offensively and recorded career-highs in goals, assists, and points.

He returned to the Sabres following the return of NHL play in January 2013.

His tenure ended when he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings to finish out the 2014–15 season.

He remained with the Kings for the remainder of the season before signing with the Edmonton Oilers in 2015.