After two successful seasons playing junior hockey in Canada, talented young Czecho-Slovak forward Martin Réway is coming back to Sparta Prague, where he will make his professional debut in the Champions Hockey League.
by Derek O'Brien, with contribution from Tereza Velikovská
After finishing with the best record in the regular season of the Czech Extraliga in 2013/14, Sparta Prague is serving notice that they plan to remain at the top by signing a young player who just finished a pretty impressive season of his own.
Sparta is welcoming back a native son of sorts in skilled 19-year-old forward Martin Réway. Réway was born in Prague to a Czech mother and Slovak father just two years after the two nations separated. He lived the first 12 years of his life in the Czech capital before his family moved to Slovakia. He returned at age 16 and the last season he spent in Europe, 2011/12, was with Sparta's U18 team, where he racked up 84 points in 34 regular season and playoff games. He also had 6 points in five games at the U20 level.
From there, he went overseas.
"I went to Canada two years ago mainly due to the fact that there would be more eyes on me," said the fourth round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2013. "In addition, Sparta's Extraliga team was very strong and I felt that I didn't have much of a chance to play there as a 17-year-old. Now I think it's a little different than when I left."
In two years with the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, Réway recorded 62 points in 57 games in his first year, 77 points in 52 games his next. After proving himself at the world's top level of junior hockey, he now feels he's ready to make the jump and turn professional -- an opinion obviously shared by Sparta.
"Even two years ago, we wanted to Martin to try out for our top team," said Patrik Martinec, Sparta's sport manager, "but he decided to go to the Canadian juniors, where he prospered. We're very excited to have him back with Sparta."
There was speculation that Réway might go to Montreal's training camp and try to make their NHL team. The only complication with that option is if he didn't make the team, due to his age he would have to return to junior, which was not an attractive outcome for Réway.
"I didn't want to take a chance, I want to play men's hockey and Sparta is the perfect choice for me. I'm looking forward to it," Réway explained. "I was glad that when I came here, Mr. Martinec and (head coach Josef) Jandač spoke to me and I had a good feeling. They said they saw me play and are happy that I'm here."
There's another thing that's luring Réway back to Europe. "The World Championship is in the Czech Republic next year and I really want to play. I would like to play for the national team more often, and I can't do that so often playing in Canada."
Réway plays internationally for Slovakia, as that's where he lived when he first started getting invited to youth-level national team camps, and in the past three years has played in four IIHF World Championships at the U18, U20 and elite levels. At last year's World Junior Championship in Malmö, Réway showed where he ranks among some of the world's best junior-aged players by recording 10 points in five games. He then looked right at home at the World Championship in Minsk in May, tallying 3 assists in seven games. The experience only strengthened his belief that he can play at the pro level.
"Playing in the World Championship has certainly helped me a lot," he explained. "But I'll have to work like everyone else. I believe that I can handle it. I'll be playing against older players who have a lot of experience, which will only make me better."
After beginning training camp in July and then some pre-season games in August, Réway will actually make his professional debut in the CHL. Fans of KalPa Kuopio and the Växjö Lakers will be the first to get a look at him, as Sparta starts its Group G schedule in Finland and Sweden on August 21st and 24th. Fans in Prague can see him against those same two teams on the 4th and 6th of September, before the start of the Extraliga season. Sparta visits Adler Mannheim on September 23rd.