OHL Alumni Central

Frank Lukes played three solid seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the St. Michael’s Majors from 2000-01 to 2001-03. The native of the Czech Republic accumulated 193 points in 186 regular season games as well as 54 points in 52 playoff games.

Lukes was a very late draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2001 NHL draft, going number 243 in the eighth round. He played three seasons in North American professional hockey after junior. In that time, Frank played for five different teams in three different leagues.

For the start of the 2006-07 season, he returned to the Czech Republic and has played there ever since with HC Benzina Litvinov of the Czech Extraliga. He has put up consistent offensive numbers with the team and, this season, finished 9th in league scoring with 45 points in 52 games.

Frank Lukes’ profile page on the league’s official website can be found here.

On the HC Benzina Litvinov official website, there is an interview with Frank. The interview is only in Czech and can be found here. What follows is the interview translated using an internet translation program. The translation is a little rough, but it’s about Frank being invited to the Czech camp for the 2010 IIHF World Championships.

F. Lukes: I work out and see
March 24, 2010

With Frantisek Lukes We talked before his departure for Prague on the concentration of a representative before the World Cup. The HC Litvinov BENZINA were nominated for four players, with goalkeeper Jaroslav Lukes still Hübl, defenseman Karel Utility and striker Peter Jansky. What they feel, along with V. Litvínov Hubble productive striker this season, the chance to play for the first time in her career at the championship?

When you are leaving and how to look on the first day?
“We have Meeting on Wednesday afternoon at half past five in Eden. The first training is scheduled in 19 hours,” said readers of our website Frantisek Lukes. Along with Michael and Victor Trávníček Hubble litvínovských one player with the club in recent days signed a new three-year contract.

In Eden afternoon playing juniors Litvínov second semifinal match against Slavia …
“Yes, I know. I see some piece of the match.”

It was the first camp before the World Cup. Did you expect his nomination? Disturbing that your post-season plans?
“You could say that I have my nomination for a bit of waiting, as last year, so this year. I knew it, we talked about it with his wife and little cards. So far we are in the nomination of a few, a lot of guys still playing playoff .

What do you expect from your participation in focus? It helps you in itself somehow?
“Perhaps, we’ll see. I really not rest even after the season last year, but the poison. Surely it is better to train and play matches.”

What is the program focus?
“The plan is now three sessions, from Wednesday to Friday. Then we leave and a further meeting again on Wednesday in Eden. Will be followed by matches in Switzerland, two days off a meeting in Prostejov for matches with Slovakia.”

How much do you see your chance to get to the World Cup? You had a bad season, you’re a year older, richer experience of last year’s prestigious …
“I had thought of yet, I’m going to try it. The test will not give anything, I just work out and somehow it turns out. Start should be relaxed, so I hope to get it back quickly. Last year we were in nároďáku before the championship with Peter Jansky two, it will miss out and I stayed until the Euro Hockey Tour tournament in Liberec. Let’s see what happens this year. If I had a month off, I do not know what I would do. As I said, it is better to be ice. ”

Check out these previous post on hockey in the Czech Republic:

Czech Hockey Language Guide

Lukas Mensator of HC Energie Karlovy Vary

Vasicek the only OHL Grad on Czech Olympic Team

HC Ocelari Trinec of the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic’s version of an elite hockey league is at the higher end of the European leagues. Numerous former NHLers can be found in the league as well as the odd Ontario Hockey League grad. The league and its 14 teams are well represented on the Internet but only in Czech and not in English. The best website to get started from is the Czech Hockey main site found here.

The following guide will not make you proficient in the language by any means! But, it will help you navigate around a Czech hockey website.

As usual, if you find any mistakes below or any key words that you believe should be added, please don’t hesitate to add that info to the comments on this post.

For other Hockey Language Guides, see the following:

Russian Hockey Language Guide

German Hockey Language Guide