Ladislav Šmíd | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Frýdlant, Czechoslovakia |
February 1, 1986 ||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
ELH team Former teams |
Bílí Tygři Liberec Edmonton Oilers Calgary Flames |
||
National team | Czech Republic | ||
NHL Draft | 9th overall, 2004 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
||
Playing career | 2002–present |
Ladislav Šmíd (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlaɟɪslaf ˈʃmiːt], born February 1, 1986) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He has formerly played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
Šmíd was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, ninth overall, by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He played junior hockey for HC Liberec Junior in the 2001–02 season, and split the following three seasons between HC Liberec Junior and the professional HC Bílí Tygři Liberec. He also played for the Czech Republic in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 IIHF World U20 Championships, as well as for the under-18 team the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships.
After coming to North America, Šmíd spent the 2005–06 season with the Portland Pirates, at the time the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Mighty Ducks. On July 3, 2006, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers with Joffrey Lupul and several draft picks in exchange for disgruntled defenceman Chris Pronger. Šmíd made the Oilers' roster out of his first training camp with the team, and spent the entire 2006–07 season with Edmonton. After the Oilers missed the Stanley Cup playoffs, he joined the Czech senior team at the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The following year, he was cut from the Oilers' training camp and assigned to the Springfield Falcons of the AHL, with whom he played eight games before being recalled to Edmonton.