Tomáš Kaberle
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Tomáš Kaberle (born March 2, 1978 in Rakovnik, Czech Republic) is a defenseman for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. He had an outstanding 2005-2006 campaign where he saw considerable ice time and got career highs in assists and points. He has also seen success playing for the Czech national ice hockey team, including winning a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
His brother Frantisek Kaberle, plays for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, and his father, Frantisek Kaberle Sr. also represented the Czech Republic by playing for the national ice hockey team.
Playing Career
Kaberle was drafted 204th in the 8th round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He showed a lot of promise after taking over the role as the main offensive defensemen on the Leafs after an unfortunate injury to Bryan Berard in the 1999-2000 NHL season. Since that year Kaberle has consistently put up 5-10 goals and 30-35 assists. One of Kaberle's best seasons came in 2002-2003 when he registered 11 goals and 36 assists playing with Robert Svehla. He improved upon those offensive totals in the 2005-2006 campaign when he recorded 67 points (9-58-67) and formed a potent power play combination with fellow rearguard Bryan McCabe as Toronto had one of the top offences with the man-advantage in the league that season.Kaberle has developed into a top defenseman for the Maple Leafs since coming into the NHL in 1998-99. That year, coach Pat Quinn eased the 21 year old Kaberle into the line-up slowly, suiting him up for 57 games. The following seasons saw continued progression from the Czech blueliner, and he was selected to represent the World team in the 2001-02 NHL All-Star Game. That year he was also named to his first Olympic Team, representing the Czech Republic in Salt Lake City.
The 2005-06 season saw him pairing up with Bryan McCabe. The pairing helped the Leafs power play to achieve one of the most potent powerplays that season.
On February 11, 2006, Tomáš Kaberle was re-signed to a 5 year contract extension worth 21.25 million with a no-trade clause for the first three years of the contract, effective July 1, 2006. This contract all but ensures that the popular soft-spoken Czech blueliner shall continue to thrill Leafs fans with his talented play for years to come.
Scouting Report
Kaberle is an offensively-gifted blueliner with excellent passing skills and superior hockey sense. He also positions himself well in his own end due to his above-average speed and mobility.
Tomas' primary strength is his ability to read the ice well and his proficiency to make plays in the defensive zone to get out of trouble where other defensemen would get caught or give the puck up. His strength on the breakout and in transition is evident when he circles the puck behind the net and moves it up ice quickly, often evading an opposing player in the process. Not prone to making many errors, Kaberle has nevertheless been criticized by some analysts and fans for what they perceive to be a lack of grit on his part, and for not shooting the puck often enough from the point despite boasting an impressive shot.
Despite this, Kaberle has exhibited wonderful durability and a resistance to serious or nagging injuries. He has played in more than 70 games in every one of his NHL seasons thus far, excluding his 1998-99 rookie campaign (when he was limited to 57 appearances) and the 2001-02 season, when he sat out 13 games due to a contract dispute with Leafs management. He has also played a full 82-game schedule four times in his career thus far.
International Play
Tomas was selected to the Czech national team in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.In December of 2005, Tomáš and František were named to the Czech national ice hockey team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. They would both go on to win a bronze medal with the team.
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1994–95 | Kladno | Czech Extraliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1995–96 | Kladno | Czech Extraliga | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Kladno | Czech Extraliga | 49 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Kladno | Czech Extraliga | 47 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997–98 | St. John's | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | Toronto | NHL | 57 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | Toronto | NHL | 82 | 7 | 33 | 40 | 24 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Toronto | NHL | 82 | 6 | 39 | 45 | 24 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Kladno | Czech Extraliga | 9 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001–02 | Toronto | NHL | 69 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 16 | ||
| 2002–03 | Toronto | NHL | 82 | 11 | 36 | 47 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Toronto | NHL | 71 | 3 | 28 | 31 | 18 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Kladno | Czech Extraliga | 49 | 8 | 31 | 39 | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Toronto | NHL | 82 | 9 | 58 | 67 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 525 | 50 | 241 | 291 | 156 | 77 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 24
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See also
External links
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