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In a season full of highlight-worthy moments one of my favorites might be hearing Jiri Sekac call Tomas Fleischmann "old" when the duo was interviewed as two new faces to the Ducks franchise.
In that moment, I knew I'd like this kid.
That is the perfect example of what my grandpa called chutzpah, while dad preferred to call it gumption. Me? I prefer audacity.
At 23-years old, this young Czech hot shot throws a snarky comment to an older, more familiar Czech player, and did I mention they were new teammates? I would have paid to be a fly on the wall of the locker room after this interview.
Sekac, whose surname inverts perfectly into his nickname "Cakes," initially went undrafted before signing an entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on the opening day of free agency in the 2014 offseason.
It took only four games with the Canadiens for Cakes to score his first NHL goal, which came against Tuukka Rask in a 6-4 Montreal win over the Boston Bruins.
Season Recap
In January 2015 after Los Angeles' Tanner Pearson was forced to sit out of the NHL All-Star Skills Competition with a broken leg, the invitation to be Pearson's replacement was extended to, and accepted by Sekac. At the Skills Competition he represented Team Foligno in the Bridgetone NHL Fastest Skater event and finished as the 6th fasted skater in the race.
Less than a week before the NHL Trade Deadline, Sekac was sent to the Ducks in a deal swapping him for Anaheim's young bruiser Devante Smith-Pelly.
What Anaheim lost in grit, strength and checking abilities through the loss of Smith-Pelly, they gained back in upgraded skating ability and scoring potential in Sekac.
2014-15 Stats
| Season | Team | League | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | +/- |
| 2014-15 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 18 | -2 |
| 2014-15 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 19 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | +2 |
Ducks Impact
Through 19 regular season games with Anaheim in the 2014-15 season Sekac seemed to be part of Coach Bruce Boudreau's revolving door of left wings. He found some chemistry playing alongside fellow youngsters Rickard Rakell and Emerson Etem, however also used his skating abilities to keep up with heavy-hitting top line dynamic duo, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
Despite not having a set spot in the lineup each night and not having stable linemates, Sekac didn't exactly disappoint. From where I sit I genuinely think this upcoming season with the Ducks will show he will continue to grow and improve the nuances of his game, building even more upon the already strong foundation he's established.