Oliver Okuliar
| Oliver Okuliar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93030.jpg) Okuliar in 2024 | |||
| Born |
24 May 2000 Trenčín, Slovakia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Pittsburgh Penguins HK Dukla Trenčín HK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš SaiPa Mountfield HK Skellefteå AIK | ||
| National team |
 Slovakia | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Oliver Okuliar (born 24 May 2000) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously was under contract to the Florida Panthers, and has played for several teams in various major leagues across Europe.
Playing career
[edit]On 12 April 2024, Okuliar signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] After attending the Panthers training camp for the 2024–25 season, Okuliar was reassigned to American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers for the entirety of his contract. He contributed offensively with the Checkers in posting 19 goals and 41 points through 69 regular season games. He notched 8 points in 18 playoff contests, helping the Charlotte reach the Calder Cup finals.
As a pending free agent, Okuliar opted to leave North America, signing a two-year contract with Swedish club, Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), on 26 June 2025.[2]
Following his first season with Skellefteå, Okuliar's NHL rights were traded by the Panthers to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Emil Pieniniemi on 13 June 2026.[3] Two days later, Okuliar enacted his NHL out clause and returned to North America for the 2026–27 season after agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract with the Penguins.[4]
International play
[edit]He represented Slovakia senior team at the 2023 World Championship,[5] where he recorded one assist through 6 appearances.
Career statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2016–17 | Team Slovakia U18 | SVK U20 | 38 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | HK Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2017–18 | HK Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 37 | 24 | 40 | 64 | 137 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 56 | ||
| 2017–18 | HK Dukla Trenčín | Slovak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | HK 95 Panthers Považská Bystrica | Slovak.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Sherbrooke Phoenix | QMJHL | 66 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 46 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 55 | 33 | 35 | 68 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš | Slovak | 6 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK Dukla Trenčín | Slovak | 41 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 76 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 24 | ||
| 2021–22 | SaiPa | Liiga | 56 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Mountfield HK | ELH | 39 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 39 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 18 | ||
| 2023–24 | Mountfield HK | ELH | 52 | 24 | 21 | 45 | 53 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 69 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 119 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 18 | ||
| 2025–26 | Skellefteå AIK | SHL | 46 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 38 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 6 | ||
| Slovak totals | 48 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 90 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 24 | ||||
| Liiga totals | 56 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| ELH totals | 91 | 37 | 37 | 74 | 92 | 26 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 22 | ||||
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Slovakia | IH18 | 8th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2018 | Slovakia | U18 | 7th | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2020 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2023 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2026 | Slovakia | OG | 4th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2026 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 | ||||
| Senior totals | 19 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 18 | ||||
References
[edit]- ↑ "Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Oliver Okuliar". NHL.com. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ↑ "Slovak national team forward signs for Skellefteå AIK" (in Swedish). Skellefteå AIK. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ↑ "Florida Panthers acquire Emil Pieniniemi". Florida Panthers. 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ "Penguins agree to terms with Oliver Okuliar". Pittsburgh Penguins. 15 June 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "MS 2023: V záverečnej nominácii zatiaľ 25 mien" [2023 World Championships: 25 names on the final roster so far]. HockeySlovakia.sk (in Slovak). 6 May 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Oliver Okuliar profile and statistics at TheAHL.com
- Oliver Okuliar at Milano Cortina 2026
- Oliver Okuliar at Olympics.com
- Oliver Okuliar at Olympedia
- Oliver Okuliar at InterSportStats
- Oliver Okuliar at Olympic.sk (in Slovak)
- Oliver Okuliar on Instagram
 | This Slovak biographical article relating to ice hockey is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players
- HK Dukla Trenčín players
- Ice hockey players at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Lethbridge Hurricanes players
- HK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš players
- Olympic ice hockey players for Slovakia
- Ice hockey people from Trenčín
- SaiPa players
- Sherbrooke Phoenix players
- Mountfield HK players
- HK 95 Panthers Považská Bystrica players
- Skellefteå AIK players
- Slovak ice hockey players
- Slovak ice hockey biography stubs