A month into the start of NHL free agency, now-former Bruins winger Jakub Lauko has found his next stop. But it’s one that’s come outside of the NHL, with Lauko officially signed by HC Dynamo Pardubice (Czechia) on Friday.
Drafted by the Bruins with a third-round pick in 2018, Lauko spent the first five years of his pro career in the Bruins organization before the Bruins shipped him to Minnesota to move up the draft board during the 2024 NHL Draft.
Playing on a ‘tanking’ Bruins team to close out the season, Lauko compiled two goals and five points, along with 50 hits and 17 blocked shots, while averaging 12:07 per game in 18 games down the stretch for Boston.
Overall, Lauko finished the season with a career-high in both goals (five) and points (11) in 56 games between the Bruins and Wild.
During his time in Boston, from his first stint and through his second stint, Lauko proved to be a valuable bottom-six piece willing to do whatever he had to for the team. Whether that was drawing penalties at a rate that made him one of the best in the league at that to dropping the gloves to spark his club.
A pending restricted free agent, Lauko was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Bruins, and became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and seemingly held out for an NHL offer before signing in Czechia on Friday.
Lauko joins a pretty loaded Dynamo club, all things considered, and will even have another former Bruin on his roster, with Vladimir Sobotka also joining the club after spending the last five seasons with HC Sparta Prague.
Lauko’s departure from the NHL also means that the Bruins do not have a single member of their 2018 draft class currently signed to an NHL contract; Lauko is now in Czechia (obviously), second-round pick Axel Andersson is currently playing in Sweden, late-round picks Curtis Hall and Dustyn McFaul were last seen in the ECHL, and Pavel Shen is playing in the KHL.