Jan Kovar: Keeping Pace with Mozyakin and Zaripov

KHL.ru continues to tell the stories of those who became league’s legends. Today the talk is about two-time Gagarin Cup champion Jan Kovar. The Czech forward formed a legendary line with Sergei Mozyakin and Danis Zaripov for Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

From Pilsen to Magnitogorsk

In 2013, brothers Jan and Jakub Kovar decided to move from their native Czech Republic to the KHL. Initially, both were offered contracts by Spartak, which agreed to sign them. However, as often happens, when one team shows interest, wealthier clubs begin to offer better terms. Thus, center forward Jan ended up with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, while goalie Jakub joined Avtomobilist.

The spring of 2013 was a breakthrough for our hero. He ranked among the top ten scorers Czech Extraliga’s regular season (51 points in 52 games) and led the league in scoring the playoffs (26 points in 20 games). Jan’s team, Pilsen, won the Czech title, and the forward debuted at the senior World Championship. Although the Czech team lost to Switzerland in the quarterfinals and Kovar didn’t score any points in six games, it was just the beginning of his career on the international stage. In any case, the interest from KHL clubs was well-earned.

Metallurg had been eliminated from the Gagarin Cup playoffs in the first round the previous season, losing 3-4 to Salavat Yulaev. The last time the team won medals was before the KHL’s formation — bronze in 2008. They had become champions a year earlier. Naturally, such results did not satisfy the club’s ambitious management, and 2013 became a transitional year. Metallurg approached the new season significantly revamped.

Mike Keenan, a winner of two Canada Cups and the Stanley Cup, was hired to lead a renewed Metallurg squad. The team also needed to fill key positions — find a starting goalie, a defenseman for the power play, and form a potent forward line, as the previous season left gaps in the roster after the NHL lockout ended and players like Sergei Gonchar, Evgeny Malkin, and Nikolai Kulemin returned to North America.

During the 2013 offseason, the club’s management performed brilliantly. Vasily Koshechkin secured the starting goalie position for many years, Chris Lee became one of the best offensive blueliners in KHL history, and Danis Zaripov and Kovar joined Sergey Mozyakin, who extended his contract for five years, to form the team’s top line. While the potential of the Russian forwards was well-known, the Czech’s performance was a true revelation. The key was that Jan matched Mozyakin and Zaripov in game intelligence, which made finding a center for such star wingers quite challenging. These players became some of the most prominent in the league over the next several seasons and led Metallurg to several significant triumphs.

First Gagarin Cup

Fitting into Russian hockey is hardly easy—it is faster and more technical than the Czech league. ‘I will have to work hard to progress in this league,’ Kovar said in his first interview after the August preseason game against Ak Bars, in which he scored the OT GWG.

Kovar adapted quickly to the KHL level, especially with such teammates. He scored a goal in his very first official game—an away match against Dynamo Moscow. Subsequently, the Czech rarely left the ice without recording points. There were 14 such games in the regular season and seven in the playoffs. The forward had several impressive scoring streaks. In the first stage, he scored points in eight, six, and two five-game stretches. In the elimination stage, he continued this in six and four straight games.

Jan Kovar. 368 games, 377 (129+248) points.
2013 Czech Extraleague title, league’s MVP.
2014, 2016 Gagarin Cup win.
2014 KHL best plus-minus differential.
2014, 2016, 2017 KHL All-Star Game. Member of the highest-scoring line in KHL history with Sergei Mozyakin and Danis Zaripov – 328 goals.
2016, 2017 KHL Golden Helmet award.
2017 KHL Iron Man award. Gagarin Cup playoffs’ top scorer.
2021, 2022 Swiss National League champion, Playoffs MVP.
Apr 25, 2013 Signs a three-year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Sep 6, 2013 KHL debut against Dynamo Moscow, scores a goal.
Jan 11, 2014 First KHL All-Star Game appearance.

Kovar became the second top scorer in the regular season (23 goals, 45 assists) and the third in points (8 goals, 18 assists) in the Gagarin Cup playoffs. In the first stage, he trailed only Mozyakin. In the elimination stage, he was behind Mozyakin and Zaripov. In the final series against HC Lev, the Czech forward tallied two goals, had eight assists, and immediately won the KHL’s trophy.

At the end of his first season in Russia, Kovar grabbed the award for the best plus-minus differential (+46), participated in the All-Star Game, and the unit of Kovar with Mozyakin and Zaripov became the most productive line, earning the “Best Line” award.

However, disappointment awaited Kovar that season. The head coach of the Czech national team, Alois Hadamczik, opted to not call the KHL’s most productive international player to the Olympics. In Sochi, the Czechs had a poor performance, losing to Sweden and Switzerland in the group stage and to Team USA in the quarterfinals.

In May, however, Kovar went to the World Championship. In Minsk, the Czechs again faced the Americans in the quarterfinals and this time emerged victorious, 4:3. However, in the two medal games, the team lost to Finland and Sweden with a combined score of 0:6.

One Step Away from Medals with the National Team and a Third Gagarin Cup

Kovar represented his country in seven World Championships and two Olympics but never managed to win a medal. After 2014, team Czechia with Kovar had two appearances in bronze medal games at the World Championships. However, neither in 2015 at home nor in 2019 in neighboring Bratislava, Slovakia, did they manage to secure the bronze, losing 0:3 to Team USA and 2:3 to Russia after SO. Those two tournaments were Kovar’s best on the international stage, scoring 3 goals and 6 assists in 2015 and 5 tallies with 5 helpers in 2019 across 10 games each.

In 2018, Kovar was also close to an Olympic medal. The Czechs played Team Canada in the bronze medal game but, despite Kovar’s goal, lost 4:6. Four years later in Beijing, Team Czechia was defeated by Switzerland in the round of 16.

Kovar’s career with Metallurg was far more successful. In 2015, Metallurg fell short, losing to Sibir in the second round of the elimination stage. However, maintaining a high level for two consecutive seasons is challenging. For Kovar personally, that season was as successful as the first, with the same 68 points (24 goals, 44 assists) in the regular season and again finishing second in the scoring list, this time trailing only Alexander Radulov.

In the following season, Metallurg regained the championship title, defeating CSKA in the finals, with Mozyakin and Kovar becoming the top scorers in the playoffs. The decisive series, like two years before, went to seven games, with Kovar tallying 2 goals and posting 4 helpers. Kovar, along with Mozyakin, was named to the league’s All-Star team and received the Golden Helmet award.

Apr 30, 2014. Gagarin Cup winner, tallying a goal in the seventh game.
May 28, 2014. At the KHL Closing Ceremony is awarded with the Regular Season MVP trophy.
Apr 19, 2016. Second Gagarin Cup triumph with Metallurg.
May 24, 2016. Golden Helmet award recipient as a member of the post-season All-Star Team.
Apr 19, 2016. KHL Iron Man award recipient after playing 230 games in his latest three seasons.

In the spring of 2017, Metallurg, led by its star trio, was on the path to winning a third Gagarin Cup, losing just one match in the first three playoff rounds against Kunlun Red Star, Barys, and Ak Bars. However, in the finals, SKA proved stronger, achieving a 4-1 win. Mozyakin and Kovar once again were the top scorers in the Gagarin Cup playoffs, but this time the Czech finished on top of the scoring list. At the season’s closing ceremony, he received another Golden Helmet, bringing his total to two golds and one silver in his four years in Russia.

In the summer of 2017, Zaripov returned to Ak Bars, breaking up one of the best lines in the history of Russian championship. Without his usual partner, both Kovar’s and Mozyakin’s scoring declined. By the end of the 2017-2018 season, the Czech had “only” 35 points, compared to a minimum of 52 in previous seasons, and three times surpassing 60 points. In the elimination stage, Metallurg lost in the second round to Ak Bars 1-4, after which Kovar announced he was leaving the team.

“Magnitogorsk! A big, big thank you for everything! Here is the best team and the most loyal fans!”

Kovar attempted to play in the NHL but was unsuccessful. That same season, he returned to the Czech Republic. For the past four years, the forward has been playing in Switzerland. In Zug, Kovar took on the familiar role of leader. In his debut season, Jan became the second top scorer on the team. In the next three championships, he was the top scorer. In 2021, Zug won the Swiss title, and a year later took silver. In the decisive matches, Kovar shone, becoming the top scorer in both playoffs.

KHL.ru dossier

Jan Kovar

Born Mar 20, 1990, in Pisek, Czechia.

Playing career: 2008-2013, Pilsen (Czechia); 2013-2018, Metallurg;  2018-2019, Providence (AHL); 2019-today EV Zug (Switzerland).

Achievements: Russian championship and Gagarin Cup (2014, 2016), Czech championship (2013), Swiss championship (2021).