Marek Svatos
Position: Right wing
Draft position: 7th round, 227th-overall
Years in the NHL: 6 (2005-06 to 2010-11)
Years with the Colorado Avalanche: 5 (2005-06 to 2009-2010)
All Time Stats: 344 games played, 172 points (100 goals, 72 assists)
It’s hard for me to write about Marek Svatos without being sad for how he died of a drug overdose. But, we’re here to celebrate his life with the Colorado Avalanche, so let’s focus on that.
Marek Svatos spent the majority of his career with the Avalanche. After being picked in the seventh round of the 2001 draft, Svatos spent another year in major juniors before entering the AHL for the majority of tow seasons. He did play four NHL games for the Avs in 2003-04 and even scored two goals!
Svatos turned out to be a pure goal scorer. Over the course of the next five seasons, he played 316 games for Colorado. He scored 96 of his 100 goals with Colorado. That includes 20 game-winning goals — including nine in the 2005-06 season and six in the 2007-08 season.
Marek Svatos ended his NHL career with the Ottawa Senators in 2011 and played two more years in Europe before retiring to Colorado.
Here’s our tribute to the Slovakian winger:
Related Story: Remembering Svatos
Here’s a video tribute to Marek Svatos: