Petr Cajka (born 11 December 2000) is a Czech professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing with the Ticino Rockets of the Swiss League (SL) as a prospect to the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL).
| Petr Cajka | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
(2000-12-11) December 11, 2000 (age 21) Kadaň, Czech Republic | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers Ticino Rockets (SL) Genève-Servette HC Lausanne HC HC Ambrì-Piotta | ||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||
Cajka played most his junior hockey in Switzerland which allows him to compete in the National League and in the Swiss League with a Swiss player-license.
Cajka made his professional debut during the 2017-18 season appearing in 2 games with the EVZ Academy of the Swiss League (SL).
Cajka played one season of junior hockey with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) during the 2018/19 season and scored 38 points (20 goals) in 63 regular season games.
On August 2, 2019, Cajka signed his first professional contract with Genève-Servette HC, agreeing to a three-year deal extending from the 2020/21 season through the 2022/23 season.[1] Cajka played the entire 2019/20 season as a junior on Genève-Servette HC U20 team in order to obtain his Swiss-player license for the 2020/21 season.[2] He played 33 regular season games with the U20 team this season, putting up 42 points (17 goals). Cajka made his National League debut on September 24, 2020 against Lausanne HC.[3] He was inserted in the lineup as the team's 4th import player as Henrik Tömmernes was out at the time with an injury.[4] On February 28, 2020, Cajka scored his first NL goal against Lausanne HC at home in an empty Patinoire des Vernets due to the Coronavirus pandemic.[5] He was limited to 5 NL regular season games (2 points) this season.
On September 14, 2020, Cajka was traded, along with Tim Bozon, to Lausanne HC in exchange for Joel Vermin.[6] He was immediately loaned to the HCB Ticino Rockets of the Swiss League (SL) to begin the 2020/21 season. Cajka played 34 games with the Rockets scoring 24 points (10 goals) before being recalled by Lausanne on February 13, 2021. He played 2 games with the team in the NL before being shipped to HC Ambrì-Piotta on February 16, 2021, agreeing to a 2-year deal with the Biancoblu. The deal runs through to the end of the 2021/22 season with an option for the 2022/23 season.[7]
Cajka was named to the Czech Republic men's U20 national team for the 2020 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. He scored one goal in 5 games played as the Czechs fell to Sweden in the 1/4 finals.