Regenda was named Slovakia's Best Player in the game against Slovenia.
photo: Andre Ringuette/IIHF
Pavol Regenda is nothing if not persistent. He wanted to play in the NHL, and he did. He wants to stay in the NHL. Well, he’s working on that. And when he isn’t pursuing those pro dreams, he’s representing his country, as he is now in Stockholm, and as he has done many times in the past.
Born in Michalovce, Regenda played locally as a young teen before moving to Sweden and Finland. He returned home and, after a breakout 2021-22 season, finally earned some NHL attention, which he has been nurturing ever since. When he was 18, 19, 20, he was never drafted, but he was undeterred.
“I don’t think the draft is everything,” he said, with confidence. “There are a lot of hard-working guys who have never been drafted, and I’m a late bloomer, got big a little more slowly than most people maybe. I played two years in Sweden and came back to Slovakia and had a good tournament at the Olympics. I was so happy that I could get there. It was such a good experience. But going from Slovakia to the NHL doesn’t happen every day. I’ve been working hard to get there, and I think I've deserved it. I’m just trying to keep doing my thing and keep grinding.”
At 17, Regenda was playing the U18 with Slovakia, and two years later he played at the World Juniors. His mini-breakout happened at the Beijing Olympics, where he helped his country win a bronze medal after a 4-0 win over Sweden. Regenda had a goal and assist in that game, and at the end of that season he played at his first senior IIHF World Championship. He had five goals in eight games, tops on the team.
That summer, he was offered a two-year contract by the Anaheim Ducks. “When I went over there, I wasn’t really thinking about the NHL,” he explained. “I just went over and worked my butt off, and it worked out. They gave me a chance right away. I’m just a little sad it didn’t last for very long. It’s a hard league to play in, and a hard league to sustain that level of play. But I’m going to keep trying my best to get there full time.”
Over the next two seasons, 2022-24, he played mostly for the AHL affiliate, San Diego Gulls, but he was recalled on several occasions, playing 19 NHL games and realizing a dream. But he also learned that the NHL can be a numbers game, and midway through the 2024-25 season, his third in the Ducks’ organization, he was traded to San Jose for Justin Bailey. He has yet to play for the Sharks, but as always he remains committed, stubborn, and focused.
“I know what I’m good at,” he explained. “I’m not the most skilled guy; I’m kind of a grinder, a power forward, and honestly, I think I just have to do it better. If I wasn’t good enough, they wouldn’t have brought me out there in the first place. I’m just going to keep trying. If it’s not going to work, then at the end of my career I’ll be able to tell myself I did everything I could.”
But as is the case for so many talented and hard-working players, the downs of a pro career can translate to the ups of international play. Regenda is now playing in his fourth straight IIHF WM and couldn’t be happier.
“Last year, I wasn’t lucky enough to play in the playoffs, and this year we did, but we lost in the second round. Every time I can, I’ll come home, wear the jersey. I get chills every time I come here. It’s a great group of guys, and I’m proud to be Slovakian. I’m happy I can help my country. Every time I can, I’ll come here and give my 100 per cent.”
When you think of Slovakia’s greatest moment, your memory is immediately drawn to World Championship gold in 2002, a team that featured many of the nation’s greatest hockey players—Miro Satan, Ziggy Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Michal Handzus. There was a bronze the following year, and a silver in 2012 led by Zdeno Chara.
“We haven’t had success in a long time,” Regenda continued. “We had a bronze medal at the Olympics, and that’s a huge thing, but we want to be winning here, and we’re trying to get there. This year, we have a bunch of young guys, their first time at a World Championship. We’re trying to build something. We don’t want to be 8th or 6th. We want to win.”
Only 25, Regenda is an experienced and proven player, a leader and a talented forward determined to give his all for Slovakia and, in the NHL, for himself. But will he continue to do so while wearing his trademark number 87? Well, that’s something he wants to clear up.
“Okay, to be honest,” he explained, leaning in, “my first year when I got home, I was wearing 22, but I was changing numbers quite a bit. I came back home to Slovakia, and my manager asked me what number I wanted. I said 22, but there was an older guy who had that. So one day I was in the gym, sweaty and out of breath, and I was thinking, what number should I wear. Then I thought 87 was just a cool number, but it didn’t really mean anything to me. It wasn’t like I wanted to be like Crosby. But some guys are giving me heck about it, so I’m thinking about changing it to 77. It’s just a number.”
Born in Michalovce, Regenda played locally as a young teen before moving to Sweden and Finland. He returned home and, after a breakout 2021-22 season, finally earned some NHL attention, which he has been nurturing ever since. When he was 18, 19, 20, he was never drafted, but he was undeterred.
“I don’t think the draft is everything,” he said, with confidence. “There are a lot of hard-working guys who have never been drafted, and I’m a late bloomer, got big a little more slowly than most people maybe. I played two years in Sweden and came back to Slovakia and had a good tournament at the Olympics. I was so happy that I could get there. It was such a good experience. But going from Slovakia to the NHL doesn’t happen every day. I’ve been working hard to get there, and I think I've deserved it. I’m just trying to keep doing my thing and keep grinding.”
At 17, Regenda was playing the U18 with Slovakia, and two years later he played at the World Juniors. His mini-breakout happened at the Beijing Olympics, where he helped his country win a bronze medal after a 4-0 win over Sweden. Regenda had a goal and assist in that game, and at the end of that season he played at his first senior IIHF World Championship. He had five goals in eight games, tops on the team.
That summer, he was offered a two-year contract by the Anaheim Ducks. “When I went over there, I wasn’t really thinking about the NHL,” he explained. “I just went over and worked my butt off, and it worked out. They gave me a chance right away. I’m just a little sad it didn’t last for very long. It’s a hard league to play in, and a hard league to sustain that level of play. But I’m going to keep trying my best to get there full time.”
Over the next two seasons, 2022-24, he played mostly for the AHL affiliate, San Diego Gulls, but he was recalled on several occasions, playing 19 NHL games and realizing a dream. But he also learned that the NHL can be a numbers game, and midway through the 2024-25 season, his third in the Ducks’ organization, he was traded to San Jose for Justin Bailey. He has yet to play for the Sharks, but as always he remains committed, stubborn, and focused.
“I know what I’m good at,” he explained. “I’m not the most skilled guy; I’m kind of a grinder, a power forward, and honestly, I think I just have to do it better. If I wasn’t good enough, they wouldn’t have brought me out there in the first place. I’m just going to keep trying. If it’s not going to work, then at the end of my career I’ll be able to tell myself I did everything I could.”
But as is the case for so many talented and hard-working players, the downs of a pro career can translate to the ups of international play. Regenda is now playing in his fourth straight IIHF WM and couldn’t be happier.
“Last year, I wasn’t lucky enough to play in the playoffs, and this year we did, but we lost in the second round. Every time I can, I’ll come home, wear the jersey. I get chills every time I come here. It’s a great group of guys, and I’m proud to be Slovakian. I’m happy I can help my country. Every time I can, I’ll come here and give my 100 per cent.”
When you think of Slovakia’s greatest moment, your memory is immediately drawn to World Championship gold in 2002, a team that featured many of the nation’s greatest hockey players—Miro Satan, Ziggy Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Michal Handzus. There was a bronze the following year, and a silver in 2012 led by Zdeno Chara.
“We haven’t had success in a long time,” Regenda continued. “We had a bronze medal at the Olympics, and that’s a huge thing, but we want to be winning here, and we’re trying to get there. This year, we have a bunch of young guys, their first time at a World Championship. We’re trying to build something. We don’t want to be 8th or 6th. We want to win.”
Only 25, Regenda is an experienced and proven player, a leader and a talented forward determined to give his all for Slovakia and, in the NHL, for himself. But will he continue to do so while wearing his trademark number 87? Well, that’s something he wants to clear up.
“Okay, to be honest,” he explained, leaning in, “my first year when I got home, I was wearing 22, but I was changing numbers quite a bit. I came back home to Slovakia, and my manager asked me what number I wanted. I said 22, but there was an older guy who had that. So one day I was in the gym, sweaty and out of breath, and I was thinking, what number should I wear. Then I thought 87 was just a cool number, but it didn’t really mean anything to me. It wasn’t like I wanted to be like Crosby. But some guys are giving me heck about it, so I’m thinking about changing it to 77. It’s just a number.”