Samuel Buček

Samuel Buček (born 19 December 1998) is a Slovak professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for HK Nitra of the Slovak Extraliga.

Playing career
Undrafted, Buček made his professional debut playing in the Tipsport liga (Slovak) with HK Nitra during the 2015–16 season.

Buček made 5 appearances in the Finnish Liiga, with KooKoo before returning to Nitra during the 2019–20 season. He moved to fellow Slovakian club, HC Slovan Bratislava during the following 2020–21 season, collecting 11 points through just 14 games.

Having returned to his original club, HK Nitra, for the 2021–22 season, Buček led the team and league in scoring posting 41 goals and 64 points in just 50 games. He was named the playoffs MVP for a second time in his career, after leading all scorers with 13 goals and 24 points in a finals defeat to former club, Slovan Bratislava.

As a free agent, Buček opted to pursue a career in North America. On 11 July 2022, he became the first player in franchise history to be signed by the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was signed to a one-year contract for the Firebirds inaugural season in 2022–23, serving as the primary affiliate to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Before joining the Firebirds, on 8 August 2022, Buček signed a one-year contract with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL, opting to pursue a career in Russia instead.

International play
Buček represented Slovakia in the IIHF World Junior Championship where they were eliminated in Quarter-finals and finished in 8th place, Buček scoring 3 goals and 4 assists in the tournament.

Regular season and playoffs
Bold indicates led league