Karel Rachůnek

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Defence
shoots = Right
height_ft = 6
height_in = 2
weight_lb = 220
team = HC Dynamo Moscow
former_teams = New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
New Jersey Devils
league = KHL
nationality = CZE
birth_date = Birth date and age|1979|8|27|mf=y
birth_place = Gottwaldov, CS
career_start = 1997
draft = 229th overall
draft_year = 1997
draft_team = Ottawa Senators


image_size =
nickname =

Karel Rachůnek (born August 27, 1979, in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for HC Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was drafted in the ninth round, 229th overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

Drafted out of the Czech Extraliga's HC Zlín, Rachůnek made his North American debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the International Hockey League during the 1998–99 season. He made his National Hockey League debut during the same season, appearing in six games for the Senators. He played with Ottawa until being traded, along with Alexandre Giroux, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Greg de Vries during the 2003–04 season.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Rachůnek returned to the Czech Extraliga to play for HC JME Znojemští Orli. He stayed in Europe for the 2005–06 season, playing in the Russian Superleague for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. It is reported that Rachůnek was unhappy with the circumstances surrounding his trade from Ottawa to the Rangers, and that is why he decided to stay in the RSL during the 2005–06 season. However in July 2006 he signed with the Rangers and played with them during the 2006–07 NHL season.

On July 3, 2007, he signed a one year contract with the New Jersey Devils. After the 2007-2008 NHL season, Rachunek decided to sign to play in Russia and is not returning to the New Jersey Devils.

Rachůnek was a memember of the Czech national inline hockey team at the 2008 Men's World Inline Hockey Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia.=Career statistics=

Regular season

"Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, P = Points, PIM = Penalty minutes, +/- = Plus/minus, S = Shots, S% = Shooting percentage"

Records as at end of 2007-08 season.

External links

*hockeydb|36973