Denis Godla

Denis Godla
Born (1995-04-04) 4 April 1995 (age 29)
Kežmarok, Slovakia[1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
Slovak team
Former teams
HC Slovan Bratislava
ŠHK 37 Piešťany
KalPa
HC Kladno
HC Litvínov
National team  Slovakia
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present

Denis Godla (born 4 April 1995) is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender who currently playing for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga.

Godla was Slovakia's starting goaltender at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where he led the team to a bronze medal, also being named in the tournament's All-Star team, the tournament's best goaltender, and overall tournament MVP. He won the 2018 Spengler Cup with KalPa

Playing career

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KHL

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Godla was called up for four games during the 2014-15 KHL season with HC Slovan Bratislava. He struggled during his time there, posting a 0–3–0 record with a .839 save percentage and a 5.17 goals against average.[2]

Mestis

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On September 28, 2015 Godla signed a one-year contract with Kokkolan Hermes of the Finnish Mestis league.[3]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Slovakia
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Canada

Godla was first chosen to represent the Slovakia at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships. His first game internationally was against Team Canada, where he let in four goals on 35 shots in a 4–1 loss. Godla would suit up twice more in the tournament, a 4–1 loss to Switzerland and a 6–3 loss to Germany, where he was pulled in favour of Dávid Okoličaný.

Godla went on to represent Slovakia again at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. The Slovaks got off to a rough start, losing 8–0 to the powerhouse Canadians, with Godla once again being pulled for Okoličaný. The following day Godla picked up his first international win in a 2–1 upset of defending champion Finland. Godla continued to impress, making 41 saves in a 3–0 loss to the Americans, followed by 28 saves in a 5–2 victory against Germany. Godla's performance was enough to secure Slovakia a 3rd-place finish in Group A, and a spot in the playoff round. In the Quarterfinals Godla picked up his first shutout in international play in a 3–0 over the Czech Republic. The Semi-Finals saw a 5–1 loss to the Canadians, giving them a berth in the bronze medal game against Sweden. Godla came up big once again, making 26 saves in a 4–2 victory to capture the bronze.

His performance earned Godla tournament MVP, a spot on the tournament All-Star team, and the IIHF best goaltender award.[4]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2014–15 HC Slovan Bratislava KHL 4 0 3 0 173 15 0 5.17 .839
2014–15 ŠHK 37 Piešťany SVK 4 193 10 0 3.10 .922
2015–16 Kokkolan Hermes Mestis 33 2.76 .917 7 2.62 .908
2016–17 KalPa Liiga 18 9 2 7 1 2.10 .910 4 2 2 0 1.46 .936
2016–17 IPK Mestis 6 3.00 .911
2017–18 KalPa Liiga 34 14 9 11 3 2.26 .913 1 0 1 0 7.42 .769
2018–19 KalPa Liiga 49 15 21 13 4 2.78 .888
2019–20 [cs] Rytíři Kladno CZE 40 17 23 0 2 3.05 .909
KHL totals 4 0 3 0 173 15 0 5.17 .839

International

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Year Team Event Result GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013 Slovakia WJC18 9th 3 0 3 838 13 0 4.78 .838
2015 Slovakia WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 4 3 391 18 1 2.76 .926
Junior totals 10 4 6 554 31 1 3.35 .904

Awards and honours

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Award Year
IIHF World U20 Championships Bronze Medal 2015 [5]
IIHF World U20 Championships All-Star Team 2015 [6]
IIHF World U20 Championships Best Goaltender 2015 [6]
IIHF World U20 Championships MVP 2015 [6]

References

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  1. ^ "Eliteprospects.com – Denis Godla". Elite Prospects.
  2. ^ "Denis Godla". Hockey Database. Retrieved 2015-09-28.
  3. ^ Silverman, Cat. "Denis Godla Inks in Finland for 2015–2016 Season". Today's Slapshot. Retrieved 2015-09-28.
  4. ^ Merk, Martin. "Godly Godla". IIHF. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  5. ^ 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships rosters
  6. ^ a b c "Godly Godla".
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