Samuel Hrenak

Samuel Hrenak is a goaltender selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the third round (71st overall) of the 2026 NHL Draft — and the author of one of the USHL season's signature moments. On March 28, 2026 against Dubuque, the Slovak netminder corralled a dump-in, wheeled, and fired the length of the ice into the empty net for a goalie goal. "I saw the opportunity to shoot and nobody is there, so I just go for it," he said afterward.

Goaltending runs in the family. Hrenak is the youngest of three hockey-playing brothers from Považská Bystrica, where his father runs a hockey-equipment shop. His eldest brother, Dávid Hrenák — a Los Angeles Kings draft pick who went on to play NCAA hockey at St. Cloud State — mentors him after every game. "We communicate constantly, after every game," Samuel has said.

Hrenak is part of a Slovak goaltending revival. After coming up through HK Dukla Trenčín's program, he joined the USHL's Fargo Force in February 2026 and went 7-1-1 with a .918 save percentage down the stretch, including a shutout of Sioux City. He is one of three Slovak goaltenders drafted in three years — alongside Adam Gajan and Michal Pradel — answering a long-running book on the country's netminding.

He also backstopped Slovakia to the gold-medal game at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship, staged in Trenčín — the town that developed him — where his side fell 4-2 to Sweden.

This page collects Hrenak's numbers, measurements, and draft details in one place. InGoal Magazine will expand its coverage as his career develops.