A familiar scoring machine from the League has dropped to the free market

Defender Aaron Irving, known from the league, is free to seek a new club. Sparta Prague announced that they had terminated the contract of the 30-year-old Canadian just two days before the start of the new Extraliga season.

Sparta’s sports director Tomas Divisek stated directly why the cooperation ended.

– After discussions with the coaches, we concluded that Aaron would not get enough playing time. He would not fit into the power play lineups, and it does not make sense for us to keep Aaron as the seventh defender. Therefore, we are now looking for a solution that would be acceptable to both parties.

At the same time, Sparta wants to give more responsibility to their young defenders Nino Tomovi and Matyas Michalek.

Irving played in Finland during the 2022-23 season with SaiPa. The defender, who also served as the alternate captain for the Lappeenranta team, recorded 5+18=23 points in 42 games. When he left for Switzerland mid-season, he was the team’s most effective defender and the second-best scorer.

Irving moved to Sparta in the summer of 2023 from Davos. In his second season, he scored as many as 21 goals, which was a record for goals by a defender in a single season in the Extraliga.

Now, his three-season tenure at Sparta has come to an end.

– Aaron deserves thanks for the three seasons he played at Sparta. In the previous season, he left a significant mark on both the club and the history of the Extraliga with his goal-scoring. We wish him all the best for his future hockey career, Divisek says.

Irving is now on the free market. For Liiga clubs looking for a puck-moving defender and power play player, a familiar name is available, with strong evidence of effective play.

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League | 26.10.2026 18:43