What exactly do the Bruins have in Jan Kovar?

Jan Kovar has always had his eyes on the NHL.

A playmaking center out of the Czech Republic, Kovar’s chance to make his mark in the top hockey league in the world never truly came to fruition at the start of his pro career — forcing the pivot to hone his craft in the Czech Extraliga before moving over to the KHL in Russia.

Kovar impressed during his five seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL), notching 97 goals and 286 points in 285 career games with the organization.

But when the chance to make the jump up to the NHL finally arrived, Kovar couldn’t say no.

"Every hockey player wants to try,” Kovar said of breaking into the NHL. “That’s why we play hockey.”

It hasn’t been the most fluid transition to the North American game, but the 28-year-old forward took the next step in his pursuit of an NHL roster spot on Wednesday, with the center skating with the Bruins during the team’s morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena.

Kovar, who signed a professional tryout (PTO) contract with the Providence Bruins in October, was released from his contract on Wednesday — but will still skate with the Black and Gold without a contract set in stone, similar to what free agent Lee Stempniak has done for most of this season in Boston after his PTO expired.

“I came just for practicing and show the coaches who I am and what I can do," Kovar said, adding. "I felt like it was the best chance for me.”

A crafty pivot that has drawn praise for his hockey IQ, Kovar’s stint with the Bruins stands as the second NHL organization that he’s been affiliated with this year.

Given his scoring prowess abroad, Kovar was an ideal free-agent candidate to take a flyer on this season — with the Islanders inking the forward to a one-year, $2 million deal this offseason in an attempt to recoup some offensive production following John Tavares’ departure.

As a whole, it didn’t work out for Kovar in New York, with the center earning limited minutes during the preseason before getting his contract terminated. Before he was placed on waivers, Kovar did not report to the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

While Kovar had offers to return to Europe and turned down New York’s AHL assignment, he opted to sign a PTO with Providence, where he tallied 10 points over 12 games played. Kovar will be the first to admit that he was nervous stepping out on the ice at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday, but is feeling confident after his stint in Providence — where he learned to adapt to the smaller ice in North America.

“I don’t really know the NHL,” Kovar said. “I’ve never played here except a couple of games in Providence, which was good for me. I liked playing on a different rink than in Europe and I think I’m ready.”



A creative player with the puck on his stick, Kovar certainly benefited from a larger sheet to skate on in Russia, along with some effective linemates in Sergei Mozyakin and Danis Zaripov — who have combined for 1,090 points in the KHL.

“It’s two different sports,” Kovar said of adapting from hockey in Europe to the North American game. “In Russia, we try to keep the puck all the time. Up here, it’s a little bit like dumping the puck, and chip games. It’s different.”

Still, on a Bruins roster rolling out a “center by committee” competition at the moment following the loss of Patrice Bergeron to injury, Kovar does stand as an intriguing option — especially as the pivot on a third line that has been largely inconsistent all year. He also has a history with David Pastrnak, with the pair playing together for the Czech Republic during the 2017 World Championships in France and Germany.

At the very least, Kovar could push the internal competition at center, with Cassidy harping on Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson’s compete level Monday following the B’s loss to the Maple Leafs.

“Very skilled. Good hockey sense,” Cassidy said of Kovar. “The concern with him is the pace at the NHL level. When he came up, he was on a PTO down there. We haven’t practiced much. He’s a player that wasn’t in camp, so I didn’t know anything about the player. Neither did Joe (Sacco). This year, we were in China and there were a few kids we didn’t see as much as we’d like. We really wanted to get some eyes on him.”

There are a couple more hurdles for Kovar to clear if he wants to earn a shot with the Bruins — the top priority being a contract, of course.

It could be an interesting gamble for the Bruins, who will largely have to rely on the eye test at practice to determine if Kovar is deserving of a look.

“Much bigger body of work is what did he do previous years and what has he done in Providence,” Cassidy said of Boston’s evaluation of Kovar. “This is more about, we haven’t seen him — we were planning and talking about it for a while on our next practice. Well, we weren’t going to fly him to Toronto or Detroit. This was something we’re hoping to do to get a look at him.”