As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Radim Zohorna

Position: Left winger

Shoots: Left

Age: 24

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 220 pounds

2019-20 ELH statistics: 46 games, 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists)

2020-21 ELH statistics: 21 games, 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists)

Contract: One-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $$792,500. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2021

Acquired: Unrestricted free-agent signing, April 29, 2020

Last season: Radim Zohorna stands out. And how could he not? At 6-foot-6, he’s a small forward … in the NBA.

But beyond his physical dimensions, Zohorna didn’t particularly distinguish himself during the 2019-20 season while playing for BK Mlada Boleslav in the Extraliga ledního hokeje (ELH), the Czech Republic’s top-tier league that is a few rungs below the best leagues in Europe like Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) or the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Averaging less than half a point per game in a mid-level league, Zohorna had an OK but hardly remarkable season, finishing 84th in the league’s scoring race before things were halted in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite such a mundane season, the Penguins extended a one-year entry-level contract to him in late April. Regardless of their motivation, the Penguins were not alone as upwards of nine other NHL teams were said to have pursued him.

This season: On Aug. 10, the Penguins loaned Zohorna back to BK Mlada Boleslav in order to get him playing time while most leagues in North America remained on hiatus.

Having slimmed down from 233 pounds to 220 pounds, Zohorna was a dominant player as BK Mlada Boleslav’s top center, scoring more than a point per contest despite having the ELH season interrupted on occasion by coronavirus concerns.

Before his loan was terminated Dec. 21, Zohorna had scored in seven of his final 10 games in the ELH.

After traveling to North America to participate in the Penguins’ training camp, Zohorna primarily practiced with candidates vying for the practice squad during the Penguins’ brief camp, though he did regularly scrimmage against the Penguins’ regular NHL roster at PPG Paints Arena.

To the naked eye, his size was very evident. But so was a somewhat surprising level of mobility for a larger player. Additionally, he seemed to give some of the Penguins’ regular centers troubles in the faceoff circle.

The future: As expected, the Penguins assigned Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Monday.

Assuming that league starts Feb. 5 as planned, he likely will serve as a center on the AHL Penguins’ bottom two lines as he adjusts to North America on and off the ice.

It seems like a long-shot to expect him to get promoted to the NHL this season, either with the regular roster or the taxi squad. But given the extraordinary circumstances this season will be orchestrated under, it would be short-sighted to rule anything out.

Zohorna is a big project, literally. But don’t let his size fool you. He has the speed to play in the NHL.

Follow the Penguins all season long.

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