Czech Extraliga leading scorer Martin Reway has been suspended from Sparta Prague and assigned to Benatky nad Jizerou, which is similar to a farm team for Sparta in the Czech 2nd league.
Reway, through his agent, told the team that he didn’t want to play with them at the moment which led to the discharge. Essentially, it appears as if Reway requested a trade.
Just earlier this week, Reway posted on his Twitter account that he was starting contract negotiations with the team for next season. That Tweet has since been deleted. It is unknown at this time whether these two events are related or not.
Reway was a fourth-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 entry draft.
Update: Sparta Prague just released the following statement: “Forward Martin Réway was temporarily reassigned to the major league squad Benatky nad Jizerou. The player told us through his agent that he did not want to play for Sparta at the moment. Playing for our club should be considered an honour for every player, and if the situation is such, we have no other choice than to exclude him from the squad.
Due to the fact that he is under contract in our country, he must recognize that Sparta remain a priority for him in his current hockey career. Once he does we can talk about his possible return to the team. “
Second Update: Reway’s agent Michal Sivek explains that Reway is unhappy being part of Sparta Prague, and that a disagreement over his ice time led to a conflict with the team’s head coach. Sivek goes on to say that Reway does in fact have a transfer offer in place, but because Sparta has the player’s rights, a compensation agreement needs to happen first. Reway is looking to complete the current season, and his current contract, in the Extraliga, and then see what international offers present themselves before making a decision about his future. Reway plans on playing for the Slovak national team during the break.
Third Update: Reway did in fact show up to Sparta’s farm team, Benatky nad Jizerou.
