Martin Hlinka joined the Canisius hockey program as an assistant coach in August, 2019.
In his first season with the program, Hlinka helped guide one of the youngest teams in the nation to double-digit wins as the program reached the milestone for the 13th consecutive season
Senior forwards Matt Hoover and Nick Hutchison were both named All-Atlantic Hockey Second Team selections as both players posted career highs in goals, assists and points during their final collegiate campaigns.
A native of Bratislava, Slovakia, Hlinka joined Canisius after spending three seasons as an assistant coach with the Salzburg Red Bulls junior program, most recently working the club’s U-18 squad during the 2018-19 campaign. In his three seasons with the Red Bulls, Hlinka helped guide their junior teams to playoff appearances in both the U-19 Czech Extraliga and the Alps Hockey League.
In addition to his work as an assistant coach with Salzburg, Hlinka serves as a lead on-ice skills instructor with Synergy Hockey in Saint Louis, Mo. He also spent 10 years as the lead on-ice skills instructor for the Pavel Datsyuk Hockey Camp in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Hlinka has also gained valuable coaching experience on the international stage, having worked as the lead on-ice skills instructor for both the Belarus and Poland U-18 National Teams.
“I am honored to be selected as an assistant coach here at Canisius,” Hlinka said. “Working with such a talented group of young men and coaches is a privilege I do not take lightly. I cannot wait to get started.”
Hlinka played collegiately at Augsburg College (Minn.), amassing 125 points (40g, 85a) in 85 games played with the Auggies (1995-99). He led Augsburg to an appearance in the 1998 NCAA Division III Frozen Four during his junior campaign and served as an assistant captain with the squad as a senior. Hlinka was also a member of the football program at Augsburg, garnering All-American accolades as a kicker.
Following his time at Augsburg, Hlinka embarked on a 15-year professional career that was spent mostly in the American Hockey League and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany.
He recorded 29 goals and 69 assists in 192 AHL games split between the Chicago Wolves, the Portland Pirates and Hershey Bears.
In Germany, Hlinka tallied 62 goals and 135 assists in 395 regular-season games and added nine goals and 10 assists in 40 postseason contests. He won league titles with the Scorpions in 2009-10 and with the United Hockey League’s Quad City Mallards in 2000-01.
Hlinka received his bachelor's of arts in international business from Augsburg. He and his wife, Lydia, have three sons: Henry, Julius and Louis.
