Jakub Škarek (born 10 November 1999) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the Straubing Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was selected 72nd overall by the New York Islanders in the 2018 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Škarek originally began his playing career as a forward, however, he switched to goaltender when he was 10 years old because his team's goaltender missed a practice and the team needed a replacement.

Škarek made his professional debut with his youth club, Dukla Jihlava, before making his Czech Extraliga debut on loan with Sparta Praha during the 2016–17 season as an 18-year-old.

Returning to Dukla Jihlava after backstopping the club to promotion to the Czech Extraliga for the 2017–18 season, Škarek made 21 top flight appearances in posting a .913 save percentage.

In order to continue his development, he left Dukla Jihlava for a higher level of competition, joining the Lahti Pelicans of the Finnish Liiga for the 2018–19 season on 2 May 2018.

Škarek's potential was noticed and he was selected in the third round, 72nd overall, by the New York Islanders in the 2018 NHL entry draft. On 4 July 2018, Škarek was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Islanders, with the agreement to continue his contract with the Lahti Pelicans.

On 16 November 2020, the Islanders loaned Škarek to Peliitat Heinola of Finnish Mestis until the commencement of the training camp for the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season.

On 9 May 2025, Škarek returned to Finland, signing a one-year contract that included an option for a second year with HIFK. Two months later, he was signed by the San Jose Sharks. In the season, Škarek played exclusively with the Sharks AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, collecting 12 wins through 20 appearances.

As a free agent from the Sharks, Škarek returned to Europe in signing a one-year contract with top tier German club, Straubing Tigers of the DEL, on 16 July 2026.

Personal life Škarek was born into a family of athletes, with his mother, Eva, competing in basketball and high jump, his father, Josef, competing in football, volleyball, triathlons, and mountain climbing, and his sister, Tereza, throwing javelin. His girlfriend Sarah Barrett is a marathon runner and a retired NFL cheerleader. https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-cheerleader-running-boston-marathon-and-competing-for-miss-connecticut-In addition to his native Czech, Škarek can speak English, as well as some Russian, Slovak, Swedish, and Finnish.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2014–15 HC Dukla Jihlava Czech.20 1 0 0 0 20 0 0 0.00 1.000 — — — — — — — — 2015–16 HC Dukla Jihlava Czech.20 9 5 4 0 540 19 3 2.11 .939 — — — — — — — — 2015–16 HC Dukla Jihlava Czech.1 20 11 9 0 1219 46 2 2.26 .931 4 4 0 248 8 1 1.94 .941 2016–17 HC Dukla Jihlava Czech.20 1 1 0 0 60 1 0 1.00 .950 — — — — — — — — 2016–17 HC Dukla Jihlava Czech.1 28 21 7 0 1674 59 1 2.11 .924 5 3 2 306 10 1 1.96 .916 2016–17 HC Sparta Praha ELH 4 4 0 0 245 6 1 1.47 .946 — — — — — — — — 2017–18 HC Dukla Jihlava ELH 21 9 12 0 1218 49 1 2.41 .913 — — — — — — — —2017–18 HC Stadion Litoměřice Czech.1 10 5 5 0 600 19 0 1.90 .942 — — — — — — — — 2018–19 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 22 6 8 7 1312 54 1 2.47 .906 — — — — — — — — 2018–19 Peliitat Mestis 7 1 4 2 426 20 0 2.86 .896 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 Worcester Railers ECHL 14 3 9 2 756 47 0 3.73 .879 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 16 3 10 1 863 47 1 3.27 .888 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 Peliitat Mestis 4 0 3 1 243 18 0 4.44 .833 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 12 3 8 1 721 42 0 3.50 .887 — — — — — — — — 2021–22 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 37 16 15 4 2110 116 1 3.30 .896 1 0 1 71 3 0 2.54 .912 2022–23 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 38 15 16 3 2157 121 2 3.37 .892 — — — — — — — — 2023–24 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 36 7 22 6 2116 114 0 3.23 .888 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 22 5 13 1 1159 68 1 3.52 .884 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 New York Islanders NHL 2 0 1 0 76 5 0 3.94 .872 — — — — — — — — 2025–26 San Jose Barracuda AHL 20 12 7 0 1154 60 1 3.12 .888 — — — — — — — — ELH totals 25 13 12 0 1,463 55 2 2.25 .919 — — — — — — — — Liiga totals 22 6 8 7 1,312 54 1 2.47 .906 — — — — — — — — NHL totals 2 0 1 0 76 5 0 3.94 .872 — — — — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2015 Czech Republic U17 7th 3 1 2 0 180 4 0 4.67 .863 2016 Czech Republic IH18 4 4 0 0 250 8 0 1.92 .930 2017 Czech Republic WJC 6th 3 1 2 0 180 10 0 3.34 .884 2017 Czech Republic U18 7th 4 1 2 0 170 15 0 5.29 .853 2018 Czech Republic WJC 4th 5 1 2 0 162 14 0 5.19 .848 2019 Czech Republic WJC 7th 1 0 0 0 20 1 0 3.00 .900 Junior totals 20 8 8 0 962 52 0 3.24 .875

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