Hossa was selected in the first round of the
2000 NHL entry draft, 16th overall, by the
Montreal Canadiens. Prior to relocating to North America, he first played
junior hockey in his native Slovakia with
Dukla Trenčín before joining the
Portland Winter Hawks of the
Western Hockey League (WHL) ahead of the
1998–99 season. Several seasons later, Hossa led the Winterhawks in scoring and to the WHL finals in
2000–01, his third year in the WHL, before turning professional the following season with the Canadiens' then-
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Quebec Citadelles. He played the majority of the
2001–02 season with the Citadelles, finishing fifth on the team in points with 32. He was recalled by the Canadiens midway through the season and made his NHL debut, ultimately appearing in ten games. Over the next two seasons, Hossa split time between the Canadiens and the team's new AHL affiliate, the
Hamilton Bulldogs, being named in the
2003 NHL YoungStars Game. Despite showing promise, however, Hossa was unable to establish a full-time role with Montreal at the NHL level. During the 2004
2004–05 NHL lockout, he signed a one-year contract with
Swedish team
Mora IK of the
Elitserien on 25 September 2004, reuniting him with older brother, Marián Hossa; Marcel Hossa finished the year fifth in team scoring with 24 points. Prior to the
2005–06 season, on 30 September 2005, Hossa was traded to the
New York Rangers in exchange for
Garth Murray. In his first season with the Rangers, Hossa appeared in a career-high 64 games and scored ten goals. In
2006–07, after a slow start to the year, he was later shifted to the team's top line in February, responding with eight goals in 11 games, finishing the season with an NHL career-high 18 points. His season was then halted, however, after injuring his right knee in a 2–1 victory over the
New York Islanders on 5 March 2007. In the
2007–08 season, Hossa struggled to regain his offensive form and played in 36 games with the Rangers before he was assigned to the team's AHL affiliate, the
Hartford Wolf Pack, on a conditioning stint on 16 February 2008. On 26 February, he was then traded to the
Phoenix Coyotes, along with goaltender
Al Montoya, in exchange for
Fredrik Sjöström,
David LeNeveu and
Josh Gratton. Hossa played out the season with the Coyotes, going scoreless in 14 games. On 3 July 2008, as an
unrestricted free agent, Hossa signed with
Dinamo Riga of the newly-formed
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). After leading Riga with 22 goals in the
2008–09 season, Hossa went a step further in
2009–10, leading the KHL in goals with 35. Following his impressive offensive output, he was selected to play internationally for
Slovakia—alongside brother Marián—in the
2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver. On 7 May 2010, Hossa left Riga and after signing a two-year contract with reigning KHL champions
Ak Bars Kazan. On 26 July 2011, Hossa signed a one-year contract with
Spartak Moscow. On 16 May 2013, announced that Hossa is returning to Dinamo Riga after signing a one-year contract, later being released from the team on 20 December 2014. On 30 January 2015, however, he signed a contract with
Modo Hockey in Sweden to play out the remainder of the 2014–15 season. ==Career statistics==