The Kosice native was just 34-years-old with his cause of death yet to be confirmed. 

Svatos represented his country at both the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin in Italy and at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation (IHHF) World Championship in Germany.

He also played in one under-20 and one under-18 World Championship.

He spent most of his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Colorado Avalanche and made 344 appearances in the league in all, also appearing for Nashville and Ottawa. 

Svatos started playing ice hockey in Kosice.

Since his youth he was considered one of the biggest Slovakian talents and, as an 18-year-old, he moved to North America before being drafted by the Avalanche.

During the 2002 World Junior Championships he was the joint-top goal scorer of the tournament, scoring seven goals in seven games.

His debut in the NHL came during the 2003-04 season, where he played four games for Colorado.

After scoring 32 goals and producing 18 assists, he was ranked among the best rookies during 2005-06. 

After a spate of injuries he left Colorado during the 2010-11 season for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), but returned after a few games with Avangard Omsk and enjoyed spells at Nashville and Ottawa. 

In the 2013-14 season he tried to relaunch his career in the KHL with Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava.

His last club was his local team HC Kosice, where he finished his career as a Slovakian national champion in 2013-14.

Svatos was married to an American designer of Korean descent, Diane, and lived in the Denver area with her and their two children.