Martin Erat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
Height
Weight
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
198 lb (90 kg/14 st 2 lb)
NHL Team Nashville Predators
Nationality Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic
Born August 28, 1981 (1981-08-28) (age 26),
Třebíč, CS
NHL Draft 191st overall, 1999
Nashville Predators
Pro career 1999 – present
Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
Bronze 2006 Turin Ice hockey

Martin Erat Listen  (born August 28, 1981, in Třebíč, Czechoslovakia), is a professional ice hockey player for the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Contents

[edit] Career

Martin Erat was selected 191st overall, in the 7th round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected as the 12th choice of the Nashville Predators.

Erat made a splash in his NHL rookie year (2001–2002) as a member of the "vowel line" which consisted himself on left wing, Vladimir Orszagh on right wing, and Denis Arkhipov at center. That year he set a Nashville rookie record for games played (80), assists (24), and points (33).

His first National Hockey League point was a game winning goal against the Calgary Flames on October 11, 2001. His first NHL playoff point was an assist in the 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals in a 2–1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on January 19, 2004.

Erat struggled during his sophomore season (2002-2003) and spent the majority of the season with the Predator's minor league affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. His play improved however in his third season (2003-2004). He had career highs with goals (16), assists (33), and points (49). He also ranked second on the team with a +10 rating.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Erat played for HC Zlín of the Czech Extraliga, where he finished eighth in the league in scoring with 20 goals and 23 assists in 48 games.

In 2005–06, Erat scored a career high 20 goals in his fourth season with the Nashville Predators, while tallying 49 points. He also played for the Czech National Team at the Olympics in Torino, where he helped the team secure a bronze medal.

During the 2006–07 season, Erat emerged as a legitimate first line player, tallying 57 points in only 68 games. Most often, Erat teamed with Paul Kariya and David Legwand to form the team's top unit. Erat missed the final 5 weeks of the season with a torn MCL.

He is also known for his wrist shot and his speed.

Erat played for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships in 2001. He helped the team to win the gold medal. In 2006, Erat played for the bronze medal winning Czech national team at the Torino Olympics. In the same year, Erat was a member of the silver medal winning team from the IIHF World Championships in Riga, Latvia.

[edit] Awards

  • Named the WHL Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November, 2000.
  • Named the WHL Player of the Week for November 13–19, 2000.
  • Named the NHL Third Star of the Week for November 12–17, 2007.

[edit] Records

  • Games played by a Nashville Predators rookie - 80
  • Assists by a Nashville Predators rookie - 24
  • Points by a Nashville Predators rookie - 33

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1997–98 Zlín Jr Czech-Jr 33 26 26 52 11 -- -- -- -- --
1998–99 Zlín Jr Czech-Jr 35 21 23 44 11 -- -- -- -- --
1998–99 HC Zlín Czech 5 0 0 0 2 -- -- -- -- --
1999–00 Saskatoon Blades WHL 66 27 26 53 82 11 4 8 12 16
2000–01 Saskatoon Blades WHL 31 19 35 54 48 -- -- -- -- --
2000–01 Red Deer Rebels WHL 17 4 24 28 24 22 15 21 36 32
2001–02 Nashville Predators NHL 80 9 24 33 32 -- -- -- -- --
2002–03 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 45 10 22 32 41 6 5 4 9 4
2002–03 Nashville Predators NHL 27 1 7 8 14 -- -- -- -- --
2003–04 Nashville Predators NHL 76 16 33 49 38 6 0 1 1 6
2004–05 HC Zlín Czech 48 29 30 43 129 10 4 3 7 4
2005–06 Nashville Predators NHL 80 20 29 49 76 5 1 1 2 6
2006–07 Nashville Predators NHL 68 16 41 57 50 3 0 1 1 0
2007–08 Nashville Predators NHL 76 23 34 57 40 6 1 3 4 8
NHL Totals 331 86 202 290 210 11 1 2 3 12

[edit] International play

Played for the Czech Republic in:

[edit] International statistics

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2001 Czech Republic WJC 7 2 1 3 16
2006 Czech Republic Oly 8 1 1 2 4
2006 Czech Republic WC 9 3 5 8 6
2008 Czech Republic WC 6 2 4 6 10

[edit] External links