Martin Erat

Martin Erat
Born	(1981-08-28) August 28, 1981 Třebíč, TCH
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Nashville Predators
National team	Czech Republic
NHL draft	191st overall, 1999 Nashville Predators
Playing career	1999–present

Olympic medal record
Men's ice hockey
	2006 Turin	Ice hockey

Martin Erat (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmarcɪn ˈɛrat] ^ⓘ) (born August 28, 1981 in Třebíč, Moravia, Czech Republic) is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Career

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, Vladimír Országh 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).

Erat with the Czech Republic national team at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

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 (2002–03) and spent the majority of the season with the Predator's minor league affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. After changing his number from 19 to 10 in the offseason, his play improved however in his third season (2003–04). 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 Turin, where he helped the team secure a bronze medal.

During the 2006–07 NHL 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.

Once again playing for Nashville in 2007–08, Erat posted a career high 23 goals, and added 34 assists to once again reach the 57 point plateau.

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 Turin Olympics. In the same year, Erat was a member of the silver medal winning team from the IIHF World Championships in Riga, Latvia.

Erat playing for the Predators in 2010

Following the 2007–08 season, Erat signed a 7 year, $31.5 million dollar contract with the Predators.

Martin has an older brother Roman Erat, who also plays hockey, but not at an NHL level.

He has two career hat tricks, the first against the Edmonton Oilers, and the second versus the Vancouver Canucks on December 8, 2009.

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.

Records

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

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	Zlín Jr	CZE-Jr		33	26	26	52	11		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Zlín Jr	CZE-Jr		35	21	23	44	11		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	HC Zlín	CZE		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	CZE		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
2008–09	Nashville Predators	NHL		71	17	33	50	48		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Nashville Predators	NHL		74	21	28	49	50		6	4	1	5	4
2010–11	Nashville Predators	NHL		64	17	33	50	22		10	1	5	6	6
NHL totals				616	140	262	402	370		36	7	12	19	30

International play

Erat played his first game in the national squad in 2004, and has played 23 times for the national team (as of Jan 3 2009)

Played for the Czech Republic in:

• 2001 World Junior Championships
• 2006 Winter Olympics
• 2006 World Championships (Bronze medal)
• 2008 World Championships
• 2010 Czech Republic Olympic hockey team

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
2010	Czech Republic	Oly	5	0	1	1	0

External links

• Martin Erat career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Bio page at the Predators' official Website