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Meltzer's Musings: Straka, Flett |
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CRUCIAL SEASON UPCOMING FOR PHANTOMS' STRAKA
The second pro season of Lehigh Valley Phantoms right winger Petr Straka will be a crucial one for his career fortunes; one that will go a long way toward determining whether he has an NHL future with the Flyers. As an AHL rookie last season in Glens Falls, the Czech forward produced nine goals and 27 points in 60 games. He ranked seventh in scoring on the team.
The player's second pro season will be more telling of the player's rate of improvement and NHL upside. It is clear right now that he is not ready to challenge for an NHL spot with the Flyers.
For much of the 2013-14 season, Straka was seemingly on a five-points-per-month kick (regardless of the number of games he played). Here's a look at Straka's month-by-month production:
October: 7 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 PTS
November: 11 GP, 5 G, 0 A, 5 PTS
December: 11 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 PTS
January: 8 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS
February: 9 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS (both in same game at Bridgeport)
March: 4 GP, 0 PTS
April: 9 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS
As he enters his second professional season, the 22-year-old Straka will need to pick up the scoring pace considerably if he is to become a serious threat to crack the Flyers' NHL roster. Although Straka has improved various aspects of his game, he is still primarily an offensive-minded player and his ability to produce points will be what determines his future.
Last April, the Flyers beat out several NHL teams to sign Straka after a big 2012-13 season with the QMJHL's Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Originally a second-round pick (55th overall) by Columbus in the 2010 NHL Draft, Straka became a free agent last summer when the Blue Jackets did not offer him an entry-level contract. As a junior overager, Straka re-emerged as an NHL prospect, and the Flyers had to outbid other suitors to land him.
As with the majority of the better Czech junior prospects to come along in the 2000s, Straka left home to play junior hockey in Canada rather than play in the declining domestic junior and senior (Extraliga) levels. He landed with the Rimouski Oceanic.
Straka had a very promising offensive season in his Draft year, when he was runner-up in the QMJHL Rookie of the Year race after a 28-goal, 64-point season in 62 games for Rimouski. Gifted offensively, with good speed and a well above-average shot, Straka's primary weaknesses were in his defensive play. Critical scouts labeled him as too much of a one-dimensional talent, a bit soft and too much of a perimeter player. Others saw his speed and hands and reasoned that the other aspects of the game could be taught over time.
Straka's development stagnated -- perhaps even regressed -- for the next two years while his defensive game remained average-at-best. Part of it was injury related. Part of it was that he just didn't play very well. He saw his ice time reduced.
In his second major junior season, the Czech forward saw his production decline to 10 goals and 25 points in 41 games. At the 2010-11 World Junior Championships, Straka had just one goal and three points in six games.
The 2011-12 season was supposed to be a bounceback year for a now-healthy Straka. Instead, it turned out to be another disappointing year. Rimouski changed head coaches from Clement Jodoin to Serge Beausoleil, and Straka was unable to gain Beausoleil's confidence. He was sixth on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 37 points in 55 games. At the 2012 World Junior Championships -- his final year of WJC eligibility -- Straka had just one point (an assist) in six games.
Straka closed out the year strong for the Oceanic, and had a very good 2012 playoff run (10 goals, 22 points in 21 games) as the team reached the finals. Nevertheless, the weight of his strong playoff wasn't enough for Columbus to offer their former second rounder a contract before his rights expired.
The St. Louis Blues invited Straka to attend their September 2012 training camp as a non-roster player, trying out for an entry-level contract. Unfortunately for Straka, he never got that chance. The lockout wiped out all NHL training camps and the first half of the season, so Straka remained a free agent.
The player, who had worked out hard over the summer to get in shape for his tryout with the Blues, decided to return to the QMJHL for an overage season. He transferred teams, joining the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
Now packing 195 pounds on his 6-foot frame and already having the benefit of three full QMJHL seasons under his belt, Straka was a man amongst boys. He dominated accordingly.
During the 2012-13 regular season, Straka led his team in scoring and ranked eighth in the high-scoring Quebec league in goals (41) and 17th in points (82 in 55 games) despite missing 13 games. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, leading Drakkar to the finals with 11 goals and 25 points in 19 games. It should be noted that 18 of his postseason points (eight goals, 10 assists) came in his first eight games.
Straka's first AHL season fell a bit short of what both and the organization would have liked to have seen. In fairness, he wasn't exactly surrounded by established scoring talent. As a team, only the Iowa Wild (169 goals) scored fewer goals than the Phantoms' output of 182 goals for the season. Straka spent part of the season on a line with fellow rookies Nick Cousins and Brandon Alderson.
FLETT'S 71ST
The late "Cowboy" Bill Flett was born 71 years ago today in Vermillion, Alberta. A member of the Flyers' first Stanley Cup winning team, Flett spent two-plus seasons with the Flyers after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in a multi-player trade midway through the 1971-72 season. The deal also sent Ross Lonsberry, Jean Potvin and Ed Joyal to the Flyers, while Serge Bernier, Jimmy Johnson and Bill Lesuk went to LA.
Flett's best season with the Flyers came in 1972-73. Playing on a line with Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber, Flett compiled 43 goals and 74 points in 69 points. By the standards of the time, Flett's 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame made him one of the bigger and stronger wingers in the NHL and he put it to good use.
In 1973-74, Flett's production dropped precipitously, and his role was significantly decreased by coach Fred Shero as the season moved along. He had 17 goals and 44 points in 67 regular season games, followed by six assists in 17 playoff games. On May 27, 1974, the Flyers traded Flett to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Dave Fortier and Randy Osborn.
Best known for his bushy beard and thick hair, the Cowboy was a colorful and tough character who was well-liked by his teammates and popular with the fans. Unfortunately, Flett's drinking hurt his career. Even in a heavy-drinking era of hockey, Flett's alcohol consumption was considered to be excessive. Nevertheless, those who knew him said he was a generous and caring person at heart; the type of person who would give someone the shirt off his own back.
After leaving the Flyers, Flett played for the Maple Leafs, Atlanta Flames and the Edmonton Oilers (both in the WHA and NHL). Later, he became a popular figure at NHL alumni games, sporting a cowboy hat on his head and sometimes even spurs on his skates as he played.
Flett had serious health problems late in life, sustaining liver failure that ultimately took his life. Flett claimed to have been sober for the final four years of his life, but the damage had already been done. Bill Flett passed away in Edmonton on July 12, 1999. He was 55 years old.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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