Quick Hits: August 27, 2022
1) With Friday's re-signings of restricted free agents Wade Allison and Linus Högberg, only Hayden Hodgson remains unsigned among the Flyers' RFAs this summer. Hodgson should not be a difficult signing for the Flyers. The undrafted player had spent several years in the ECHL then parlayed an AHL opportunity with the Phantoms last year into an eventual NHL contract (including six games and three points) with the Flyers late in the season. Hodgson became a favorite of Phantoms' head coach Ian Laperriere and was moved up in the Lehigh Valley lineup. He responded by unexpectedly posting 31 points and a team-high 19 goals in just 46 games while bringing an aggressive physical presence. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound winger turned 26 on March 2.
2) Today in Flyers History: On August 27, 1989, the Flyers acquired the rights to highly regarded 22-year-old Czech defense prospect Jiri Latal from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Communism had not quite toppled yet in what was then Czechoslovakia -- the non-violent "Velvet Revolution" unfolded in November of 1989 -- but the Czech Hockey Federation was starting to allow more players to leave for North America. In the past, they'd only permitted players in their 30s, such as Miroslav Dvorak, to leave in exchange for a transfer fee payable to the federation.
Latal was born in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) on Februarly 2, 1967. Originally drafted by the Leafs with the 106th overall pick of the 1985 Draft, the Flyers traded a 1991 seventh-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Latal's rights.
Latal was a fast-rising star in Czechoslovakia before the Velvet Revolution marked the end of the communist regime and it became easy for players to come to North America without defecting (or obtaining permission from the government and national hockey federation). However, the Maple Leafs were uncertain if they'd be able to have access to the player, and traded his rights to the Flyers for a 1991 seventh-round pick.
The young defenseman played three years for Sparta Prague in what is now the Czech Republic's Extraliga and two for Dukla Trencin in what is now Slovakia. Latal played a prominent role for Team Czechoslovakia at the 1985, 1986, and 1987 World Junior Championships, winning a pair of silver medals and being named to the tournament all-star squad in 1987.
When Latal arrived in Philadelphia at age 22, he came with a lot of hype as a potential star defenseman with considerable offensive upside. He started out in the AHL with the Hershey Bears in order to get acclimated but was clearly too good for that level. In 22 games for the Bears in 1989-90, Latal racked up 10 goals and 28 points. He was then called up to the big club.
Unfortunately, the player struggled in the NHL with both consistency and injuries, including knee surgery, a separated shoulder and cracked ribs. Latal had very good puck skills. However, he did not relish the much more physical nature of the North American game on the small rink and sometimes became skittish when pressured by NHL-caliber forecheckers.
Latal, who had been touted as someone with two-way upside, ended up having trouble defensively in the NHL. Injuries limited him to just 92 games over three years. However, Latal's undeniable puck skills occasionally shined. He posted a respectable 12 goals, 36 assists and 48 points for subpar Flyers teams that missed the playoffs each season.
After a serious knee injury and decreased playing time with the Flyers Latal returned to Europe. He played part of a season in Norway, one full season in Finland and three additional seasons in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, further injury issues kept him out of the lineup more than he was available to play -- Latal only suited up in a combined 31 games in 1993-94 and 1994-95 and he retired before his 28th birthday.
Following his playing days, Latal served for a time as the Under-20 level general manager of Team Czech Republic. He assembled the squad that competed in the 2009 World Junior Championships.
3) Flyers Alumni birthdays: Ryan Bast (1975), Mark Botell (1961), Evgeny Medvedev (1982), Adam Oates (1962).