Falcons sign left wing Zdenek Blatny
August 22, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
Springfield, MA - The Springfield Falcons, proud members of the American Hockey League, announced today that they have signed left wing Zdenek Blatny (ZEHD-nihk, BLAHT-nee) to a standard American Hockey League contract. Per club policy, terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
Blatny appeared in 31 games for the Falcons during the 2005-06 season collecting 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. Blatny was acquired by the Falcons' National Hockey League affiliate, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on February 8, 2006 in exchange for goaltender Brian Eklund. Blatny scored on his first two shots in his Falcons debut on February 10, 2006 against the Norfolk Admirals and was named the CCM/Vector AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 12, 2006 after collecting four goals and five assists for nine points in four games played.
"Zdenek is another player that provides us with some scoring depth at the forward position," said Falcons President and General Manager Bruce Landon. "Zdenek displayed a strong scoring touch down the stretch last year and has proven he can be a solid point producer for us heading into the 2006-07 campaign."
Blatny will be entering his sixth season of professional hockey and split time with both the Providence and Boston Bruins last year. In 35 games with Providence during the 2005-06 campaign, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound native of Brno, Czech Republic, recorded eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points.
Blatny has played in 25 career NHL games, five with Boston and 20 with the Atlanta Thrashers. Blatny was originally drafted by the Thrashers in the third round (68th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Blatny split three seasons (2001-2004) between the Thrashers and the Chicago Wolves before spending the 2004-05 campaign playing in Europe.
The Falcons are currently accepting deposits on full, half, and 10-game season ticket packages for the 2006-07 season, in addition to 40 and 10-Flex Packs. For more information regarding season ticket information, contact the Falcons office at 413-739-3344.
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