Ondřej Palát
Ondřej Palát | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 28, 1991 Czech Republic |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL; two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay Lightning |
Ondřej Palát (born March 28, 1991) is a Czech professional ice hockey forward serving as an alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 208th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Palát secured consecutive Stanley Cup championships with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.
Junior
Palát initiated his hockey journey in the Czech Republic, playing for HC Frýdek-Místek.
QMJHL
Following the 2007–08 campaign, Palát was chosen by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2008 CHL Import Draft but was traded to the Chilliwack Bruins prior to appearing in any games. After a less impactful season compounded by recovery from mononucleosis, he went undrafted in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Subsequently, he was selected tenth overall in the 2009 QMJHL European Draft by the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
In the 2009–10 season with Drummondville under head coach Denis Gauthier, Palát amassed 40 points across 59 contests. Despite another undrafted year in 2010, he returned for the 2010–11 season, quickly garnering multiple weekly accolades for his offensive output. By late November, he led all import players with 38 points and earned QMJHL Third Star of the Week honors. Early December saw him surpass 50 points and receive First Star of the Week recognition. He concluded that season with a personal best of 96 points (39 goals and 57 assists) and earned selection to the Czech junior national team once more.
Approaching the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Tampa Bay initially intended to invite Palát to a tryout if left undrafted but ultimately chose to select him late in the seventh round, at 208th overall.
Tampa Bay Lightning (2011–2022)
After participating in Tampa Bay’s training camp in 2011, Palát inked a three-year entry-level contract and joined their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, for the 2011–12 season. Due to his youth, he remained in the AHL rather than returning to junior hockey. In January 2012, head coach Jon Cooper placed him on a line alongside Richard Pánik and Tyler Johnson—dubbed the "Top Gun Line"—coinciding with Norfolk’s record-setting North American streak of 28 consecutive victories. Palát contributed 30 points over 61 games as the Admirals captured their inaugural Calder Cup title before Tampa Bay shifted its AHL affiliation to the Syracuse Crunch.
During the 2012–13 season with Syracuse, Palát continued playing alongside Johnson and Pánik, improving his scoring totals. After sustaining an ankle injury in January, he returned to net his first professional hat-trick in February. Leading Syracuse in goals and ranking third in overall points, Palát received his initial NHL call-up on March 3, 2013. He debuted versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, registering an assist and scoring his first NHL goal later that month. On March 25, Jon Cooper replaced Guy Boucher as Lightning head coach while Rob Zettler took over at Syracuse. Returning to Syracuse for Calder Cup playoffs, Palát reunited with Johnson and Pánik to reach the Finals before falling to Grand Rapids Griffins.
Palát secured a spot on Tampa Bay’s opening night roster for the 2013–14 season alongside Johnson and Pánik—collectively known as "The Kid Line." Initially placed on the third line, they earned greater responsibilities and combined for 30 points by November. Following Steven Stamkos’ leg injury, Palát was paired with Martin St. Louis, which elevated his confidence and role usage. He established a franchise rookie record for longest point streak spanning December to January and was selected to represent Team Czech Republic at the 2014 Winter Olympics. By January’s end, he ranked third among rookies with 31 points and received NHL Rookie of the Month honors twice. After Stamkos’ return, Palát finished leading Tampa Bay with 59 points and was a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist alongside teammate Tyler Johnson; both earned spots on the NHL All-Rookie Team.
Building on his rookie achievements, Palát agreed to a three-year $10 million contract extension in June 2014. The "Top Gun Line" dissolved when Pánik was claimed off waivers by Toronto in October. Subsequently, Palát and Johnson formed a new line with Brett Connolly until injuries prompted coach Cooper to pair them with Nikita Kucherov—forming "The Triplets." This trio quickly became pivotal offensive contributors, accumulating significant points while Palát garnered praise as a potential Selke Trophy contender. Despite injuries limiting his playing time late in 2014 and early 2015, he concluded with personal bests of 16 goals and 47 assists as part of a line instrumental in guiding Tampa Bay into postseason contention.
In the playoffs of 2015, "The Triplets" played crucial roles advancing past Detroit and Montreal en route to reaching both Eastern Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals—the franchise’s first Finals appearance since 2004. Palát tallied 14 playoff points but fell short against Chicago in six games.
The subsequent season began with offensive challenges for "The Triplets," resulting in temporary separation; Palát endured multiple injuries causing absences. Upon returning to form, he aided Tampa Bay in establishing franchise records including a nine-game winning streak. During this period, Palát matched franchise marks for shorthanded goals and contributed significantly throughout Tampa Bay’s playoff journey to another Eastern Conference Finals berth.
Although Tampa Bay missed playoffs for the first time since 2013 despite Palát’s team-high of 94 points in 2016–17, he overcame early struggles by regaining momentum midseason alongside Kucherov and Johnson before injuries again disrupted their chemistry. He completed that campaign with 40 points over 62 games.
On July 14, 2017, Palát secured a five-year contract averaging $5.3 million annually. The following season started strongly but was interrupted by an injury from a slash that sidelined him for six to eight weeks after compiling eight goals and 22 assists across 46 games.
During an injury-ridden 2018–19 season, Palát faced further physical setbacks but reached personal milestones such as his 400th NHL game while contributing to Tampa Bay’s Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign despite an early playoff departure.
Ahead of the abbreviated 2020 season amid COVID-19 restrictions, Palát concentrated on improving conditioning during offseason training. In the NHL bubble playoffs, he played a vital role alongside Kucherov and Brayden Point ("Triplets 2.0"), setting franchise records for consecutive playoff goal streaks and helping Tampa Bay claim their second Stanley Cup championship.
Due to pandemic-driven divisional realignment during the shortened 2020–21 campaign, Tampa Bay competed within the Central Division. Palát began strongly on Tampa’s top line featuring Point and Stamkos but experienced fluctuations linked to team slumps and injuries. He concluded regular-season play with solid production heading into another deep postseason run where he set franchise records for road playoff goals scored and aided Tampa Bay in capturing consecutive Stanley Cups by defeating Montreal in five games.
Before the start of the 2021–22 season, Palát was selected for Team Czech Republic’s Olympic roster; however, NHL player participation was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Early January saw him reach his 400th career point while climbing into seventh place on Tampa Bay's all-time games played list despite enduring an extended scoring drought later that year. He wrapped up that season posting strong offensive figures—18 goals and 31 assists—contributing significantly toward maintaining Tampa Bay's competitive position heading into future campaigns.
New Jersey Devils (2022–present)
Following a decade-long tenure with the Lightning, Palát committed to the New Jersey Devils by signing a five-year deal worth $30 million. He netted three goals within his initial six appearances of the 2022–23 NHL season, but subsequently endured a groin injury that necessitated surgery, causing him to miss action throughout November and December. Upon being activated from the injured reserve on 5 January, he made his comeback against the St. Louis Blues, contributing 14:24 minutes in ice time during a 5–3 defeat. Over the concluding two months of the season, Palát added two goals to his tally, concluding with eight goals and 15 assists in 49 games as he helped the Devils secure their first playoff berth since 2018.
On 14 November 2023, Palát achieved his 300th career assist on a goal scored by Timo Meier, marking him as the 27th Czech player in NHL history to reach this achievement. He also marked his 700th career game on 5 December facing the Vancouver Canucks.
International play
On 6 January 2014, Palát was selected for the Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team roster competing at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He did not register any points across four games before the Czech squad was eliminated by the United States. Two years afterward, he represented Czechia at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, recording one assist in three contests before being knocked out prior to the semifinals.
Palát earned his inaugural medal with Czechia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, contributing three goals and three assists over ten matches, playing a key role in securing the nation's first gold medal since 2010.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | HC Frýdek-Místek | CZE.2 U18 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | HC Frýdek-Místek | CZE.2 U18 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | 33 | 32 | 24 | 56 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 | HC Frýdek-Místek | CZE.2 U18 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 42 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–09 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 42 | 23 | 33 | 56 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–10 QMJHL season | Drummondville Voltigeurs | Quebec Major Junior Hockey League | 59 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–11 QMJHL season | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 61 | 39 | 57 | 96 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–12 AHL season | Norfolk Admirals (AHL) | American Hockey League | 61 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 10 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 AHL season | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 56 | 13 | 39 | 52 | 35 | 18 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 NHL season | Tampa Bay Lightning | National Hockey League | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 'NHL totals' !825 !177 !328 !505 !252 !155 !51 !52 !103 !68|}
International
Awards and honours
External links | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1991 births
- Living people
- Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Canada
- Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Czech ice hockey left wingers
- Drummondville Voltigeurs players
- Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics
- New Jersey Devils players
- Norfolk Admirals players
- Olympic ice hockey players for the Czech Republic
- Sportspeople from Frýdek-Místek
- Ice hockey people from the Moravian-Silesian Region
- Stanley Cup champions
- Syracuse Crunch players
- Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks
- Tampa Bay Lightning players
- 21st-century Czech sportsmen