Jiří Hudler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jiří Hudler |
|||
---|---|---|---|
![]() Hudler with the Calgary Flames in 2013
|
|||
Born | Olomouc, Czechoslovakia |
4 January 1984 ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
Position | Right wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | HC Vsetín Havířov Panthers Ak Bars Kazan Detroit Red Wings Dynamo Moscow Lev Praha HC Oceláři Třinec Calgary Flames Florida Panthers Dallas Stars |
||
National team | ![]() |
||
NHL Draft | 58th overall, 2002 Detroit Red Wings |
||
Playing career | 1999–2017 |
Jiří Hudler (born January 4, 1984) is a former professional ice hockey player from the Czech Republic. He played as a forward for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). These teams included the Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars.
Hudler started his career in the Czech Extraliga, which is the top hockey league in the Czech Republic. He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. He later won the famous Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008. He also played one season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia.
Contents
Playing Career
Early Years in Hockey
Jiří Hudler began his youth hockey career in the Czech Extraliga with a team called HC Vsetín. This was during the 1999–2000 season. He quickly became a strong player.
In the 2001–02 season, he scored a point in almost every game. Because of his great play, the Detroit Red Wings picked him in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was their first pick in the second round, 58th overall.
Hudler stayed in the Czech Extraliga for another season. He also played a short time with Ak Bars Kazan in Russia. Then, he moved to North America for the 2003–04 season.
Starting in North America
When Hudler first came to North America, he played 12 games for the Red Wings. However, he spent most of that season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. This team is Detroit's minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He scored 49 points in 57 games during his first AHL season.
Due to a lockout in the NHL during the 2004–05 season, Hudler stayed in the AHL. He also played seven games back with Vsetín. In the 2005–06 season, he had an amazing year with the Griffins. He scored 36 goals and 96 points in 76 games. This earned him a spot on the AHL Second All-Star Team. His 60 assists that season set a new team record for the Griffins.
Time with the Detroit Red Wings
Hudler finally became a full-time player for the Detroit Red Wings in the 2006–07 season. He scored 25 points in 76 games. The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association chose him as the team's rookie of the year. He was very efficient, scoring many goals in less time on the ice than other players.
In the 2007 playoffs, Hudler played on and off. He contributed two assists in six games. An older teammate, Robert Lang, helped Hudler a lot when he first joined the team. Hudler even lived at Lang's house for a while.

In his second full season with the Red Wings, Hudler improved his play, scoring 42 points. On June 4, 2008, he achieved a huge dream: he won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings! He scored five goals and had nine assists during their playoff run. He even scored the winning goal in Game 4 of the Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He continued to get better in the 2008–09 season, scoring 23 goals and 57 points. However, the Red Wings faced the Penguins again in the Finals and lost in seven games.
Playing in Russia
After the 2008–09 season, Hudler became a free agent. He decided to sign a contract with Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia. He played there for two years.
Back to Detroit
After one season with Dynamo Moscow, Hudler returned to the Detroit Red Wings. He signed a new contract with them on April 26, 2010. He was not able to play in the 2010 playoffs because he joined the team after the trade deadline. However, he was ready for the 2010–11 season.
Moving to Calgary
On July 2, 2012, Hudler signed a four-year contract with the Calgary Flames. In the 2014–15 season, he had his best year in the NHL. He scored 76 points in 78 games. His great play helped the Flames reach the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in six years.
He was also nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy. This award is given to the NHL player who shows the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. He won the award on June 24.
Final NHL Teams
During the 2015–16 season, Hudler was traded to the Florida Panthers on February 27, 2016. This was the last year of his contract with the Flames.
After that season, he became a free agent again. On August 23, 2016, Hudler signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars. He finished his NHL career with the Stars.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1999–2000 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | CZE U20 | 47 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 73 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
1999–2000 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | ELH | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2000–01 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | CZE U20 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2000–01 | HC Slovnaft Vsetín | ELH | 22 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2000–01 | HC Femax Havířov | ELH | 15 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2001–02 | HC Vsetín | ELH | 46 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2001–02 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE.2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 10 | ||
2001–02 | HC Olomouc | CZE.3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2002–03 | HC Vsetín | ELH | 30 | 19 | 27 | 46 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2002–03 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2003–04 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2003–04 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 57 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 46 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
2004–05 | Vsetínská hokejová | ELH | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2004–05 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 52 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 76 | 36 | 60 | 96 | 56 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 20 | ||
2005–06 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2006–07 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 76 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 26 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 14 | ||
2008–09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 82 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 16 | 23 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 | ||
2009–10 | Dynamo Moscow | KHL | 54 | 19 | 35 | 54 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
2010–11 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
2011–12 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 42 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
2012–13 | Lev Praha | KHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | HC Oceláři Třinec | ELH | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 42 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 75 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 78 | 31 | 45 | 76 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||
2015–16 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 53 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2015–16 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 19 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
2016–17 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 32 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
ELH totals | 126 | 48 | 68 | 116 | 116 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
NHL totals | 708 | 164 | 264 | 428 | 243 | 83 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 40 | ||||
KHL totals | 69 | 20 | 41 | 61 | 68 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing ![]() |
||
Men's ice hockey | ||
World U18 Championships | ||
Bronze | 2002 Slovakia |
International
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Czech Republic | U17 | 5th | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |
2000 | Czech Republic | WJC18 | 6th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
2002 | Czech Republic | WJC18 | ![]() |
8 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 8 | |
2002 | Czech Republic | WJC | 7th | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
2003 | Czech Republic | WJC | 6th | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | |
2003 | Czech Republic | WC | 4th | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
2004 | Czech Republic | WJC | 4th | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
2013 | Czech Republic | WC | 7th | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | |
2014 | Czech Republic | WC | 4th | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | |
Junior totals | 39 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 24 | ||||
Senior totals | 27 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 16 |
Awards and Records
- 2005–06 — AHL Second All-Star Team
- 2005–06 — Set a team record for the Grand Rapids Griffins with 60 assists.
- 2006–07 — Named "Detroit Red Wings Rookie of the Year" by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.
- 2007–08 — Won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings.
- 2014–15 — Won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.