Martin Látal

Martin makes his return to the Elite Ice Hockey League having iced with the Sheffield Steelers for two seasons from 2021 to 2023. Prior to his move to Yorkshire the 36 year old Czechia native spent 14 years in the Czech Extraliga, most recently in Litvinov, but with over five seasons in Mladá Boleslav where is father was part of the management team. Martin played junior in Kladno, the home of Jaromír Jágr and was drafted in the 5^th round of the NHL entry draft by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2006. He spent the next two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Prince Edward Island Rocket where he played alongside future Flyer Dylan Quaile. He stepped into professional hockey in 2008 with Sparta Praha going on to play 645 Extraliga games where he clocked up 63 goals and 109 assists. During that time he also made appearances in the Champions Hockey League and the Spengler Cup. In his first season with the Steelers Martin would finish third in points with almost a point a game with 22 goals and 28 assists in 52 games and followed that up with 41 points in his second term in Yorkshire. Over those two seasons he scored 5 goals against the Flyers including one in his first game against them. Last season Martin played in the Polish League for Cracovia Krakow where he put up 31 points in 32 games before making a January move to the Ligue Magnus to finish the term with Grenoble.  Martin is the 11^th Czechia native to play for the Flyers and joins Frantisek Bakrlik, Michal Gutwald, David Turon and Jan Kloz who have all played during the EIHL era.