Veteran forward Ales Kotalik hopeful to revive abilities with return to Buffalo Sabres –NHL Update
Ales Kotalik, a Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Republic native, was hopeful of making it big in the National Hockey League (NHL), after being drafted as the 164th overall draft pick during the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by Buffalo.
Kotalik needed some time, but he became a regular top-level performer for the franchise and reached his peak during the 2005-2006 regular season with his original draft team by scoring an impressive 62 points (25 goals, 37 assists) in all 82 games played.
It was after that, that he faced a sharp decline in his annual record, which ultimately led Buffalo to trade him to Edmonton Oilers during the 2008-2009 season, followed by another two shifts to team’s like New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. During these
past few years since Kotalik was traded, he has failed to find his game with any other team with Buffalo, and now is happy to be back on his long time team.
Having played the past two years in mixture with the NHL franchise, Calgary Flames, and their American Hockey League (AHL) minor league affiliate, Abbotsford Heat, according to him, he has gained valuable experience and has learned a priceless lesson.
"It actually was a good experience for me", Kotalik said Wednesday, August 25. "I met some great people and I actually found a little bit of the fun of the game that I was missing for two years. In the end, it was a really positive experience for me".
Various transitions allowed Kotalik to learn how valuable playing in the major league really was, which will certainly have him giving the team his all during next month’s offseason.
"I came down there with a positive attitude", Kotalik said. "I knew exactly how it was for me when I came to Buffalo to play in Roch with the veterans. The AHL team in Abbotsford was filled with young guys, and I was trying to set the example in practice
and everything with what I was doing”.
Getting his heart’s desire, next season will be crucial for Ales Kotalik as he works on putting his career back in order.
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