Playing career

Erat was selected in the seventh round, 191st overall, of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators, the team's 12th choice in the draft

Erat made a splash in his NHL rookie year in 2001-02 as a member of the "vowel line," which consisted himself on left wing, Vladimír Országh on right wing and Denis Arkhipov at center. His first NHL point was a game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames on October 11, 2001. That year, he set a then Nashville rookie record for games played (80), assists (24) and points (33).

Erat, however, struggled during his sophomore season in 2002-03 and spent the majority of the season with the Predators' minor league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, in the American Hockey League (AHL). After changing his number from 19 to 10 in the off-season, his play improved in his third season, 2003-04. He notched career highs with goals (16), assists (33) and points (49), also ranking second on the team with a +10 plus-minus rating. Erat's first Stanley Cup playoff point was an assist in the 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals in a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on April 10, 2004.

During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Erat played for HC Zlín of the Czech Extraliga, where he finished eighth in the league in scoring with 20 goals and 23 assists in 48 games.

In 2005-06, Erat scored a career-high 20 goals in his fourth season with the Predators, tallying 49 points. He also played for the Czech national team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, where he helped the team secure a bronze medal.

During the 2006-07 season, Erat emerged as a legitimate first line player, tallying 57 points in 68 games. Most often, Erat teamed with Paul Kariya and David Legwand to form the team's top unit. Erat, however, missed the final five weeks of the season with a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL).

In 2007-08, Erat posted a new career-high of 23 goals and added 34 assists to once again reach the 57-point plateau. Following the 2007-08 season, he signed a seven-year, $31.5 million contract extension with the Predators. He has two career hat-tricks, the first against the Edmonton Oilers and the second against the Vancouver Canucks on December 8, 2009.

On April 3, 2013, the Predators traded Erat and Michael Latta to the Washington Capitals at the NHL trade deadline in exchange for prospect Filip Forsberg. Erat requested the trade away from Nashville and waived a no-trade clause in his contract to facilitate the deal.

On November 25, 2013, Erat requested a trade for the second time since being traded to the Capitals, just eight months prior. Erat first asked for a trade in October after being demoted to the team's fourth line. Erat's second request for a trade came after he was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. Erat has stated he will waive his no trade clause, claiming it is "time to move on."

On the eve of the 2013-14 NHL trade deadline, on March 4, Erat was dealt by Capitals, along with John Mitchell, to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Chris Brown, Rostislav Klesla and a fourth-round pick in 2015.

After 13 seasons and 881 regular season games in the NHL, Erat left North America as a free agent and signed a one-year contract with Russian club, Avangard Omsk of the KHL on September 17, 2015.

International play

Medal record
Representing Czech Republic
Winter Olympics
	2006 Turin
World Championships
	2006 Riga
	2012 Helsinki
World Junior Championships
	2001 Moscow

Erat played for the Czech national team at the World Junior Championships in 2001, helping the team win the gold medal. In 2006, he played for the bronze medal-winning Czech team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. That same year, Erat was also a member of the silver medal-winning team from the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga, Latvia.

Erat was called up to replace Vladimír Sobotka on the Czech team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Personal

Martin has an older brother, Roman, who currently plays for Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997-98	Zlín Jr	CZE-Jr		33	26	26	52	11		—	—	—	—	—
1998-99	Zlín Jr	CZE-Jr		35	21	23	44	11		—	—	—	—	—
1998-99	HC Zlín	CZE		5	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		66	27	26	53	82		11	4	8	12	16
2000-01	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		31	19	35	54	48		—	—	—	—	—
2000-01	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		17	4	24	28	24		22	15	21	36	32
2001-02	Nashville Predators	NHL		80	9	24	33	32		—	—	—	—	—
2002-03	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		45	10	22	32	41		6	5	4	9	4
2002-03	Nashville Predators	NHL		27	1	7	8	14		—	—	—	—	—
2003-04	Nashville Predators	NHL		76	16	33	49	38		6	0	1	1	6
2004-05	HC Zlín	CZE		48	20	23	43	129		16	7	5	12	12
2005-06	Nashville Predators	NHL		80	20	29	49	76		5	1	1	2	6
2006-07	Nashville Predators	NHL		68	16	41	57	50		3	0	1	1	0
2007-08	Nashville Predators	NHL		76	23	34	57	40		6	1	3	4	8
2008-09	Nashville Predators	NHL		71	17	33	50	48		—	—	—	—	—
2009-10	Nashville Predators	NHL		74	21	28	49	50		6	4	1	5	4
2010-11	Nashville Predators	NHL		64	17	33	50	22		10	1	5	6	6
2011-12	Nashville Predators	NHL		71	19	39	58	30		10	1	3	4	6
2012-13	Nashville Predators	NHL		36	4	17	21	26		—	—	—	—	—
2012-13	Washington Capitals	NHL		9	1	2	3	4		4	0	0	0	4
2013-14	Washington Capitals	NHL		53	1	23	24	22		—	—	—	—	—
2013-14	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		17	2	3	5	6		—	—	—	—	—
2014-15	Arizona Coyotes	NHL		79	9	23	32	48		—	—	—	—	—
2015-16	Avangard Omsk	KHL		40	5	19	24	16		10	1	7	8	14
NHL totals				881	176	369	545	506		50	8	15	23	40

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1999	Czech Republic	WJC18	5th		6	0	2	2	12
2001	Czech Republic	WJC	01 !		7	2	1	3	16
2006	Czech Republic	Oly	03 !		8	1	1	2	4
2006	Czech Republic	WC	02 !		9	3	5	8	6
2008	Czech Republic	WC	5th		6	2	4	6	10
2010	Czech Republic	Oly	7th		5	0	1	1	0
2012	Czech Republic	WC	03 !		5	3	1	4	2
2014	Czech Republic	Oly	6th		5	1	0	1	0
Junior totals					13	2	3	5	28
Senior totals					38	10	12	22	22

Awards

• Named the WHL Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November, 2000.
• Named the WHL Player of the Week for November 13-19, 2000.
• Named the NHL Third Star of the Week for November 12-18, 2007.
• Named the NHL Second Star of the Week for March 12-18, 2012.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]