Czech forward bound for Everett
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, September 14, 2005
EVERETT – The Everett Silvertips weren’t counting on having the services of Ondrej Fiala until they saw the whites of his eyes.
Well, those eye whites finally landed Wednesday night, adding yet another piece to the puzzle for Everett’s 2005-06 season.
After a lengthy will-he-or-won’t-he drama, Fiala, Everett’s first-round pick in this year’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, arrived from his native Czech Republic to join the team for the upcoming season.
“We never really had any conclusive conversations with his agent,” Everett coach and director of hockey operations Kevin Constantine said. “We had conversations with the secretary of the agent in Europe, who’s worked with us on arranging flights. But until you see the whites of their eyes, with European players you kind of hold your breath.”
Everett picked the 1987-born Fiala, a native of Stenberk in the Czech Republic, with the 30th overall pick in the Import Draft. Considered a two-way forward, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound center is expected to add both skill and size to Everett’s attack.
Because of his late birthdate (Nov. 4), Fiala becomes eligible for the NHL Draft next year. He’s considered a potential first- or second-round pick.
Fiala gives Everett, which already upgraded its offense with the additions of Peter Mueller and John Lammers, another offensive option.
“We’re hoping we can field a team that has three lines with scoring potential,” Constantine said. “The last couple years we generally had one line that was a scoring threat, maybe a line-and-a-half. I don’t know if that’s possibile or not, but we hope Fiala adds depth to our forward line.
“One thing we have to be cautious about is Karel Hromas and Ivan Baranka came to us after they were drafted (by the NHL), whereas Fiala is coming in his draft year,” Constantine added. “So he’s actually coming here a year younger than Karel and Ivan and I think the expectations have to be toned down a little bit because of that.”
Fiala takes Everett’s second European roster slot, joining fellow Czech Karel Hromas.
Whether Fiala would report to Everett had been a mystery throughout the preseason. The Silvertips were forced to wait as he chose between playing for Everett or playing professionally in the Czech Republic.
“We knew at best it was 50-50 on draft day and that seemed to disappear into zero chance until the last month, when the conversation began to heat up again,” Constantine said. “You really do take a deep breath and go, ‘Oh my God, we actually got him,’ and that’s great because if you look around the league, many of the European players drafted just aren’t showing up because they have options to play for their own pro teams in their own countries. There’s absolutely no guarantee you ever get these players when you draft them. So him showing up is a big plus for our organization.”
The additions of Fiala and defenseman Jason Fransoo, who was acquired in a trade with Swift Current on Tuesday, give the Silvertips 32 players on the roster – 18 forwards, 11 defensemen and three goaltenders. That includes six overagers, a number that will eventually need to be pared down to three. Constantine has said he plans on starting the season with no more than 25 players.
