Zdeněk Blatný (born January 14, 1981 in Brno, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional ice hockey left wing. He was drafted in the third round, 68th overall, by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Currently, he is a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and of HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga.

After four seasons in the Western Hockey League, with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Kootenay Ice, Blatný joined the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves for the 2001–02 season. He made his NHL debut with the Thrashers during the 2002–03 season, appearing in four games. He appeared in 16 more games with the Thrashers in the 2003–04 season, with the rest of his time during those seasons spent in the AHL with the Wolves.

Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, during which Blatný played in Finland and in his native Czech Republic, he joined the Boston Bruins for the 2005–06 season. He appeared in five games with the Bruins before being traded in February 2006 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He spent the remainder of the 2005–06 season with the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.

He is very good friends with NHL players Martin Havlát and Patrik Eliáš.

[edit] External links

• Zdeněk Blatný's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

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