In late January, Petr Straka made his NHL debut, replacing an ill Michael Raffl in the Philadelphia Flyers' lineup. It was the culmination of a long road that began in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft, a road that briefly seemed blocked when the Columbus Blue Jackets chose not to sign Straka to an entry level contract.
But Straka persevered, using a rebound age-20 season in the QMJHL as a springboard back into the good graces of an NHL organization. It was the Flyers who rescued Straka, and after a little over a year of AHL seasoning, he finally had his chance to impress at the highest level of hockey.