Martin Necas was in New York in the spring of 2017, preparing for the upcoming NHL draft, when an old friend offered him a unique opportunity.
Martin Erat, who played more than 900 games in the NHL and still had a home in Nashville, Tenn., wanted Necas to see what he was working so hard for. So Erat flew Necas to the Music City and took him to Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.
“His first words were, ‘I want to play in this,’” Erat told The Denver Post.
Necas watched the Predators clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. One month and one day later, the Carolina Hurricanes made Necas a first-round pick.
His time with the Hurricanes was not always perfect, but Necas developed into a very good NHL player. He wants to be more, and he wants to experience that feeling he saw on the ice at Bridgestone Arena eight years ago.
After he was included in arguably the biggest in-season NHL trade in two decades — a three-team deal that sent star Mikko Rantanen to Carolina and brought Necas and Jack Drury to the Avalanche — a great opportunity awaits.
“He still has a lot of potential to grow, and I think he’s going to learn from the best,” Erat said. “He has the best players now around him, with (Cale) Makar and (Nathan) MacKinnon. I think you’re going to see the best of him.
“… This was a good hockey trade. In the end, it is going to make big sense for both sides, because now you’re going to see Marty fully fly.”
“Yes, I will take care of him”
Necas was a phenom back home in Czechia. The best player on his U-16 team, which included future Avs draft pick Martin Kaut. The best player on the U-18 team, which included future Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal.
He was a staple for his country at international youth tournaments, and he started skating with the senior team in the summer ahead of his full-time arrival as a 17-year-old prospect.
Erat, who was finishing out his career back home with HC Kometa Brno, took notice.
“He practiced with us a couple of times in the summer, and I was like, ‘Yes, I will take care of him,’” Erat said. “How hard he worked and how he went around his business from a young age was very eye-opening for me. It was how he wants to be the best, and he’s trying to be the best.”
Brno had a proud history but hadn’t won the Czech league since 1995. Erat and Necas won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. Necas was the rookie of the year the first season, then scored the title-clinching goal the next.
Erat said it was hard at times because Necas kept getting pulled away for international tournaments, but the veterans on the team knew right away how good Necas could be.
“Off the ice, he was still a kid. On the ice, he was one of us,” Erat said. “Every practice, he was getting better and better. He was better than some of the older guys on our team when he was 16 years old. You knew there was something with him where he’s going to be great.
“Last time I saw this was when I was with Arizona and a 16-year-old Auston Matthews came on the ice with us. It was like, ‘Wow, this kid is 16?’ That was the same with Marty in Czech.”
It takes a collection of people to help a young player — even an incredibly talented one — complete the journey to the NHL. Erat has been vital to Necas’ development, first as a teammate and then as a mentor.
Erat was one of the first people Necas reached out to the night of trade. One of the short-term perks is the two Martins will get to have dinner together again soon. The Avs’ first game after the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off is in Nashville.
“He took me under his wings. He showed me around,” Necas said. “I appreciate everything he did for me. It was very special.”
“It was growing pains early on”
The next step for Necas after Brno was in North America, but not where he expected.
Necas wanted to play for the Hurricanes. He played seven games with them, but then it was time for more seasoning with Charlotte in the AHL.
He was still working on his English. Erat said he needed the time to learn the details necessary to play in the NHL. The key for his new coaches was the willingness to learn.
“He had a lot of energy, he loves the game of hockey, and he wanted to get better. Those are three really good, key ingredients,” said Mike Vellucci, who was Charlotte’s head coach at the time. “It was a lot of video sessions. It’s easy to help people learn and get better if they’re really willing to listen and do the work. And he was definitely willing to do the work. The more communication, the better it was for him and me. We were on the same page.”
The biggest details were away from the puck: stopping in the defensive zone, tracking opposing players and learning new systems. To make his high-end offensive skill work, it had to start before he had the puck.
Necas joined a young, talented club. A group of future NHL players pushed one another, sometimes spending three hours on the ice on practice days.
The work ethic was contagious, and that’s how Necas fit in.
“It was his competitiveness, his love for getting better,” said San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky, who was Vellucci’s assistant with the Checkers. “He was on the ice early, staying out after. He put a lot of work into it.”
There was some disappointment about not being in the NHL. There was also the adjustment to North American hockey.
For the first time in a long time, the game didn’t come easy to Necas with the Checkers. At least, not for a while.
“He wasn’t putting up a ton of points, and he was getting frustrated by that,” Vellucci said. “But, like most young guys, right around Christmas time, it started to calm down for him.
“Everything was so fast and new to him. Once he established himself as a good defensive player and played on the right side of the puck and away from the puck, the offensive part started coming. He is so talented that you knew eventually it was going to take over.”
The Checkers rolled to the best record in the AHL. Then Necas lifted a championship trophy for the third straight season after Charlotte went 15-4 in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Necas was the second-youngest player on the roster, but he finished with 13 points in 18 playoff games.
“We got on a run in the playoffs and that’s when the game-breaking really came out,” Warsofsky said. “Power play, 5-on-5, crucial moments. He was always stepping up in the big moments. That’s when you were like, ‘OK, this kid’s going to be really special.’ ”
“Sometimes, he goes south”
Lifting the Calder Cup was Necas’ last act in the AHL.
He had a promising rookie year at 20 years old with the Hurricanes. In a similar fashion to a young MacKinnon, the next couple of seasons after his freshman campaign were not what he expected.
Learning to play in North America was one level of difficulty. Playing for head coach Rod Brind’Amour was something else.
It wasn’t always harmonious, but Necas learned and adapted. The breakout came two seasons ago, with career-highs in goals (28) and points (71).
“He’s got that ‘Oh crap’ kind of speed, like when you’re defending him and you know you’re not catching him,” Carolina center Jordan Staal said. “He’s just going too fast, but then he’s got some great skill with his hands and a great shot. For him the last few years, it’s just been finding the right decision-making. It’s starting to go in for him and he creates so much more offense when he’s making those good decisions.”
The Hurricanes are known for a specific style of play. Brind’Amour is a demanding coach.
His teammates knew Necas was trying to conform. They knew he works hard. It made for some good-natured ribbing about the situation.
“We would always joke with him about the way we play here,” Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “We always go north here, right? Well, sometimes, he goes south. One of the years, our playoff motto was ‘North’ with a couple of darts like a compass facing north. I think that kind of stemmed from us telling him to go north.”
Necas tried to go elsewhere this past offseason. There was a formal trade request, and the initial talks between the Avs and Hurricanes about a Rantanen deal (involving Necas) happened in June, according to a league source.
It didn’t happen. Instead of letting the inactivity affect his performance, Necas played some of the best hockey of his career. He’s on pace to set a new personal best in points, and has spent much of this season among the top 10 in the league.
“We’ve always known he had tons of skill,” Slavin said. “It’s not necessarily just his one-on-one speed coming at you that’s so hard. For defensemen, it’s when he gets in the zone and he’s wheeling around, and he cuts back. Then he cuts back again. And he cuts back again. It’s just annoying to try and defend. His edge work is just unbelievable.
“This year he started out so hot, but it’s not a surprise.”
Necas went to a team that is going to give him more offensive freedom. He’s also going to play a lot more. The most he played in a game for Carolina this season was 22:31. He averaged more than 23 minutes in his first three contests with Colorado. He also had four points.
Avs fans have already seen his ability to loop back in the neutral zone and race through defenders in open ice.
The Hurricanes believe Rantanen can help them return to the top of the NHL. Necas still yearns to get there, too, and maybe he and the Avalanche will fully fly, together.
“I love hockey and I’ve always said I play my best when I’m having fun,” Necas said. “It’s been so much fun so far. I’m enjoying every second of it, trying to get better and better and show the best version of me to help this team go far.”
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