One day last offseason, Dan Vladar met with his goalie coach Radek Jiratko back home in Czechia.<\/p>\n
They weren’t on the ice. But they had a tone-setting conversation.<\/p>\n
“He had an honest talk with me, we just sat down, had a couple of drinks and he just told me what he felt like was going to help me,” Vladar said a week ago. “I was at that age where I wasn’t really sure what type of goalie I am. Especially with a new opportunity to come here, I just wanted to take advantage of it and get ready as much as I could.”<\/p>\n
It has all led to a career year in Vladar’s first season with the Flyers. The 28-year-old already has 17 wins to go along with a 2.47 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. He’s now representing Team Czechia at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.<\/p>\n
He wanted to find out about himself.<\/p>\n
“Whether I was a good backup or I could be a starter,” Vladar said. “I was turning that age where I was like, ‘Am I going to be able to handle 30-plus games or am I not?’ It was a good, honest talk.”<\/p>\n
Vladar made sure to thank Jiratko, who works for Rytiri Kladno, a team in their country’s top pro league.<\/p>\n
“He really helped me a lot,” Vladar said, “and I already got him a nice watch, so he’s good now.”<\/p>\n
The Flyers have loved Vladar’s leadership. He’s a vocal goaltender, speaking up in the locker room and on the ice<\/a>.<\/p>\n “He doesn’t have a letter on his jersey, but he could,” head coach Rick Tocchet said a little over a week ago. “He does have one, for me, in my head. What I like about what he did this summer, he had a weakness in his game he wanted to work on, hired somebody, came into camp in great shape. Look at the year he’s having, so good for him. That’s being a leader.”<\/p>\n