From the Nashville Predators:
Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed unrestricted free agent forward Peter Olvecky (PEE-tuhr ohl-VEHT-skee) to a one-year, two-way contract worth $500,000 on the NHL level and $105,000 on the AHL level.
Olvecky, 23 (10/11/85), split the 2008-09 season between the Minnesota Wild and the Houston Aeros, posting seven points (2g-5a) in 31 NHL games and 23 points (6g-17a) in 41 AHL contests. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Olvecky spent his first three North American seasons with the Aeros, amassing 92 points (43g-49a) in 197 games from 2005-08.
Drafted 78th overall (third round) by Minnesota in the 2004 Entry Draft, the 6-2, 195-pound left wing represented Slovakia in the 2009 World Championships in April and May, notching an assist in five games.
According to Hockey Wilderness, SB Nation’s Minnesota Wild blog, Olvecky was an injury-callup who filled a lesser role, and would appear likely to face similar duty for Nashville. He was a teammate of Joel Ward for three seasons with the AHL’s Houston Aeros, however, so perhaps there’s some hidden pipeline of talent that the Preds are tapping into?