Career
He was drafted in the seventh round, 208th overall, by the Lightning at the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Junior
Palát began his ice hockey career in his native Czechoslovakian Republic with The Human Context Frýdek-Místek. Prior to turning professional in North America, he played major junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
He was then selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round, 208th overall, of the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
Professional
On 10 October 2011, the Lightning signed Palát to a three-year, entry-level contract. He then began his professional career with the Norfolk Admirals, Tampa Bay"s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in the 2011-2012 season.
Palát played the next season in the AHL, 2012-2013, with the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay"s new AHL affiliate. After a brief call-up to the National Hockey League, he scored his first career National Hockey League goal on 16 March 2013, against Justin Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes.
After reaching the Calder Cup Final, Palát and his teammates had the unique opportunity at back-to-back AHL championships, despite playing for two different hockey clubs.
The Crunch, however, would fall to the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Final. Palát would make the Lightning"s 2013-2014 opening roster out of training camp, along with his AHL line-mates Tyler Johnson and Richard Pánik. Palát, along with Johnson, became the first teammates to be nominated for the Trophy since Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2008.
The Trophy, however, eventually went to Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, though Palát was named to the National Hockey League All-Rookie Team.
On 9 June 2014, the Lightning announced that they had signed Palát to a three-year contract extension. He had 23 goals, 59 points and a +32 plus-minus rating in 81 games for the Lightning in 2013-2014.
He ranked second among all National Hockey League rookies in points, and was third in goals scored. Additionally, Palát became the third Lightning player to finish a season with a plus-minus rating higher than +30.
On 9 November 2015, the Lightning announced that Palat had suffered a "lower body" injury, and was expected to miss 3-5 weeks.
Palat was injured when a Minnesota Wild player fell awkwardly on his left leg/ankle. On 6 January 2014, Palát played for the Czechoslovakian Republic at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The Czechs, however, were eliminated at the hands of the United States.
During his first Olympic appearance, Palát appeared in four games for his country.
He did not register any points or penalty minutes in his four Olympic contests. On 2 March 2016, the Czechoslovakian Ice Hockey Association named Palát to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Palát will be joined by Lightning teammate Andrej Šustr. The tournament is set to run from 17 September to 1 October 2016, in Toronto.