The Calgary Flames made headlines during the 2014-15 season, rising from the league’s basement to put forth a resurgent effort that took them all the way to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Leading the charge was Calgary’s first line, which accounted for 86 goals and 202 total points. Much of the buzz surrounding that line centred on the Flames’ elite young duo of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, with mention of their linemate Jiri Hudler coming only as a notable addendum.

And yet, of all three, it was Hudler who finished atop the pile of Calgary’s scorers with 76 points. Hudler not only led all Flames players in points, he ranked as the eighth-highest scorer in the league.

Just to put that in perspective, the following is a list of players who scored less points than Hudler last season (in equal or more games):

Steven Stamkos

Claude Giroux

Daniel and Henrik Sedin

Ryan Getzlaf

Jonathan Toews.

Not only did Hudler finish among the top scorers overall, he was the league’s unequivocal best when it came to scoring at even strength. With 60 of his 76 points coming at even strength, Hudler beat out the likes of Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, and Jamie Benn (the league’s top three scorers when powerplay and shorthanded points are factored into the mix).

The 31-year-old Czech native had one of the finest seasons of any player in the league, and yet, instead of being praised for his efforts, Hudler’s performance was chalked up to being simply a side-effect of playing with Monahan and Gaudreau.

Jiri Hudler's Lady Byng acceptance speech is worth repeated viewings ~ http://t.co/IfGjsmdPJ3 pic.twitter.com/DZR67WnwvN — Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 12, 2015

While Hudler’s numbers received a boost from playing with the talented young pair, it wasn’t necessarily a case of him riding their coattails, but rather, one of the three players establishing lethal chemistry with each other.

Case in point: Hudler tallied 31 goals on the season himself — meaning, regardless of how those plays were set up, it was Hudler’s finishing ability that allowed them to count on the scoreboard. His 31 tallies tied Monahan for the team lead, and Hudler did it in three less games than his young linemate while racking up 14 more assists.

It’s easy to sum up the veteran’s performance as a mere statistical anomaly — considering 2014-15 marked career highs in goals, assists, and points for Hudler — but not to be forgotten is the fact that the Czech native was developed in the elite Detroit Red Wings system.

Coming up as a rookie in the mid 2000’s, Hudler suited up alongside some of the brightest minds in the history of the game, including Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Henrik Zetterberg, and Pavel Datsyuk. His first taste of NHL action as a 19-year-old, back in 2003-04, came alongside Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Brendan Shanahan. When he broke in and played his first full NHL campaign, it came under the guidance of none other than Mike Babcock, who has gone on to become one of the most respected head coaches in the game.

That’s about as top-tier as you can get when it comes to veteran guidance and learning to play the game the right way. Hudler was trained by the best for the first decade of his career, and the numbers suggest that training paid off.

That first full season with the Red Wings came in 2006-07, after three seasons in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins (a classic Red Wings origin story). He posted 28 goals and 67 points over his first two NHL campaigns, and hoisted the Stanley Cup in the second of those seasons.

The following year saw him post 23 goals and 57 points as the Red Wings reached the Stanley Cup final for the second straight year. A few seasons later, after a brief stint in the KHL, Hudler elevated his game further and became one of the Red Wings’ top offensive options, finishing with 25 goals and 50 points in 2011-12. Those 25 markers were second among all Red Wings scorers — beating out both Zetterberg and Datsyuk.

For all the respect the Red Wings organization receives for their ability to develop players into legitimate stars, Hudler rarely finds his name included in that mix. But truthfully, he’s always been a reliable scoring option at the NHL level, and has simply seen his game grow as he’s been given a more significant role.

Hudler hasn’t simply forged a notable career in the NHL – he’s also been a staple on the international scene for the past 15 years. Throughout his career, the veteran has suited up for the Czech Republic at the IIHF U18 World Championship (twice), the World Junior Championship (twice), and the World Championships (three times).

While Monahan and Gaudreau had a profound impact on his 2014-15 scoring, it’s clear Hudler is a lethal talent in his own right, and the two young stars have been quick to credit Hudler with their own success as well. Monahan had this to say about Hudler’s guidance:

“He’s won a Cup before. It’s great having him around and he’s done a great job for us. He makes you want to be better. He can be tough on you and tell you things but that’s part of being a veteran and trying to help younger guys be better players. He’s done a great job with us off the ice communicating stuff like that. That’s really helped both Johnny and I.”

Flames head coach Bob Hartley wasn’t any less generous with his praise for Hudler, saying this about his veteran:

“He’s an unbelievable hockey player, probably one of the smartest hockey players that I’ve coached. He’s gifted, has skills. And he has the gift to make other people around him better. You look at Johnny Gaudreau. You look at, last year, Sean Monahan. I think he deserves a big part of credit in our kids’ progress.”

If it weren’t for the presence of one of the game’s best defensive forces in Mark Giordano, Hudler could very well be playing next season with the ‘C’ stitched on his chest. While that role will remain with Giordano, Hudler looks set continue going over and above in his role as alternate captain for the Flames. He’s done everything he’s been asked, while giving the Flames more than they thought they were getting when they inked him to a four-year, $16 million contract back in 2012.

The 2015-16 season will see the Czech native return to the Flames’ first line alongside Monahan and Gaudreau, though it seems Hartley may also consider playing Hudler with young gun Sam Bennett to help bring him along in his first full season as well.

Regardless, it’s undeniable that Hudler — the reigning Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner — now ranks as an elite, top-line NHL talent, and could very well be the most underrated player in the game right now.