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The experienced 28 year old joins the club after spending the majority of the past five years of his career in Poland having begun his career in his hometown of Livitnov with their under-18 squad.
Almost immediately following the completion of his sole under-18 campaign - in which he registered 40 points in 42 games - Bakrlik was drafted by junior Ontario Hockey League side the Barrie Colts in the first round of the CHL import draft. He went on to spend a year and a half in Barrie before moving on to the Sarnia Sting halfway through the following season, eventually totalling respectable figures of 16 goals and 25 assists in his two season spell in the OHL.
Having kickstarted his career in Ontario but failed to be drafted to the NHL he moved home to his native Czech Republic in 02/03 for his rookie year, signing with HC Ytong Brno for a 25 game, 8 point debut campaign before returning for another shot at North America in 03/04, signing with Winston Salem Polar Twins.
The right winger spent the next two and half years in Adirondack with the Frostbite of the UHL, playing alongside new boss Cloutier and fellow new Stingray Dmitri Suur - who has also spent his last few years in Poland - recording 26 goals, 48 points and 172 PIM in 86 games, in the process becoming a player the Rays coach will not be unfamiliar with.
He once again returned to Czech Republic at the tail end of 05/06 signing in the second division for HC Berounsti Medvedi but has since spent the large majority of his time in Poland, accumulating 56 goals, 68 assists for 124 points alongside 303 PIM's in 117 games.
In a particularly successful period in his career, Bakrlik picked up a Polish Cup in 08/09 with GKS Tychy, a Polish league title in his third season with Podhale Nowy Targ in 09/10 - setting career bests in goals (30), assists (38), points (68) and PIM's (121) - and was named an All-Star last year having netted five goals and 17 points in 17 games.
Interestingly, in his 09/10 career year the Czech native finished the year third in league scoring and accumulated eight more points than last season Newcastle Viper Jaroslaw Rzeszutko, who recorded an outstanding 34 goals and 30 assists in 47 games with the now defunct North East club.
Indeed, despite icing in just 17 games last year the Rays newest recruit finished fourth in Nowy Targ pointscoring as his side finished in a disappointing seventh place, although that could have been very different had Cloutier been able to bring the power forward into the club in place of a misfiring forward, thought to be Konstantin Kalmikov, at Christmas as planned.
"Frankie is a guy I know all about. I played with him for Adirondack and he was one of our key guys....I had a chance to get Frankie last Christmas. The Polish league where he was playing had some financial problem but we couldn't work something out."With the addition of Bakrlik, Kalmikov now looks certain to be heading for the exit door, as previously speculated, and he joins Matti Uusivirta - who has taken time away from the sport - Trevor Read and Jozef Sladok as departees, with enforcer Sladok also in part replaced by the physical Czech forward.
The expected direct Kalmikov-Bakrlik exchange, while a downgrade in potential skill - potential that the Ukrainian did not match up to last season - is a definite required upgrade in physicality and size for a club that notably lacked it last term.
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Unfortunately, that side of his game showed all too rarely, more precisely making appearances in just his first game against Manchester and last game against Nottingham. The incident with the Panthers in Nottingham in between those two fixtures was unsavory and unnecessary but had it not been for the incident with Marc Levers or what occurred immediately after, Kozak would have been a surefire favourite in Hull, and it is that fine line between physicality and dangerous play leading to suspension that Bakrlik and most EIHL power forwards must tread.
Nevertheless, with pointscoring seasons under his belt - albeit in Poland - and size aplenty, the likely trade-off for Ukrainian #19 appears a good one with time and luck eventually running out on Kalmikov after two outstanding years as a fan favourite.
Cloutier described his former teammate and latest signing to the Hull Daily Mail:
"He is a big power forward, he plays physical and hits you hard. But he is also a great skater and has a good shot on him. Frankie has put up some numbers in Poland and I think he can do a great job for the team. He can be a ‘go-to’ guy for us. He has won championships in Poland so he knows what it takes to win...he is really excited about coming to Hull and to try and help us make the play-offs and hopefully challenge for a trophy."His signing brings the Rays offensive roster to 7 and the overall roster to 11 players with three imports - thought to be two defencemen and one forward - left to sign alongside a further three or four British options.
While Andrew Coburn's career and future at the club may not be as cut and dried as initially thought, Drew Bannister and fellow D-man Read look to have played their last game's for the club as does Sladok with Cloutier allegedly searching for two import options on the defensive front, although it is unknown whether captain Kurtis Dulle will yet return for an unexpected second season.
