Class Of Kladno: Dueling Goalies

HC Rabat Kladno juniors

Ondrej Pavelec (2005), G

A solid-sized goalie with strong reflexes and anticipation .. more of a butterfly style .. smart at reading the developing plays and reacting to them .. good athleticism and dexterity .. capable of highlight-reel saves .. moves well in the crease thanks to decent skating ability .. lateral movement can still be improved .. needs to stay square to the shooter .. adequate flexibility and footspeed .. gets back up quickly when dropping to a butterfly .. an adequately fast glove hand .. solid focus and mental toughness .. vulnerable to allowing goals on shots aimed at his five-hole .. prone to allow the odd rebound as a number of pucks bounce off right in front of him .. average stickhandler .. the most talented Czech `87-born netminder and a legitimate NHL prospect.

Jakub Lev (2005), G

Plays a mix of both stand-up and butterfly styles .. possesses fast reflexes and is tough to beat on all initial shots .. doesn't tend to flop around a lot .. solid athleticism, but could use more dexterity in his play .. boasts a decent glove hand and good mental toughness .. doesn't let a bad goal bother him and shows above-average focus .. likes to challenge the shooter .. slightly overweight .. his movement in the crease could be better .. shows occasional trouble controlling rebounds .. just an average skater who needs to improve on lateral movement .. stickhandling skills need further polishing in order to avoid 'adventures' when moving the puck .. a late `86-born goaltender .. an outside shot to get drafted.

Tomas Babicky (2005), D

A diminutive defenseman .. a smallish player like him needs better wheels .. doesn't impress with his stride and acceleration .. needs to upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. decent agility .. plays a safe game with the puck, but doesn't support the offense effectively .. adequate stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. tends to pass the puck to a nearby teammate instead of looking for long passing lanes .. releases a shot from the point which has to be harder .. relies on finesse in the defensive zone .. thanks to smallish size, he isn't a force along the boards .. needs to clear the crease with a bigger determination and gain more strength .. not an NHL prospect.

Jiri Suchy (2006), D

A decent skater with a powerful stride .. very good balance .. impressive lower-body strength .. average acceleration and top-end speed .. could use faster turns .. solid puckhandling skills .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create offense .. good tape-on-tape passing skills .. needs to play a safer game when moving the puck .. takes too many risks at times .. a heavy shot from the point, but is reluctant to release .. doesn't play afraid and throws solid hits when asked to play physical .. suffers from the odd positional breakdown .. has to upgrade on his defensive zone coverage and learn to stay with his man .. good leadership skills .. powerful build, but also overweight .. needs to lose about 10 pounds to be in a better shape .. a fringe NHL prospect.

David Ruzicka (2006), D

A big lanky defenseman .. an average skater .. needs to develop a smoother stride and bigger bursts of speed .. gets beaten on turns and when asked to move laterally .. decent balance .. average puckhandling skills .. uses a long stick which he uses to pinch pucks off opposing players effectively, but has a tough time dealing with difficult passes .. uses his size to advantage and is willing to throw the occasional hit .. solid crease-clearer .. a force in his own zone due to his smart positional play and long reach .. regularly takes his man out of the play .. tries to move the puck, but lacks the elite vision needed to emerge as a two-way force .. a heavy slapshot misses the net too often, needs to keep it lower .. adding more bulk to his gangly frame is essential .. a solid NHL prospect.

David Slezak (2005), D

A good-sized defenseman .. has most of his bulk in the upper body and therefore isn't very fast on his skates .. looks 'heavy-footed' .. adequate lateral movement and turns .. solid balance .. needs to stick to the conservative defensive style of play as he tends to fall behind the play when joining the rush .. adequate stickhandling skills .. doesn't take many risks with the puck, opts to pass to a nearby teammate .. unleashes a booming shot from the point, but needs to upgrade on his accuracy and also learn to keep it lower .. adequate on the defensive side, but could use better reading of plays .. stays with his man .. impresses with the occasional hard hit, but his mean streak is hidden for longer periods of time .. doesn't have the talent to be picked in the draft.

Vaclav Kriz (2005), D

An adequate skater .. doesn't get beaten wide too often thanks to solid lateral movement and agility .. decent top-end speed .. needs to upgrade on first-step quickness and footspeed .. average balance and lower-body strength .. an offensive-minded blueliner .. likes to have the puck on his stick and move it out of his end .. prone to the odd bad decision with the puck .. sometimes makes risky plays .. decent stickhandling skills .. accurate passes at short distances, but his long outlet passes still need better aim .. hesitant to use his shot from the point to a bigger extent and looks for passing lanes instead .. needs to upgrade on his defensive zone coverage .. suffers from positional breakdowns .. doesn't stay with his man all the way .. won't get drafted.

Click the link to read about Kladno's forwards Class Of Kladno: Time To Frolik