Cze: Sparta Praha

McKeen’s correspondent Robert Neuhauser examines the juniors playing in Sparta Praha including 2005 draft-eligible rearguard Jakub Vojta and 2007-eligible stud Michal Repik.

Jakub Vojta (2005), D

A right-shooting defenseman .. above-average straightaway speed and nice first-step quickness .. adequate lateral movement .. decent balance but needs to upgrade lower-body strength .. offensive minded .. joins the rush and supports the offense .. solid puckhandler who likes to have the puck on his stick .. smart and creative .. good vision and hockey sense .. makes hard, accurate passes at short and long distance .. lets go of a strong slap shot but needs to keep it lower .. gets involved but should use his body a greater extent .. not physical enough against bigger men .. average defensive zone coverage .. above-average positionally for his age but still fairly raw .. can play on the wing as well .. attitude and sub-par work ethic are well documented .. a legitimate 2005 NHL draft prospect.

Michal Repik (2007), RW

The top Czech 2007 draft-eligible prospect .. good skater with deceptive bursts of speed and nice agility .. sharp, quick turns and excellent straightaway speed .. good balance and pretty good lower body strength for his age .. soft hands and serpentine squeakiness in traffic .. shoots the puck often .. has a quick, sharp wrister and an explosive snap shot .. good passer shows nice vision and good creativity .. explodes in fast-break situations .. defensive intensity wanders, but nothing of concern .. not a tough kid but not soft nor afraid .. does not hit; an area he must learn .. his body handles the beating well .. needs to get stronger .. shoots right .. late 88-born.

Matej Cunik (2005), D

Good skater with decent acceleration and lateral movement .. makes quick turns and has adequate speed both straightaway and backwards .. has some offensive flair .. strong on the puck and supports the offense well with polished passing skills .. adequate timing with passing .. soft hands .. useful on the pp .. crisp point shot with decent accuracy .. a tad positionally raw with occasional lapses .. needs to work harder down low and clear the crease with more determination .. not a physical force.

Karel Ton (2005), C

Good agility and acceleration, but needs to improve footspeed and coordination .. a playmaker .. likes to use the wrist shot and will score some goals .. slapper lacks accuracy .. needs to display better persistence around the goal area .. shows commitment defensively but must mark his man better .. gets involved in traffic and digs for pucks in the corners .. not a significant physical force due to his size .. not likely to be drafted.

Jakub Kratzer (2005), LW

Skates with a fluid stride .. good agility and first-step acceleration .. average balance and gets knocked off his feet often .. very plain with the puck; hands are nothing to write home about .. has to drive the net harder as he tends to wander on the perimeter .. not afraid to execute along the boards but is a sub-par hitter .. loses balance when trying to play a physical style .. decent passer but makes feeds at close distances .. has to unload the puck more often .. adequate shot arsenal .. raw defensively .. does not appear to be a potential NHL’er.

Tomas Hertl (2006), RW

Very good skater; explosive bursts of speed .. nice acceleration and good agility .. lower body strength is lacking as is his balance .. does not yet know how to use his speed effectively .. while fast he has trouble getting scoring chances and wanders on the periphery often .. decent hands .. has a hard slapper but release is raw .. has to shoot more .. not a great passer and vision does not impress .. inconsistent in using his body .. defensively non-existent .. late 87-born.

David Jobb (2006), D

A Hungarian citizen .. good skater with okay straightaway speed and good movements backwards .. good balance and decent laterally .. isn’t easy to outskate .. does not rush forward very often; pretty defensive .. reliable in his own end; takes his man out of the play .. low number of positional mistakes .. does not panic with the puck .. safe feeds .. undersized but willing to use his body .. has to shoot more .. average shot arsenal with lacking accuracy .. has to bulk up in order to avoid getting outmuscled by bigger opponents.