Czech: Dependable Birner

Scouting reports from recent Czech Junior League games including Michal Birner, Jan Danecek, and top '05 prospect Tomas Pospisil.

Michal Birner, LW, Slavia Praha Jr. (2004)

A good skater with a fluid stride ... above-average acceleration and agility ... a dependable player ... good vision ... is making strides in his physical play, throwing decent hits ... a good, precise passer ... solid stickhandling skills ... doesn't drive the net hard ... solid slap shot, which could only use a faster release ... average defensive awareness, needs to block the opposing passing lanes more effectively.

Martin Bartos, C, Slavia Praha Jr. (2004)

A solid skater who uses a long stride ... possesses solid speed and agility ... could use more balance ... sees the ice quite well and is a deft passer ... solid stickhandler ... above-average defensive awareness ... a good player on both powerplay and penalty killing units ... doesn't use his size to his advantage ... sub-par shooting skills ... his slap shot needs better power and accuracy.

Jiri Beranek, D, Slavia Praha Jr. (2004)

An average skater who needs to develop a more effective stride ... looks slow and doesn't impress with his agility ... more of a defensive-minded defenseman ... stays with his man and doesn't make glaring positional mistakes ... solid feistiness and crease-clearing ability ... a good hard slap shot ... average vision and hockey sense ... limited offensive upside, prone to making mistakes when rushing the puck.

Ondrej Klimes, RW, Slavia Praha Jr. (2005)

Could use better skating skills ... lacks the first-step quickness and the acceleration needed to outskate the opposing defensemen ... adequate agility ... very good stickhandling ... a solid ability to find the open man ... more of a playmaker than a sniper ... needs better finishing skills, including a more accurate slap shot ... average toughness and traffic play ... should play 'where it hurts' more.

Jan Danecek, C, Trinec Jr. (2004)

An excellent, effortless skater with a fluid stride ... very good first-step quickness and speed ... strong agility ... smooth puckhandling skills ... dangerous in one-on-one situations ... solid passing skills ... good vision and hockey sense ... accurate wrist shot with a fast release ... very flashy player ... solid slap shot ... his severe size deficiency (5-8, 150 lbs.) holds him back from being an effective traffic player ... average defensive awareness.

Jaroslav Barton, D, Trinec Jr. (2005)

An above-average skater with good agility and lateral movement ... solid speed when skating both forwards and backwards ... adequate balance ... uses his stick a lot ... average puckhandling skills ... solid positional play ... limited offensive upside, tends to pass the puck only to a teammate nearby ... good shot from the point, he could only unleash it more often ... isn't overly soft, but should use his body more to his advantage when fending off opposing players.

Jan Byrtus, D, Trinec Jr. (2005)

A good skater for a player of his size ... above-average mobility ... good lateral movement and balance ... could use more straightaway speed ... not very hard, but accurate slap shot ... solid stickhandling ... doesn't make many positional mistakes ... makes remarkable strides in his offensive play, is able to rush the puck effectively ... good reach ... solid vision and hockey sense ... average toughness, tends to rely on his smarts more than on toughness.

Tomas Pospisil, RW, Trinec Jr. (2005)

An elusive skater with a strong acceleration and agility ... above-average speed, could use more balance ... very offensively-minded player ... smooth puckhandler ... strong finishing skills ... good variety of shots, his wrist and slapshot are both hard and accurate ... effective on powerplay units ... very good in one-on-one situations ... forechecks hard and tries to block the opposing outlet passes ... sub-par defensive awareness, isn't returning to his own zone very often ... doesn't play a tough style and isn't much of a traffic player ... sometimes inconsistent ... questionable work ethic.