Czech: Universal Olesz

Correspondent Robert Neuhauser provides a first-hand look at how some of the top Czech-born prospects have performed over the past month, including Rostislav Olesz, Marek Schwarz, Jakub Sindel, Karel Hromas and Petr Kalus.

Rostislav Olesz, C, Vitkovice Sr. (2004)

Sees first- or second line duty in his Vitkovice senior team ... Olesz is a character guy who gives everything to the team's success ... he is well-balanced and always showing a nasty edge in his play ... Olesz plays a combative style and is a good hitter ... he is a valuable asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units ... a solid skater with a decent agility, Olesz has a sharp hockey sense and vision ... also very good in the faceoff circle, he is a smart passer and a lethal finisher ... he possesses a good variety of shots, he could only fire the puck more often ... he doesn't tend to take an odd shift off and is involved in the games ... Olesz doesn't refuse to help out the defense thanks to his above-average defensive awareness ... he can be used in all game situations and is a dependable forward...

Petr Kalus, RW, Vitkovice Jr. (2005)

Is one of the leading scorers of the Vitkovice juniors as an underager ... Kalus is a slippery skater with above-average quickness and rapid change of pace ... an agile forward, Kalus possesses sharp skills and solid speed ... he is a smooth puckhandler and can maneuver in traffic using his nifty stick moves ... Kalus uses his good vision to make timely decisions with the puck, but has also considerable finishing skills ... he releases his wrist shots quickly and with a good accuracy. He could use a harder slap shot ... a valuable asset to the powerplay units, Kalus is a threat in one-on-one situations ... he is a coachable guy and shows a good attitude ... he doesn't play afraid, but he tends to show his nasty edge only occasionally and needs to add bulk to his 6'0", 165 lbs. frame ... more of an offensive forward, Kalus has to display a bigger commitment to the defensive aspect of the game.

Martin Bucek, LW, Vitkovice Jr. (2004)

Lacked consistency through October, was a huge factor in one game and disappeared in the following one ... a feisty, competitive player who doesn't fear to throw hard checks and can be a punishing force along the boards ... his strongest offensive asset is his booming slap shot, which is of high accuracy and a relatively fast release ... he has a decent vision and hockey sense and he uses it when maneuvering into scoring positions ... Bucek possesses a hard drive on the net and can make use of his upper body strength to cover the puck ... his passing skills are decent ... from his drawbacks there is his sub-par defensive play which needs improvement so that Martin won't vanish in his own zone ... he could use better skating, he has a solid balance but needs an effective, more explosive stride and a better first-step quickness ...

Michael Kolarz, D, Vitkovice Jr. (2005)

Went through motions in October, being sent down to the midget team occasionally ... is a good skater who made remarkable strides in improving his acceleration and agility ... takes pride in his positional play ... has a good decision making and can support the offense well ... smooth puckhandler ... not a pure offensive defenseman, he takes care of his own end first and after his defensive duties are gone, then he joins the rush ... with his very good passing skills he is very useful at powerplay units, but has to improve his shooting skills ... his shot needs to be more hard and accurate and he could show more of his nasty edge ... adding more toughness to his play will make him only better ... has average size at 6'0", 180 lbs.

Roman Polak, D, Vitkovice Jr. (2004)

Is anchoring the defense of the Vitkovice junior team ... a smooth skater, Roman Polak impresses with his leg strength and balance ... is extremely tough to get knocked off his skates and possesses also solid acceleration and agility ... at 6'1", 190 lbs. Polak has a good frame and is willing to get physical it when fighting along the boards or clearing the crease from opposing forwards ... is a tough cookie who throws good hits with precise timing ... Polak is positionally quite sound, but could make some strides in this aspect ... possesses a cannon of a shot, which he unleashes regularly ... an adept player on both powerplay and penalty killing units, Polak passes the pucks smoothly, but is still prone to the odd bad decision ... could use a bit more vision in his play...

Marek Schwarz, G, Sparta Praha Sr. (2004)

Was loaned to the Trinec team to make his senior Extraleague debut, but is back with his parent team now after injuries hit ... at 6'0", 175 lbs. Marek already possesses decent size, covers the net quite well and has considerable smarts ... he plays a mix of stand-up and butterfly style which is very effective ... Schwarz is a resilient goalie with exceptional quickness and reflexes ... he uses his pads extremely well and has a quick glove hand ... he also likes to challenge the shooter and plays the angles well ... Schwarz plays with poise and confidence and doesn't let in many bad goals ... on the mental side he seems to be tough, but still sometimes tends to loose focus for a while ... his drawbacks are average skating and he has to further develop his stickhandling ... his play with the puck isn't very good, but he is aware of this and working on this skill...

Jakub Sindel, RW, Sparta Praha Sr. (2004)

Broke full-time into the senior Extraleague in October ... an excellent skater with a smooth stride, Sindel utilizes on his speed to slip through defenses ... a crafty stickhandler, Sindel handles the puck well with his soft hands and possesses very good offensive instincts ... blessed with a knack for scoring goals, Sindel thrives in one-on-one situations and is a valuable powerplay threat ... he has a very good vision and hockey sense to go along with solid passing skills ... he is working on improving the defensive aspect of his game, but is no defensive forward ... another drawback for Jakub is his skinny frame, he has to bulk up if he wants to survive against meaner opposition ...

Karel Hromas, LW, Sparta Praha Jr. (2004)

Signed a pro contract with Sparta Praha and is practicing with the senior team while playing games for the juniors ... he brings an aggressive style to the table, shutting down the offensive weapons of the opposition regularly with his huge defensive awareness and sticking his nose into tight corner battles ... Hromas isn't afraid to hit and perform in heavy traffic. He emerges as a solid physical presence, utilizing on his impressive 6'2", 200 lbs. frame ... blessed with a strong quickness for a big man, Hromas has a good stride and balance ... he uses his long reach effectively ... Hromas has a decent vision and hockey sense to go along with a never-give-up attitude ... is always involved in the games, playing them with lots of heart and intensity ... on the downside Karel still needs to further improve his puckhandling skills, he doesn't have the best hands and his variety of shots is also only average ... he could work on the accuracy and hardness of both his wrist and slap shots ... needs to be more productive

Lukas Vomela, D, Ceske Budejovice Sr. (2004)

Won a regular spot on the Ceske Budejovice senior lineup after a major shuffling on the last-placed Ceske Budejovice senior team ... blessed with a 6'2", 185 lbs. frame, Vomela has a nice size but has some filling out to do before he can emerge as a physical menace ... More of a stay-at-home defenseman, he concentrates on having his defensive duties done before he occasionally joins the rush ... A decent skater for a player of his size, Vomela could still use more mobility and balance, which would make his defensive zone coverage more effective ... he is a solid shooter from the point and has adequate passing skills...he tries to keep his game simple and is coveted for his reliability, but could further improve his decision making with the puck ... Vomela plays a sound positional game, but for a player of his size he could show a bigger physical edge and a mean streak...

Roman Psurny, C/LW, Zlin Sr. (2004)

Made his senior Extraleague debut in October along with his twin brother Michal ... Roman Psurny is a slick skater with solid quickness and acceleration ... he could only use more balance in his play ... a smooth puckhandler, Psurny sees the ice very well and is capable of smart, well-timed passes ... his wrist shots are fired with strong accuracy and a fast release ... he needs to further develop his slap shot, which is quite accurate, but not very hard ... is showing a bigger commitment to the defensive side of his game now ... at 6'0", 165 lbs., Psurny is no physical menace and doesn't like playing in heavy traffic ... a fond of open ice, where his excellent skills rule...

Michal Psurny, RW, Zlin Sr. (2004)

Made his senior Extraleague debut in October along with his twin brother Roman ... a solid skater with decent speed, but a better acceleration and a more fluid stride would be helpful for him ... he handles the puck well with his soft hands and is very adept at both distributing it or finishing the scoring chances ... Psurny is a good passer and he fires strong, accurate wrist shots ... his slap shot needs to be worked on, Psurny's blasts are not very hard ... he sees the ice very well and doesn't tend to take the odd shift off ... he needs to find more defensive awareness, at times Psurny tends to float on the periphery and not limit the opposing players' options effectively ... At 6'0", 165 lbs., Psurny is a skinny player and he doesn't excel when the play gets too physical ... Psurny has an excellent work ethic and attitude, which is welcomed by the coaches.

Tomas Kudelka, D, Zlin Jr. (2005)

One of the best underaged defensemen in the junior Extraleague ... a smooth skater, Tomas Kudelka impresses with his above-average speed and agility ... he is fast backwards and has solid lateral movement to go along with his good balance ... he is an offensive-minded rearguard and displays remarkable poise when moving the puck ... Kudelka uses his reach effectively and is adept at distributing the pucks smartly ... he is still prone to the odd bad decision with the puck, though ... Kudelka is positionally sound and doesn't tend to make mistakes in this aspect ... he doesn't hesitate to fire his solid shot, which is quite accurate, but needs to be more hard ... on the downside Kudelka could play with a bigger mean streak and show his nasty edge more often ... at 6'1", 180 lbs. he possesses a solid frame, but isn't fully using it to his advantage...