David Ruzicka Profile
Team: HC Rabat Kladno Jr. /Sr.
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Birthdate: March, 8th, 1988
Birthplace: Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic
Height: 6'3
Weight: 178 lbs.
Shoots: L
Season Recap: registered an average start into the season in September .. Could not find a way to be useful in the defensive part of his large role on the Kladno junior team despite the steady offensive efforts .. Pulled off a good showing in the game against Pardubice but in general registered an unimpressive second month of the regular season .. Fell behind plays and was prone to glaring defensive mistakes .. Lacked quality defensive smarts and sound positional play
.. Slightly picked up on his acceleration and stride effectiveness as the season reached the halfway mark .. He picked up on his overall play as the regular season loomed its end .. Made less defensive gaffes and controlled his offensive support to an extent where he could be effective without too many wrong-timed passes .. Played with an edge all season long but took some undisciplined penalties .. Scored at a point-per-game pace before stepping down with an injury in February .. Promoted to the senior team once the Kladno seniors were eliminated from postseason consideration and made room for the youngsters from their system to give them a test on the elite level .. Could be compared head-to-head to teammate and fellow 2006 eligible prospect Marek Troncinsky .. Showed more overall potential but was occasionally outplayed in terms of offensive support and tenacity .. Could be effective when keeping the things simple but was inconsistent in the senior games and could not avoid sometimes-glaring mistakes in both offensive and defensive zone .. On the senior level revealed holes in his one-on-one, play as he held his stick in both hands very often.
Playoffs: continued his promising play from the end of the regular season of the junior Extraleague .. Did not make costly mistakes in the semifinal series against Vsetin .. Played a dependable game with a limited offensive support when compared to the regular season .. Willing to mix things up in the corners .. In the final series against Trinec showed adequate agility and lateral movement but was limited in terms of top-end speed .. Returned back soon enough to make up for his lack of elite skating skills .. Played a solid game and showed that when he does not do too much he can be effective .. Rushed the puck and supported the offense on occasions but was cautious about making a mistake and often passed the puck just to the nearby teammate to minimalize the possibility of a mistake .. Played with a solid edge .. Won the Czech junior Extraleague championship title with Kladno.
International play: took part in the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial in August. The most productive defenseman of the tournament .. Was effective against Sweden and Switzerland when keeping the plays simple .. Held back significantly by his slow skating in the sub-par round robin showing against Canada .. Upgraded a bit on his play in the next contest against Russia, but could not avoid mistakes when trying to move the puck .. A very limited factor in the gold-medal game against
Canada .. Played his debut with the Under-20 team at the Four Nations Tournament in Russia in November .. Showed reserves in his skating ability .. In December invited to the WJC camp of the Under-20 team for an experience with the practices but was not planned to join the team for the WJC .. Didn't play any international games during the February international break and only practiced with the Kladno senior team.
Under-18 WJC: pulled off an inconsistent performance at the Under-18 WJC with a mix of excellent shifts with a two-way play and poor shifts with a lack of quickness and boneheaded mistakes in the defensive zone .. Prone to the odd undisciplined penalty .. Played with a strong edge .. Made use of his solid shooting skills.
Strengths: uses a long stick, which he uses to pinch the pucks off the opposing players effectively .. Makes his size to his advantage and is willing to throw a hard hit both on open ice and along the boards .. Plays with an edge and drops the gloves when needed .. Shows consistent fire and determination .. Solid crease-clearer .. Possesses a long reach .. Can take his man out of the play .. Willing to move the puck and join the rush .. Shows confidence in his offensive abilities yet is not consistent in his offensive confidence .. Can fasten the pace of the play with a quick accurate pass .. Okay offensive vision .. Fires a
Heavy shot from the point, which is adequately tippable .. Useful as a solid powerplay pointman .. Decent powerplay quarterback .. Willing to sacrifice his body to block the opposing shots.
Weaknesses: an average skater .. Needs to develop a smoother stride and bigger bursts of speed .. Gets beaten on turns and when asked to move laterally .. However, should improve on balance and gain more strength to his thin lower-body .. His feet do not generate real quickness .. Prone to moments where he needs a longer time to react to the plays properly .. Should improve on his positional play ..Prone to glaring brain cramps when he tries to do too much .. Should be smarter when solving a one-on-one situation .. Occasionally prone to undisciplined penalties when he is too much of a hot head .. Adding more bulk to his gangly frame is essential .. Hampered by inconsistency especially in international games.
Progress in play: decent .. Registered a slight progress in his acceleration and agility but these needs still need to be further addressed .. Progressed in his crease-clearing ability .. Keeps his shots from the point lower .. Made a lesser number of boneheaded plays in the defensive zone and kept the things simpler in the late stages of the season.
Injuries: pulled groin (April, 2006)
Lower-body injury (March, 2006)
Previous notable injuries: rib cage injury (2003)
Stats: HC Rabat Kladno Jr. 40GP 7G 19A 26P +/- +8 164PIM
HC Rabat Kladno Sr. 7GP 0G 2A 2P +/- -2 6PIM
Mental Make-up: shows an explosive nature when performing out on the ice .. Possesses solid confidence in his on-ice abilities .. Prone to losing his temper occasionally .. Is often involved in the going on the bench .. Likes to egg on the teammates .. Is not a natural leader but shows consistent vocal encouragement .. Can adequately handle responsibility put on him .. Eager to be on the ice .. His desire to make a good play leads to brain cramps as he 'wants too much' .. Adequately coachable .. Hails from a hockey family .. Gets a good support from both of his parents who keep a close look over his career .. Progresses in his personal maturity, which enabled him to pick up on his work ethic and realize his career goals .. Willing to work hard to achieve success .. The only Czech upper-echelon prospect who regularly attends classes at a secondary school as his parents emphasize both education and hockey.
Agent information: represented by Rich Winter and Rich Evans (The Sports Corporation) and Czech representative Jaromir Henys
NHL potential: a very raw prospect that needs to put the appealing pieces of the puzzle together .. His mistakes particularly come as a natural part of his offensive development and will need patience in his overall development .. Is more likely to make the NHL as a hard-nosed defenseman with an adequate offensive support rather than a high-scoring pure two-way force .. His skating is likely to improve with more lower-body strength but will not reach a point where Ruzicka would be quick among pro standards and remains a question mark in his pro potential .. Skating is the point, which will likely prevent him from reaching his maximal potential and therefore he should not be too overrated despite the impressive-looking intangibles .. will be selected in the draft likely before I would recommend selecting him .. late third-round recommendation.