EUROPE [Mar-06]: Tlusty Catching Frolik

Czech Draft Update - Tlusty Catching Frolik (posted 3.29.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

The most impressive prospect during the past two months has been Kladno seniors' belligerent all-around forward Jiri Tlusty. While Michael Frolik has been snake-bitten, Tlusty has stepped up his play and shown increased confidence in his offensive abilities against the senior opponents helping him to become a regular threat without sacrificing any of his defensive prowess.

The gap between him and Frolik has been nearly closed at this point. In games after the Christmas break, Tlusty proved that he boasts the best variety of shots from all Czech 2006 eligible prospects and possesses a knack for picking the right shot for the exact situation. Tlusty's defensive work progressed to another level with the more ice time on the senior squad both in five-on-five situations and occasionally playing on the penalty killing units. He established himself as a regular on the second line after starting the season on the fourth line.

Tlusty's naturally thick frame and impressive strength for a player of his age enables him to handle the physical demands of the Extraleague well; it wouldn't take him long to get into NHL shape as far as strength demands are concerned. With the Kladno seniors out of playoff consideration, Tlusty will rejoin the junior squad for their playoff run and boost an already stocked Kladno junior squad.

His steady progress in many areas of his play helped to vault his draft stock prior to junior playoff time into possible Top 10 consideration and is a player McKeen's would definitely recommend to select within the first 15 picks. His offensive upside makes him a potential high-quality second-liner on the NHL level who will fill multiple roles for his team while scoring a solid amount of goals for his team.

Once regarded a potential first overall pick in the 2006 draft, Michael Frolik has fallen out of contention for the center stage as first pick with a less than impressive season than his two previous. But make no mistake, Frolik's potential as a deft playmaking forward who can control the play of the line is and can be a deadly asset to the powerplay units can't be ignored - even though his season has been hampered by nervousness when finishing scoring chances and an inability to further step up with his play.

Also, during the previous two months, Frolik battled unusual stiffness when finishing a scoring chance, which seemed to occur as a result of a psychological block after missing the first few attempts. However, the season still isn't over yet and Frolik's recent two-goal senior contest in an exhibition game against the Russian CSKA Moscow is exactly the thing Frolik needs to break his barrier after a long scoring drought. Frolik is able to battle his way into scoring chances with his slippery play in traffic; at this point he does not possess the cool head and sniper ability of Jiri Tlusty and switches to his more natural playmaking role instead, where he can make proper use of his sixth sense.

He was reunited with his older brother Martin for the remainder of the senior Extraleague's regular season and next week, the creative forward will be a part of the Kladno junior team in their attempt to claim the junior Extraleague championship title. Frolik has made further progress in his balance and lower-body strength, which helps him to handle the physical rigors of the senior Extraleague smoothly. This improvement in strength will help his emergence as a leader of the junior squad.

Despite experiencing an average season this year, at this point Frolik is still worthy of a top 10 selection. Although, he still has a chance to boost his stock in the junior playoff battles and most importantly at the Under-18 WJC.

Kana Beans

Vitkovice seniors center Tomas Kana has gotten more trust from head coach Vladimir Vujtek in key game situations than ever before. His tenacious approach and a never-give-up attitude mixed with a decent skill set convinced the coach to use Kana in overtime, where the shifts are played four on four. With the Vitkovice senior team alerady having a playoff secured, coach Vujtek promoted the young center to first-line duty and provided him with an impressive portion of playing time including playing time on special units.

This learning experience has had a positive influence on Kana's development. He rediscovered his finishing touch in February's Extraleague games and the exhibition games against French teams during the Olympic break. Kana sacrificed part of his offensive potential for defensive work during the first three months of senior Extraleague playing action, but gets now more involved offensively and the goals help boost his confidence in his offensive abilities.

Contrary to fellow young senior Extraleague regular David Kveton, Kana sticks his nose into traffic battling regularly and his sturdy frame allows him to handle the play on the senior level well. Kana slightly progressed his patience with the puck once the scoring chance and his passing ability fits more and more the demands of senior hockey and doesn't resemble the more 'wild' junior style. Kana doesn't have the upside of a player who will score noticeable amounts of points at the NHL level, but is worth taking a close look in the third round as a potential dependable gritty center with adequate playmaking skills who can be used in different game situations.

Kveton Regression

Skilled Vsetin seniors forward David Kveton didn't register the much-needed progress in his physical assertiveness in senior Extraleague games of the previous two months. Provided with a big role on a bottom-dwelling team desperately hungry for talent, Kveton gets a significant portion of playing time but can't find a way to be effective. Kveton has regressed from being the player he was last season, as he is fearful playing against the physically more mature senior opponents.

Kveton doesn't initiate any physical contact, hides from tight traffic areas, and switches to a perimeter player when it is asked of him to play where it hurts. As second factor due to his lack of progress during the recent months is the fact that he doesn't have experienced linemates who can guide him in his rookie season and help teach him the ropes and bounds of the elite Czech senior level. Kveton has to, 'learn by himself'. His last-minute refusal to come over to the CHL and let enter the Import Draft last summer turned out to be a mistake as Kveton doesn't benefit from playing on the senior level at this point and in the junior Extraleague he clearly has nothing to prove.

His agent arranged him a loan to the Div I senior league team Sareza Ostrava in order to get him accustomed to the senior games. Kveton showed a slight progress in his tenaciousness when playing against a lower competition, but his game still doesn't remind us of the convincing showings from the major international tournaments he had last season. With the Sareza Ostrava team not qualifying for postseason play, Kveton's senior experience its nearing its end and he will rejoin the Vsetin juniors in their playoff battles.

Given his painful transition to the senior level and a mindset which doesn't seem to be fully focused on making the NHL - possibly prefering the European game instead - his stock took a dive with the obvious threat of becoming a star and staying in Europe. However, at this point his indisputable skill set is too appealing to let him slip past the third round.

Flashes Of Ruzicka

David Ruzicka, the top Czech 2006 eligible defenseman, benefited from Kladno's recent senior team recent situation to earn a promotion to the Extraleague. The senior team loaned a number of veterans to teams who are still in the playoff hunt in their respective European leagues and promoted the most talented players from their junior program to the senior level. Ruzicka and Marek Troncinsky, the cream of the 2006 eligible Czech defensemen crop, filled the vacated spots. Ruzicka has inconsistent during the February senior games, but shows at least glimpses of promise, which helped stop the dive his stock took during this season.

When on his game keeping things simple, Ruzicka is a decent presence in his own end. On the downside, Ruzicka clearly lacks experience against the senior-aged players who can expose this weakness especially in one-on-one battles or when taking advantage of his occasional positional gaffes. He shows a desire to succeed which is visible during his shifts, but his competitiveness also leads to brain cramps and mistakes when trying to do too much. He needs to pick up his conditioning to be more effective in the late stages of the games, where he is too worn out to skate with the faster opponents.

Ruzicka will play out the rest of the senior Extraleague schedule for the senior team but will return to the junior squad for the playoff run. A player who tends to be overrated, Ruzicka is likely to be selected on the first day of the draft, but his play revealing his potential is worth a selection in the fourth round at this point.

Neuvirth In Fourth

Sparta Praha juniors starter Michal Neuvirth maintains the title of the top Czech 2006 eligible netminder of the junior Extraleague even during the last weeks of the regular season. Neuvirth came off his first real playing experience with the senior team at the traditional Christmas Spengler Cup in Switzerland and provided his junior team with solid goaltending and maturity beyond his age.

The only noticeable knock against him during recent weeks has been occasional inconsistency where he allowed soft goals. However, Neuvirth chose the worst possible moment for a breakdown as he pulled off a sub-par showing in the second matchup of the best-of-three series of the pre-playoff round against Opava. This allowed Opava to avoid elimination and subsequently eliminate Sparta from playoff consideration with a win in game three.

Neuvirth is vulnerable on his blocker side and tends to leave the right position when taking too many guesses against the opposing shots; this can hurt his reliability and lead to the odd soft goal. Neuvirth's quickness can bail him out from most of the difficult situations and he doesn't seem to let a bad goal shake his confidence too much. Not only Sparta Praha juniors, but also the Czech Under-18 team relies on the showings of the young Usti nad Labem native.

Despite his strong abilities, Neuvirth's talent isn't at the level of an Ondrej Pavelec, last season's starter of the Under-18 team and an Atlanta Thrashers' second-round draft choice. Neuvirth's play during this season in both junior Extraleague and the international stage makes him a player worth taking a close look at the start of the fourth round.

Mursak Breakthrough

The title of "breakthrough player" from Christmas break until now goes to slick Slovenian forward Jan Mursak. Mursak, a player with experience from the Slovenian elite league with HK Maribor, moved to the Ceske Budejovice junior to compete at a higher level of competition.

After spending the first half of the season adjusting to the faster pace of the games and stiffer competition, Mursak enjoyed a high quality performance at the Div I Under-20 WJC on a line with Los Angeles Kings' first-rounder Anze Kopitar; he brought the same confidence with him also to the junior Extraleague games. Mursak's role on the team took a steady rise after his impressive showings and began to be counted on as one of the leaders of the young team.

Mursak's strongest asset is his speed and an ability to execute at a high tempo - a very important asset in today's NHL. A knock against Mursak is he doesn't have top-notch conditioning. This is caused by a demanding style based purely on his explosive skating, which hurts his effectiveness in the late stages of the games. He doesn't have prototypical NHL size but has progressed in his tenaciousness. Even if he won't become a gritty player, he lifted his physical assertiveness to a level that won't prevent him from being selected in the NHL draft.

His skill level is unmatched on the team and Mursak will serve as one of the offensive catalysts for the Ceske Budejovice juniors in the playoffs. At this point he emerges as one of the wildcards for a late-round selection in the draft.

Czech Draft Spotlight: Martin Latal (06) (posted 3.26.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

The 2006 draft crop promises to be one of the stronger years for Czech hockey. One of the most talented players is Kladno juniors speedy right winger Martin Latal.

Youth Levels

As a son of a former hockey player, Martin Latal had hockey around him since the time he was born. His father, Jaromir Latal, pursued a solid career in the European elite leagues and as a national team player. When little Martin was born, he watched his father in games and at practices. He enjoyed seeing his father play and when he was just three years old, he laced up the skates for the first time. Martin's father wanted his son to follow his footsteps and thus introduced him to hockey at a very early age.

Still just three years old, Martin Latal knew the first letters of the skating alphabet, which enabled him to enter the entry-level team of his native city, Olomouc, Czech Republic. There he took the stick in his hands and began to chase the puck. From the first practice, it was clear that Latal has passion for the game and is a talented kid. He could outskate the opposition and his nifty skills propelled him to a leading role on his team. But Latal didn't wear the red and white colors of Olomouc for a long time. At the mere age of six he moved on to his first international experience. His father signed a contract with the Norwegian team Valerenga Oslo and took his son with him. From then on, Latal performed for the next six years in the system of the team from the Norwegian capital.

Offensive output wasn't an issue for Martin Latal, who took the Valerenga Oslo youngest grade scoring charts by storm. He was there to provide offense and didn't worry a lot about filling defensive duties. The coaches let Latal play an offensive game and the slippery Czech responded by emerging as one of the team's perennial scoring threats. Players of the same age didn't provide Latal with equal competition and he began to play with the older age categories.

In the 6th grade Martin Latal bid farewell to Norway because his father decided to return home. He settled in the Czech capital, Praha. The young Latal joined the Hvezda Praha team, one of the provincial teams from the city. The stint with Hvezda was the shortest in his career as he moved to the system of the mighty franchise, Slavia Praha, after just a few weeks. There he started to experience the coaching methods of former NHL player Vladimir Ruzicka, who coached the team at that time.

Rosey Teacher

"Vladimir Ruzicka is one of the best coaches who ever coached me. He taught me a lot and I think that he definitely helped me with my development."

About the time when Latal started to perform for the Slavia's 6th grade team, he began to worry about other aspects of his performance rather than just offense. The opposing players could sometimes push him out of the scoring chances and he had to develop strength to avoid this. He also began to contribute defensively more, even if offensive raids still largely prevailed. His season for the 6th grade was hampered by injuries; Latal suffered a broken left leg, but the injury has fully healed and won't have any negative impact on his future career.

Martin Latal, nicknamed 'Latos' from his surname, split the 2000-2001 season between the 7th and 8th grade teams of Slavia Praha. He battled his way into the older age category and made use of his scoring prowess and persistence around the goal area. Despite facing opposition one year older, Latal finished second in team scoring with 45 points (29+16) in 36 games.

But his best season on the pee-wee level came one year later. Latal rejoined his peers, who moved up to the 8th grade and saw only limited duty for the 1987 born team. Latal's speed and tenacity turned out to be a big advantage against his peers and his lack of defensive work was overlooked at this point of competition. Latal took the scoring charts by storm and emerged as the team's leading scorer and lost out only to Sparta Praha's 8th grade forward Tomas Hertl in the battle for the Czech 8th grade level scoring champion.

"Everything went well for me that season. I focused on finishing the scoring chances and could put up huge numbers."

Martin Latal, who likes to wear number 19 on his sweater his entire career, packed his suitcase again in the summer of 2002. He didn't move too far away—just on the other side of the city—but into the arena of Sparta Praha. His father felt that Latal would be better off performing on the midget level for the archrival of Slavia and arranged the transfer of his son from Slavia Praha to Sparta Praha midgets. So it came that while being just 15 years old, Latal played already for his fifth team. He also signed a contract for representation with Czech agent Jiri Hamal from the GMG corporation and joined their clients.

Still 9th grade eligible, Martin Latal battled his way into the regular offensive rotation of the squad, coached by experienced youth coach Milan Cerny. Latal's bursts of speed and above-average shooting skills were his selling tickets amongst the midgets, but his lack of defensive play became more visible just like his hot demeanor. Latal was always involved in the games, often reacting hotheadedly on the mistakes of his linemates or referee's calls. But thanks to his noticeable talent Latal avoided any noticeable slumps and scored at a steady pace, making use of his increased playing time. He also made slight strides in his defensive awareness, but still finished about the team's average in this aspect. In 26 games for Sparta Praha midgets in 2002-2003, Latal notched 8 points (2+6) along with an even +/- and 12 PIM.

Move To Kladno

But despite his solid season, Latal didn't continue playing for Sparta Praha. He moved a few miles west to Kladno, where he could get regular exposure to a large scouting community and could play for a team which is known for providing the most talented players from their system with a chance to play in the senior Extraleague.

In Kladno, Latal, a New York Rangers' fan because of the large number of Czech players on the roster, created a strong duo with fellow 2006 eligible forward, center Michal Kazatel. Kazatel passed him the pucks and Latal buried them in with regularity. He filled the role of more of a one-dimensional sniper for the first two months of the regular season before sharing the puck more and registering his best months of the season in November and December. Latal was hit with a scoring slump in February, scoring only once during that month, but saved his performances with an upgraded passing ability. In 50 games for the Kladno midgets in 2003-2004 Latal scored 32 points (15+17) along with a +/- of -7 and 69 PIMs. In March, he was promoted to the junior team for one game to register his scoreless junior Extraleague debut.

No wonder that Latal was among the locks to make the Czech Under-16 team after the 2003 summer evaluation camp was finished. Coaches Martin Pesout, the head coach of the Slavia Praha juniors, and Josef Halouzka, invited him to all tournaments of the schedule except the three-game series against Under-16 team of Slovakia. Latal recorded a decent start on the international stage; he scored 4 points for 1 goal and 3 assists in his first international season.

Martin Latal was promoted to the junior level full-time as an underager in 2004-2005. Kladno juniors head coach Vladimir Evan was convinced that the quick forward could handle the rigors of the junior Extraleague on a daily basis and promoted him to the junior squad. His season was similar to the previous one, as Latal peaked his offensive output when the Kladno juniors faced weaker opponents from the east of the Czech Republic in November and December.

He adjusted smoothly to the junior Extraleague and showed adequate consistency for an underaged rookie. He was caught by fatigue in late February and was subsequently demoted to the midget team to regain his scoring touch and join the midget squad in the playoff run. This rounded out his stats at 47 junior games with 17 points (8+9), an even +/- and 98 PIM. Latal appeared in 7 midget games, scoring 10 points (6+4), a +/- of 7 and 32 PIM. But he finished the season on a disappointing note, injuring his knee. The needed recovery and rehabbing forced him to miss a large portion of his summer workout program, but the injury won't have any further negative impact on his career.

Latal registered a good international season in 2004-2005. He dressed for the most important events of the season, including the Five Nations Tournament in August and the World Hockey Challenge.

"Playing on the smaller rink in Canada was an interesting experience for me. I didn't have problems with adjusting on the North American style of play and I think that I played a decent tournament."

He missed the final tournament of the season because of the knee injury but still Latal turned out to be one of the very few players to register more than a point-per-game on the international level with 8 points (4+4) in 7 games he took part in.

Latal turned into one of the go-to guys on the already prospect-stacked Kladno junior team. He emerged as the fastest Czech 2006 eligible prospect and his mix of grit and speed made from him a lethal weapon, hurt only by inconsistency. Still, Latal could surpass the point-per-game plateau for the first two months of the junior Extraleague's regular season. With Michael Frolik and Jiri Tlusty already senior team regulars, it was time for Martin Latal to be the first junior promoted to senior Extraleague duty when the injury bug hit the senior squad. He made use of the chance he got and succeeded in trial-by-fire, but was subsequently loaned for two months to the Plzen team because of personal reasons.

In Plzen, he saw only a limited role on the fourth line of the senior team and was more used on the junior squad before his return to Kladno with the arrival of the new year. Latal dressed for 25 senior Extraleague games, going scoreless with a +/- of -4 and two minor penalties. On the junior level, Latal amassed 26 points (16+10) in 30 games along with a +/- of +2 and 64 PIM.

After performing at the evaluation camp of the Under-18 team in July of 2005, Latal appeared on the international stage again as a member of the squad, which took part in the Ivan Hlinka memorial tournament in August. Latal didn't stand out among the other members of the Czech squad, but occasionally made use of his speed and fearless approach to save his tournament rating. He wasn't invited to the next tournament, the Four Nations Tournament in Prievidza, Slovakia, because the coach wanted to give the chance to fringe national team players to fight for their spots on the team. However, he made the trip to Sweden for the four-game series against the Swedish Under-18 team, his last international tournament until now.

Scouts Corner

Martin Latal is a very good skater with an extra gear. He impresses with his acceleration and an above-average agility. Latal develops into a high-flying winger who likes to burn opposing defenders with speed but also possesses solid lower-body strength. Latal takes advantage of his crafty stickhandling skills and a good puck-control even in traffic. He is a decent force in one-on-one situations. Latal possesses strong variety of shots and finishing skills. He fires a quick, hard and accurate wrist and snap shot along with a decent slap shot.

Latal needs to further develop his defensive awareness as his intensity in his own end and off the puck tends to cool off. He should mark his man more quickly and upgrade on his defensive positioning. Latal needs to add more muscle mass to his frame and get stronger to handle traffic more effectively. Stronger opponents can push him out of the scoring lanes. Latal doesn't back down from executing in traffic and plays his shifts with a high determination. He is willing to throw hits and play where it hurts.

On the physical side, he gets easily annoyed by mistakes of his linemates. He shows impulsive reactions and a warrior's mentality, which doesn't allow him to sleep through his shifts. Latal tends to be a vocal guy on the player's bench in terms of both his own performance and the play of teammates. He considers himself a player who can deal with responsibility well.

"I don't think I'm suited for the role of the captain, but I feel pretty well when the pressure is high and the responsibility for the result lies on my shoulders. I think I can handle the crucial moments of the game without problems."

Friends & Influences

Martin Latal gave up on his secondary education after studying for one year at a secondary school in Kladno. He doesn't consider the NCAA a possibility for him and wants to focus fully on his hockey career. Hockey games and practices take up most of his time, but Latal still finds time to relax. Besides doing off-ice workouts, Latal prefers to hang out with his friends or watch movies in cinemas. When it comes down to playing other sports than hockey, Latal lists soccer as his favorite sport.

"I never played organized soccer, but it is fun for me to meet my friends and play a game of soccer."

Latal considers the speedy Buffalo Sabres' forward Maxim Afinogenov his hockey role model.

"I saw him play and was impressed with his speed and skills. I don't have a real role model, but if there would be a player I admire, it would be Afinogenov."

Martin Latal considers the CHL as a challenge for him and didn't rule out that he will come over to play Canadian major junior in the next season. But before this potential move can happen the NHL Entry Draft will take place in Vancouver and Latal's achievments have him pegged as a potential third-round pick so far according to the latest McKeen's Top 100.

Good luck!

Czech Draft Spotlight: Michal Neuvirth (06) (posted 3.26.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

Quality goalies don't grow on trees. First, a team has to recognize the talent and then patiently develop the player into a future diamond. If developed properly, a kid can then become the cornerstone of its franchise. The best of them compete for a NHL job and often become stars of their senior national teams. The most impressive talent to come out from the Czech 2006 eligible crop of netminders is Sparta Praha's junior starter Michal Neuvirth.

Youth Levels

At first, Neuvirth was enjoying a non-hockey childhood like millions of other kids. He didn't seem

to be on the track of a hockey career from the very start of his life, until his father, Petr, a netminder on the Czech Div I senior level, finally influenced him in his beginnings. Neuvirth followed his father to practices, and when he was three years old his father allowed him to hit the ice. He laced up the skates at the rink in his hometown, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic for the first time and soon after joined the entry-level team of his hometown. Neuvirth was a quick student and soon he was capable of making all the skating moves and turns.

Michal Neuvirth wanted to pattern himself after his father from the very beginning of his career. He dressed in goaltender's gear at the first practice and immediately knew that it was his position: not scoring goals, but preventing others from scoring. He could take advantage of the advice given to him by his father, who even became the head coach of the Usti nad Labem 1988 born team.

The little Neuvirth not only played hockey during his young days but tennis as well. His father coached both hockey and tennis, thus he joined the Usti nad Labem tennis team as well. There he practiced and played regular tennis games as a secondary sport to hockey.

Neuvirth took to heart the advice given to him from the coaching staff and worked his way up to being one of the top 1988 born goalies in just a short amount of time. Originally, Neuvirth wasn't regarded as one of the top goaltending prospects in his country. However, he worked hard to earn recognition and succeeded. Off-ice gymnastic workouts paid huge dividends and Neuvirth soon developed his playing style. He displayed his talents at various youth tournaments, where the Usti nad Labem kids mostly faced teams from the northwestern region of the Czech Republic. Neuvirth outplayed the other goaltenders with his poise and maturity and took advantage of his quick glove hand.

As he worked his way through the ascending age levels of the Usti nad Labem team, Neuvirth started to dress for games against players one year older than him. He was easily able to control games against his peers, so his development was served better playing against shooters older and more experienced than he was.

When he turned 14, he had already been promoted to the Usti nad Labem midgets to compete in the Div I midget league. Suddenly he had to get used to a much faster pace of the game and more skilled forwards in the midget ranks. Neuvirth proved that he is a prospect to count on, because he handled the situation and maintained his spot with the Usti nad Labem midgets, who emerged as the Div I midget league champions. Player agents, seeking new stellar clients, were aware of his achievements and eager to add him to their player base. Neuvirth and his parents finally agreed to the offer from the TSC corporation of Rich Winter and Rich Evans, represented in the Czech Republic by veteran agent Jaromir Henys.

Leaving Home For Sparta

Jaromir Henys presented Neuvirth with an offer to join the system of the powerhouse Sparta Praha team. Neuvirth could choose between moving to the capital city or staying at home, where he would have a chance to compete in the midget Extraleague. But he wanted to try a new life and join a team known for developing prospects—he finally found a home in the Sparta Praha arena. His move to Sparta brought the end to his tennis career as well.

Sparta Praha midgets head coach Karel Najman and goaltending expert Miroslav Termer knew that he would tremendously boost their goaltending position. Neuvirth met all expectations placed upon him and established himself as one of the best goaltenders in the midget Extraleague from the very beginning. He started virtually every game during the season and showed an above-average consistency.

After the first adjustment period in September and October when he couldn't avoid the odd off-game, Neuvirth turned into a rock-solid factor between the pipes of the Sparta Praha midgets. He had the advantage of goalkeeping behind one of the better defenses in the league, but also made important saves when needed and turned aside 26.5 shots per game on average. Neuvirth posted very good numbers for a rookie netminder in the midget Extraleague and registered a save percentage of .938 along with a 1.84 GAA. He played in 55 games (33-16-6) giving up 96 goals while making 1457 saves. Unfortunately, Neuvirth's regular season success did not translate into the playoffs despite his giving a strong effort. The high-flying Sparta Praha midget team made a first-round exit in three games with Neuvirth registering a save percentage of .888 and a 4.33 GAA.

Michal Neuvirth was a lock to start his international career in 2003-2004. He secured the starting job for the Czech Under-16 team after a solid performance at the summer selection camp. Neuvirth wasn't the clear starter as the coaches wanted to test more goalies in the tournament games and usually played just one game in each tournament, but participated in the most important event of the season, the Four Nations Tournament. He closed out his first international season with an above-average performance in the three-game series against the Slovak Under-16 team and rounded out his international stats at a save percentage of .900 and a 2.32 GAA in four games he appeared in.

Michal Neuvirth challenged Sparta Praha's junior starter Marek Novak for the job during the summer camp of 2004, but ended up being sent down to the midgets in order to provide him with enough playing time. Neuvirth shared the duties with 1989 born Pavel Michalec and spent some games as a backup so that his partner could get accustomed to the midget Extraleague. Still, Neuvirth picked up where he left off the previous season and provided solid goaltending despite not having the advantage of the same quality defensive corps as in the previous season. He had to face more quality chances than in his first midget season and was relied upon heavily to steal his team some victories.

While playing for the midgets, Neuvirth helped his team to a record above .500 (10-8-2) and posted decent stats with a save percentage of .924 and a GAA of 2.50. In December, Neuvirth earned his first callup to the junior team to get his feet wet in the junior Extraleague. In juniors he could take advantage of a proven defense again which helped him to a smoother adjustment in the more demanding junior game. Neuvirth spent the months in December and January getting accustomed and went through several difficult games, where the junior shooters schooled him. But he finished the junior Extraleague regular season on a very strong note with four wins in his last four junior games and impressive stats, which helped to upgrade on his season totals (save percentage .921, GAA 2.40 and a 7-1-2 record).

He rejoined the midget team for the playoff run and bounced back from his shaky showing in the previous year's playoffs. He provided the Sparta Praha midgets with stellar goaltending, but couldn't prevent the team from being eliminated in the semifinals. His playoff stats ended up as a .939 save percentage and a 2.12 GAA.

International Success

Michal Neuvirth was an integral part of the Czech Under-17 team in 2004-2005. He participated in the Five Nations tournament, played in Switzerland in August, and left an adequate impression there. Neuvirth also started the Czech games in his first trip to North America; an appearance at the World Hockey Challenge. He coped with the demands of the play on the smaller rinks without glaring problems, but couldn't help his team to a medal as teams from Canadian provinces dominated the tournament. He registered a very good performance at a major event of the season, the European Youth Olympics, played in Switzerland. Neuvirth says the gold medal from that tournament was his biggest international success until now.

"The tournament in Switzerland was great. Our whole team worked well and we ended up the champions in the end. From my personal standpoint, it was also one of my best showings on the international stage till now."

Michal Neuvirth emerged as the clear starter of the Sparta Praha juniors in 2005-2006. He wasn't challenged between the pipes by any of the other goaltenders, especially in the first half of the regular season when he faced a barrage of shots in many games. Neuvirth withstood the challenge without noticeable problems, and despite the occasional off game, blossomed into the most promising goaltender of the junior Extraleague.

In November the Sparta Praha juniors started to be victorious again and rocketed up the junior Extraleague standings. Neuvirth earned regular promotions to the senior team practices. He experienced practices with NHL players at a summer camp arranged by his agent, but he now could attend serious practices of the senior squad. In Sparta he regularly works with the experienced goaltending coach Bruk, especially on upgrading his play with the blocker. He also learns from the Czech goaltending icon Petr Briza, who still holds the starting duties for Sparta. But Briza isn't his exact hockey role model; Neuvirth admires the Pittsburgh Penguins' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury the most.

"He is a very good young goalie who reached considerable success as a very young man. I respect his achievements and would consider him my role model."

In late December, Neuvirth made his debut in senior hockey at the Spengler Cup. He dressed for games against Team Canada as a backup and even started the game against the Russian Superleague team Metallurg Magnitogorsk and ended up being named the Best player of the game.

"This would be the biggest success of my previous career. I don't remember any other significant individual achievement besides this one."

Michal Neuvirth, nicknamed 'Stoupa', backstopped the Czech Under-18 team at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Cup, played in August 2005. He started all games except for the first game against Canada and left an above-average impression on the silver-medal winning Czech team. Neuvirth registered a solid opening game against Sweden despite not being tested by many shots. He played just one period in the game against Canada, but managed to show good intangibles. He kept the Czech team in the game against Russia and was the hero of the final shootout before he pulled off a good showing against Canada in the gold-medal game. Neuvirth helped to boost his draft stock with his play.

But his best international tournament in this season didn't come earlier than December, where he pulled off a very good performance in the four-game series against the Under-18 team of Sweden. Neuvirth shared the goaltending duties with Jakub Kovar from Ceske Budejovice juniors and was named 'Player of the game' in both contests he started.

He missed the Four Nations Tournament in Prievidza, Slovakia, in November because the coaches wanted to test other goaltenders who at this point battle for the backup position behind Neuvirth, who is a lock to start the games for the Czech team at the Under-18 WJC in Sweden.

Scouts Corner

Michal Neuvirth is a quick goaltender who plays more of a butterfly style. He shows above-average skating skills and is quick when moving side-to-side. Neuvirth is fast to recover after dropping to a butterfly and possesses decent footspeed along with a solid lateral movement. Neuvirth utilizes his above-average athleticism and reflexes well. He is unpredictable to shooters and uses his quickness to close possible gaps in his stance.

Neuvirth shows solid anticipation of plays and maturity. He uses his pads well and is strong down low. Neuvirth doesn't flop around too much but still needs to upgrade his fundamentals. He uses a fast glove hand but should improve on the blocker side. He tends to play too deep in the net, which makes him strong against rebounds, but more vulnerable to get beaten on the initial shot. He shows a solid orientation in the crease but could upgrade on playing the angles. He possesses decent stickhandling skills and is willing to go behind the net to move the puck. Right now he stands at 6'0'', 182 lbs. and until recently he didn't have any injuries in his career.

Friends & Influences

Michal Neuvirth gave up on any secondary education in order to fully focus on his hockey career.

Besides hockey Neuvirth also has time for other sports. An accomplished tennis player, he still likes to play a game of tennis or a similar sport, squash. He is an avid videogames fan and likes to spend his free time in front of a computer playing various games.

Michal Neuvirth is undecided about what path will his career take after the NHL Entry Draft.

"The CHL is a possibility for me in the next season. But it will depend on the agreement between me and my agent and whether the Sparta Praha team will give me a bigger opportunity to play senior in the next season."

The NHL Entry Draft is of course one of Neuvirth's biggest dreams. He doesn't mind which team may pick him but tends to cheer for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"I'm a longtime Bolts fan, not someone who started to root for them only after they won the Stanley Cup, I would say that I support them for a pretty long time now."

Neuvirth stands a good possibility to be a selected near the third round in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

"Playing in the NHL is the biggest goal of my career. I definitely want to make it there one day!"

Good luck!

Czech Draft Spotlight: Tomas Schmidt (07) (posted 3.26.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

The Czech 1989 born class appears to be of the stronger ones as far as defensemen are concerned. Highlighted by impressive defensive talent like David Stich, other members of the potential 2007 draft-eligible crop have started to emerge from the darkness. One of them is sturdy Tomas Schmidt, a blueliner with the Karlovy Vary junior team.

Youth Levels

Not a son of a former hockey player, Tomas Schmidt didn't have the advantage of inheriting hockey genetics didn't have anyone who could give him personal tips how to improve his performance. His parents wanted him to do some sport in his free time and the whole family agreed on a soccer career for the little Tomas, who was just about to start attending elementary school. His father brought him to the soccer field in Tomas native city, Karlovy Vary, but his son wasn't overly excited with running on the field and chasing the ball. He wasn't happy with playing soccer and the whole family didn't force him into a beginning of a soccer career. Tomas Schmidt put soccer to the side for a rest and looked into other sport. Ultimately, he chose hockey, the most popular Czech sport.

"I knew that soccer wasn't the right sport for me. But hockey attracted me and my parents thought I could be successful in hockey, so I went ahead and gave it a try."When he was eight years old, way older than the majority of his hockey peers, he started to lace up the skates and tried to learn the hockey alphabet.

After passing through the entry level and catching up to his peers in terms of skating and puckhandling abilities, Schmidt could then start competing in games. Jaroslav Kliment, the head coach of Karlovy Vary 4th grade team, put the tenacious kid on defense. Schmidt didn't worry about this and in fact began to learn how to prevent the opposing forwards from scoring.

"The coach told me to play defense and there was no reason for me to want to switch to another position. I was happy I could play and that was it."

Kaberle Role Model

Tomas Schmidt watched his hockey role model, Toronto Maple Leafs' defenseman Tomas Kaberle a lot during his young days in Kladno in the Extraleague. He tried to add some assets he learned from him to his style and perform as a two-way rearguard.

"I began to admire Kaberle's smooth skills and his offensive vision. I tried to pattern my game after him."

Tomas Schmidt's defensive savvy and an above-average work ethic made him a quality player at the younger levels. Due to his strong physical fitness and strength he could overpower a majority of the opponents. Despite battling some reservations in his ability to contribute offensively, he could be a solid offensive factor when playing against players of his age. His on-ice qualities earned him the first honor of his career in the 6th grade, when he was selected the best defenseman of his team. The same honor was repeated in the 7th and 8th grade as Schmidt improved on his offensive output and emerged as an important two-way factor. Schmidt took a bigger responsibility in the team's results and was voted captain of the team in the 8th grade.

"It feels OK when I have some responsibility on me. I'm not running away from it."

The 8th grade season turned out to be Schmidt's best before moving up to the midget level full-time.

Schmidt deviated from the stay-at-home style, which earned him success at the lower levels, and began rushing the puck on occasions and performing as a two-way defenseman. Schmidt set his career record for points in the 8th grade and after standing out against his peers was invited for a cup of coffee with the Karlovy Vary midgets as a twice underager.

The next season where he played both on the 9th grade level and the midget team served as a test for Schmidt. It would determine whether he would be able to take on a leadership role against midget competition in the next season. He added more bulk to his frame in order to handle the physically more mature competition more effortlessly and emerged as a steady defensive factor. Schmidt played with increased aggressiveness and took advantage of his strength. However, his creativity couldn't stand up to the pace of the midget game and Schmidt didn't find the offensive prowess he showed during the games he played for the 9th grade team. He dressed in 7 midget games in 2003-2004, scoring 3 points (2+1) along with 6 PIMs.

Tomas Schmidt, nicknamed 'Smitak' from his surname, made a strong push to be the defensive anchor of the Karlovy Vary midget team in 2004-2005. Despite being one of the younger blueliners, he was asked to guide the rookies and teach them the ropes and bounds of the elite Czech midget level. Head coach Karel Mlejnek put a great amount of responsibility on his shoulders and Schmidt responded well. Schmidt made use of his tenaciousness and strength to be effective in his own end, but still would join the rush on occasions and show his offensive side. The team wasn't among the favorites for the championship title and the defense had to deal with offensive raids of the opposition very often. Schmidt credits the starting goalie Marek Benda, a legitimate 2007 eligible prospect, as the key factor who held the team in many games.

"Marek played really well last season. I consider him my favorite teammate, we play on the same team for many years and cooperate well as a defenseman and goaltender."

Schmidt also enjoyed a playoff run with the midget team as the squad qualified for postseason play and showed occasional dominance on the midget level—a sign that he is ready for a tryout with the junior team. Unfortunately, their first-round exit to the Pardubice midgets brought a sudden end to his playoff showing and rounded out his season stats at 49 games played and 11 points scored (2+9) along with a whooping +/- of +23 and 50 PIMs.

The 2004-2005 season also marked Schmidt's debut on the international stage. After finishing second to standout David Stich in the fitness testing results at the camp in summer, the powerful rearguard was invited to all of the Czech Under-16 team meetings in the season. He wasn't effective as a two-way rearguard and served as more of a defensive rearguard in the fast-paced international games. He took advantage of his above-average shooting skills to play as a good pointman. A limiting factor of his offensive upside in international games turned out to be his average stickhandling, where he was unable to distribute the passes precisely while pressed by an opponent.

At the top event of the season, the Four Nations Tournament held in Russia, Schmidt was named the best player of the game against Finland. Schmidt took part in 12 international games in 2004-2005, scoring 3 points (2+1) and 14 PIMs.

Junior Trial By Fire

Tomas Schmidt displayed maturity beyond his age at the midget level as Karlovy Vary junior head coach Mikulas Antonik decided to put him into a trial-by-fire as an underager on the Karlovy Vary junior team. Schmidt looked composed on the ice during the exhibition games and has maintained his spot on the junior team. He doesn't rush the puck as often as during his last season on the midget level but and plays a more conservative, defensively focused role. He has survived even against opposition four years older and is dependable in his own end. He showed some trouble with the quick forwards, but has made strides in his defensive zone coverage on the elite junior level. He appeared in 40 junior games, scoring 7 points (0+7), a +/- of -2 and 26 PIMs. He was demoted to the midget team once for a scoreless game with a minor penalty.

Tomas Schmidt, an Ottawa Senators' fan because of the presence of Dominik Hasek and Martin Havlat, started his 2005-2006 international season with the Under-17 team around November. He was snake-bitten at the selection camp in late July and fell behind the plays regularly, which forced the head coach of the team, Zdenek Cech, to subsequently scratch him from the roster for the Five Nations Tournament, played in Switzerland during August. Schmidt returned to the team for the next event, a three-game series against the Finnish Under-17 team in November and had a decent but not outstanding performance.

He considers the World Hockey Challenge as the main event of the season, a tournament he looks forward to play in.

"My goal of the international season is to play well at the World Hockey Challenge. It is a traditional tournament and I want to make a good impression there."

Scouts Corner

Tomas Schmidt is an adequate skater, but a smallish defenseman like him (5'11'', 180 lbs.) could use better wheels. He possesses decent balance and lower-body strength along with okay agility and lateral movement but needs to upgrade his acceleration and first-step quickness. Schmidt shows adequate top-end speed but faster opponents cause him some trouble. He is a competitive defenseman who plays a dependable game in his own end.

Schmidt is decent in one-on-one situations and possesses enough strength to compete in the trenches. He is a decent stickhandler, but still can improve on his hands and make smoother moves. Schmidt doesn't make glaring mistakes with the puck and is a good passer on a short distance. He doesn't move the puck out of his own end often and doesn't have the offensive vision for long outlet passes. Schmidt doesn't play afraid and throws decent hits when the play gets physical. He is useful on penalty killing units.

Friends & Influences

Tomas Schmidt isn't a superstitious player, but there is one thing he does before each game: he always tapes his stick the same way, hoping the stick will become a 'lucky one'.

He attends the secondary school for business in Karlovy Vary and this year he visits the second grade. School takes up a good chunk of his free time, but Schmidt usually finds a way to relax even under those circumstances. He likes to hang out with his friends or play tennis when it comes down to active resting. As a dedicated hockey player, he is often doing workouts to improve on his drawbacks and to gain more strength during his free time.

Represented by agents Petr Svoboda and Pavel Marsoun from the SAI Corporation, Tomas Schmidt isn't rushing North America. He is leaning towards staying in Europe for at least one more season before thinking about coming over to the CHL.

"My ultimate goal is to play at an Under-18 World Championship tournament. I'm more likely to crack the team of the 1989 borns rather than the 1988 borns, so it looks like I'm going to stay in the Czech Republic for at least one more season."

Regarded as a potential draft pick in 2007, Schmidt has a chance to hear his name selected late in the draft if he will improve on his drawbacks properly.

Good luck!

Nickerson Rumbles In Finland (posted 3.14.06)

by Mikko Vuori

With the regular season in the Finnish SM-liiga drawing to a conclusion, here is a look at a few of the top performers in the league who could have an NHL future.

Tough Nickerson

Dallas Stars used their co-operation plan with Assat Pori of Finnish SM-liiga again this year. Assat got a freebie player from Dallas organization in rugged defenseman Matt Nickerson. Nickerson, who has already played for Clarkson in NCAA and Victoriaville in QMJHL is now truly a well traveled youngster.

Nickerson has all the tools to make it to the NHL. Size and strength are very visible, and Nickerson definitely isn't afraid to play it rough. Assat has utilized him in all situations such as penalty killing and also on the powerplay. While Nickerson still doesn't have elite hands, he has been able to manage pretty well with the puck, meaning that he should have enough skills to make it to NHL. As well, Nickerson's skating has improved during the season in larger rinks.

The downside with Nickerson is his wild temper and lack of maturity. Nickerson was sent to Finland to play, not fight, however he hasn't been able to always keep his cool. Accepting challenges from other tough guys is one thing, but taking it too personally and trying to climb into the stands going after fans is another thing. Nickerson will need a strict coach who can teach him to always play for the team which will subsequently help him land a spot in an NHL lineup.

Skilled Lepisto

Defenseman Sami Lepisto didn't exactly have a great start to his third SM-liiga season. His team Jokerit was struggling and Lepisto was just another player playing for a losing team. Recovering after the bad start, Lepisto has been able to get his game together while providing help to Jokerit's offense. He ranks third among all SM-liiga defenseman with 26 points (8+18) in 49 games with a solid plus-5 rating.

Lepisto is excelling in powerplay situations due to his good shot from the point and delicate puckhandling. Though rather average size-wise (6-0, 187), which limits his defensive game, Lepisto is not afraid to play in traffic and battle in corners even if he currently lacks the strength to clear the crease adequately. The Washington Capitals, who hold his NHL rights, will most likely want him starting next season in the AHL as further seasoning would help to solidify his defensive game.

Plzen Stich (posted 3.13.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

HC Lasselsberger Plzen juniors

Scouting reports on the draft-eligible players on Plzen juniors including 2007 blue-chipper David Stich and a legitimate NHL prospect for 2008 in blueliner Dominik Bohac.

Dominik Halmosi (2006), G

possesses decent size .. plays a mix of butterfly and standup style .. a decent skater for a goaltender of his size .. adequate lateral movement .. could be quicker when recovering from a butterfly .. adequately tough to beat on low-aimed shots .. calm under pressure .. possesses decent fundamentals but should work on his orientation in the crease .. doesn't allow too many soft goals on the initial shot .. decent when controlling the rebounds, but should upgrade on this asset and allow a lesser number of rebounds .. more vulnerable to shots aiming at the upper shelf .. possesses only an average glove hand .. handles shots aiming at his blocker adequately well .. willing to play the puck often, but mostly only makes a very short pass to the nearby defenseman .. still needs to improve on his play to be worth consideration for the draft .. a late '87 born goaltender.

Jakub Korinek (2006), D

registered an above-average progress in his skating .. displays decent balance and agility .. okay explosive stride .. utilizes on a solid backwards speed .. solid first-step quickness .. okay when moving laterally .. decent top-end speed .. could use faster hands when moving the puck .. is able to deal with passes without significant trouble .. gets in trouble sometimes when asked to make dekes .. a solid passer on both short distance .. can find the open man but hockey sense is an issue with him .. is prone to occasional mistakes when pressed by an opponent .. fires a hard shot from the point .. is adequate in filling his defensive duties .. stays with his man and doesn't make many positional mistakes .. progressed in his aggressiveness .. doesn't throw many hits and tends just to push the opponents along the boards instead of hitting them .. tends to loose position when hitting .. needs to clear the crease with a bigger determination .. doesn't possess enough smarts to be considered a player with NHL upside.

Milan Gajda (2006), D

an above-average skater with good speed both straightaway and backwards .. is capable of sharp turns and shows a solid lateral movement .. possesses adequate balance, but still could use more strength in lower-body .. is average at handling the puck .. doesn't have the hands to make many nifty puck moves .. makes accurate passes on a short distance, but usually isn't able to recognize long passing lanes and make quality long passes .. is adequate in his positional play .. isn't rushing forward very often and stays with his man .. fires a decent accurate shot from the point, but it isn't very hard .. hesitates to use his body to a bigger extent and doesn't throw good hits .. needs to work more harder down low .. relies on finesse in the defensive zone and is solid at pinching the puck from the opponents with his stick .. can be outmuscled by an opponent in one-on-one battles .. a late '86 born player .. won't be selected in the draft.

Lubomir Cerny (2006), D

primarily a defensive-minded defenseman with decent skating skills .. possesses an adequate acceleration and straightaway speed along with a decent lateral movement .. needs to upgrade on balance and be faster on his turns .. displays average hands and this factor is holding him back in his offensive upside .. can't move the puck out of his own end and doesn't have a vision good enough to make regular accurate passes .. fires an average shot from the point which needs to be upgraded in both accuracy and hardness .. is solid in filling his defensive duties .. marks his man quickly and is a determined worker in his own end .. adding more strength would make him more effective against bigger opponents .. shows trouble with pushing them out of scoring chances .. focuses on playing the opponent in one-on-one situations .. needs to upgrade on aggressiveness .. willing to execute along the boards and in the crease, but doesn't show a good mean streak there .. an '87 born .. isn't a player with NHL upside.

Kristian Krajcik (2006), D

a decent skater with a solid footspeed and acceleration .. adequate lateral movement and pivots .. should further work on his balance .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. is frequently willing to jump into the play and support offense .. needs a better offensive vision and upgrade on decision making with the puck .. tends to be creative at all costs, which leads to mistakes .. a decent asset to the powerplay units .. the shot from the point should be more hard and accurate .. needs to improve on his positional play as he tends to think about offense sometimes too much .. should add some pounds to his frame to be more effective down low .. decent toughness .. willing to punish the opposing players along the boards but isn't a feared physical menace .. willing to sacrifice his body to block the opposing shots .. a Slovak citizen .. isn't worth selecting in the draft.

Jan Kaspar (2006), D

a diminutive defenseman .. isn't very fast on his skates despite an above-average footspeed .. keeps his feet moving but should upgrade on stride crispness .. should further develop on top-end speed .. adequate lateral movement and turns .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. needs to stick to the conservative defensive style of play as he tends to fall back behind the play when joining the rush .. adequate stickhandling skills .. doesn't take many possible risks with the puck and passes it to the teammate nearby him .. unleashes a hard shot from the point, but needs to upgrade on accuracy and keep it lower .. adequate on the defensive side, but could use better reading of unfolding plays .. stays with his man .. adequate positional play .. capable of the occasional hit, but his mean streak is hidden for longer periods of time .. doesn't have the talent to be picked in the draft and is too small for pro consideration.

David Stich (2007), D

a solid skater with a good balance .. possesses decent top-end speed, but his first-step quickness has still some way to go .. plays with a decent agility and lateral movement .. isn't a significant offensive force, but is calm in puck possession and plays with his head up .. a decent puckhandler, but still could improve on this asset .. makes passes of solid accuracy and doesn't panic with the puck, which leads to a minimum of mistakes .. unleashes a booming slap shot, but needs to upgrade on accuracy and keep it lower on the ice .. is strongly build .. shows reliable play in the defensive zone .. focuses on marking his man quickly and taking him out of the play .. displays a good mean streak and throws regular hard hits when he has a chance to finish his check .. a solid force on the penalty killing units .. plays with intelligence and maturity beyond his age .. is tough to beat in one-on-one situations .. develops into a blue-chipper for the 2007 draft.

Dominik Bohac (2008), D

a decent skater for a player with above-average size .. okay turns and agility .. needs to develop a better first-step quickness .. decent acceleration and straight-away speed .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. lack of elite first step makes him a bit vulnerable on transitions .. an offensive-minded defenseman .. willing to join the rush often and move the puck .. decent vision and hockey sense .. okay puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can make space for him with a quick move .. uses both sides of the stick blade .. smooth and composed .. capable of long hard accurate outlet passes, but could make them on a regular basis .. prone to occasional mistakes when moving the puck .. fires quick shots from the point but needs to keep it lower .. capable of playing both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. works adequately hard down low and isn't afraid of physical contact .. a decent force along the boards, but could take a bigger advantage of his reach when playing in the defensive zone .. adequate positional play but tends to be over-offensive at times .. a legitimate NHL prospect.

Martin Herman (2006), RW

a decent skater who displays an okay footspeed and agility... needs to work on his balance and lower-body strength as he can be knocked off the puck too easy .. an adequate stickhandler who uses a short stick to make quick moves .. not very effective with the puck in traffic .. more of a playmaker than goalscorer but still possesses above-average finishing skills .. solid quick passes .. needs to be more persistent around the goal area .. is small and can be eliminated by using power .. doesn't show up along the boards and isn't a physical force .. waits for pucks to bounce off from corner battles instead of mucking for them .. is average in his defensive awareness .. intensity drops off when asked to play defensively .. possesses a solid wrist shot, which he uses more often than his not very accurate slap shot .. okay in-close finishing skills .. an '87 born .. won't be selected in the draft.

Robert Bote (2006), RW

a lanky forward .. a decent skater for a big man .. okay effectiveness of his stride but could develop a bigger top-end speed .. decent first-step quickness .. okay acceleration .. decent agility .. could use more speed when moving the puck .. an adequate stickhandler with a limited hand-eye coordination .. doesn't dangle the puck in traffic .. can find the open man but should work on the passing accuracy .. decent wrist shot with a fast release .. hard snap shot with average accuracy .. needs to upgrade on accuracy and hardness of his slap shot .. average defensive awareness .. should progress at limiting the options of the opposing forward .. still should spot his man faster .. a decent forechecker .. should crash the net more often .. doesn't show much of a mean streak .. often on the receiving side of the hits and often gets knocked off his feet .. prone to occasional positional mistakes .. digs for pucks along the boards but isn't a gritty worker .. a German citizen .. shoots right .. doesn't have NHL upside

Jiri Benedikt (2006), RW

an adequate skater .. doesn't impress with his acceleration and stride effectiveness .. adequate agility on his skates .. still should upgrade on top-end speed .. decent stickhandling skills, but isn't impressive with the puck in tight space .. should cover the puck better .. isn't at his best when asked to corral passes with the backhand side of the stick .. should fire the pucks more often as he prefers passing to shooting .. decent passing skills when passing on a short distance .. capable of a quick move when bringing the defenseman out of position in one-on-one .. average variety of shots .. the quickly released snap shot is the most impressive one .. all shots should be more accurate .. a decent defensive awareness .. returns to his own end in time and blocks the passing lanes but should play in his own end more in position .. gets regularly outmuscled by bigger opponents .. doesn't play a tough style and isn't a traffic force .. a right-shooting forward .. out of NHL draft consideration.

Tomas Kubalik (2008), C

a decent skater for a big man .. should further develop on his first-step quickness and acceleration .. decent top-end speed .. okay agility and balance .. stride could use more polishing but becomes tough to stop once he gets moving .. decent stickhandling skills .. doesn't make many nifty dekes, but his puck skills aren't really hurting him .. covers the puck adequately well .. works hard in the offensive zone either to make a pass or shoot the puck .. can make a quality accurate feed .. possesses an okay variety of shots .. fires a quick and hard snap shot .. slap shot should be more accurate .. adequate in-close finishing skills .. okay patience once on a scoring chance but doesn't maintain the same cool head when pressed .. average defensive awareness .. doesn't show the same intensity when having to play in his own end .. should mark his man faster .. a solid physical presence .. willing to throw hits and show up in traffic but occasionally looks disinterested .. looks for rebounds in front of the opposing net .. should further upgrade on his faceoff ability .. a right-shooting forward .. a potential NHL prospect.

Voracek Kladno Blue Chipper (posted 3.10.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

HC Rabat Kladno juniors

Jakub Lev (2006), G

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

Tomas Babicky (2006), D

a diminutive defenseman .. a smallish player like him needs better wheels .. doesn't impress with his stride and acceleration .. average first-step quickness .. needs to upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. adequate top-end speed .. 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 .. capable of adequate takeaways .. average vision .. releases a shot from the point which has to be more hard .. relies on finesse in the defensive zone .. an average factor on the special units .. thanks to his smallish size isn't a force along the boards .. needs to clear the crease with a bigger determination and gain more strength .. an '87 born .. not worth NHL consideration.

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 .. adequate balance but should improve on lower-body strength .. average puckhandling skills .. uses a long stick which he uses to pinch the pucks off the opposing players effectively, but has a tough time when having to deal with difficult passes .. makes his size to his advantage and is willing to throw the occasional hit .. solid crease-clearer .. still should show his nasty edge more often .. a force in his own zone with his long reach .. can take his man out of the play but is prone to moments where he needs a longer time to react to the plays properly .. should improve on his positional play .. tries to move the puck, but lacks the elite vision needed to emerge as a two-way force .. prone to mistakes when distributing the puck .. a heavy slap shot misses the net too often as he needs to keep it lower.. adding more bulk to his gangly frame is essential .. shows a decent pro potential but needs further refining.

Vaclav Kriz (2006), D

an adequate skater .. doesn't get beaten wide too often thanks to a 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 own end .. prone to the odd bad decision with the puck .. sometimes too risky plays .. decent stickhandling skills .. accurate passes on a short distance, but long outlet passes still need to be aimed right on the tape more often .. should be more calm with the puck under pressure from a forechecking opponent .. 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 .. should learn how to play his position better when performing on the penalty killing unit .. doesn't stay with his man all the way .. an '87 born .. isn't worth selecting in the draft.

Marek Troncinsky (2006), D

a decent skater with above-average straightaway speed .. should upgrade on first-step quickness .. adequate acceleration .. okay lateral movement .. okay balance, but still could use more lower-body strength .. is overweight and his skating should improve if he will loose some weight .. an offensive-minded defenseman .. often joins the rush and supports the offense .. a solid puckhandler who likes to have the puck on his stick .. very confident in his puck-moving abilities .. should corral difficult passes more smoothly .. prone to takeaways when not covering the puck properly .. okay creativity .. decent offensive vision .. solid powerplay quarterback .. makes hard and accurate passes on both short and long distance but can't avoid glaring mistakes when distributing the puck .. willing to let his hard accurate slap shot go .. fires a hard snap shot .. willing to play physical even against bigger opponents .. can throw a hard hit .. average defensive zone coverage .. suffers from the odd positional breakdown when rushing too deep into the offensive zone .. occasionally disinterested in the happening in the defensive zone .. a breakout player who established himself as a NHL prospect.

Roman Cermak (2006), D

a smallish defenseman .. an adequate skater but is a long way from pro caliber .. keeps his feet moving, but thanks to his not overly effective stride his acceleration isn't impressive .. decent change of pace and lateral movement .. adequate turns .. thin lower-body and his lack of size causes that he gets knocked off his feet .. average balance .. displays his offensive flair and joins the rush but only occasionally .. can be precipitous when supporting offense and looses pucks, which leads to turnovers .. average offensive vision .. stickhandling skills are sufficient .. adequate using of the backhand side .. fires an accurate shot from the point which is weak and doesn't get through often .. doesn't play totally afraid despite the lack of size .. willing to execute along the boards and clear the crease, but can't handle the big opponents effectively .. tends to loose position in his own end and play fuzzy defense when pressed too much by the opponents .. not NHL material.

Tomas Hudicek (2006), C/LW

a diminutive waterbug .. a good skater with a strong footspeed .. possesses an extra gear .. solid agility .. okay top-end speed .. should upgrade on his balance and lower-body strength .. needs to learn how to use his speed effectively .. thanks to his smallish size gets knocked off his feet often .. solid puckhandling skills .. can dangle the puck and dance around the opposing players .. can go end-to-end with the puck .. decent passing skills .. likes to unleash a sharp wrist shot in the upper shelf .. okay snap shot .. needs to fire more harder slap shots .. solid on the powerplay units .. not a force in traffic .. more of a finesse player .. doesn't show a commitment to the defensive play .. needs to spot his man more quickly and stay with him when performing in the defensive zone .. gets outmuscled by bigger players .. an '87 born forward .. a right-shooting forward .. a talented player who will make his living in Europe, but is too small and fragile for the NHL.

Jan Rudovsky (2006), RW

a solid skater who can switch to top speed using just a few strides .. okay agility and first-step quickness .. solid footspeed, but his balance still has a way to go .. should improve on lower-body strength .. decent stickhandling skills .. uses both sides of the stick blade .. needs to learn how to cover the puck better .. hockey sense isn't a strength but progressed in his patience on the scoring chances .. should make more accurate passes through traffic .. willing to take risks when setting up plays but is prone to odd erratic passes .. more of a perimeter player who thrives in open space and doesn't initiate physical contact very often .. can avoid getting hit with a quick move .. isn't small, but doesn't show up in traffic and lets his linemates do the dirty job .. uses all types of shots but needs to fire more accurate slap shots .. okay smooth in-close finishing skills .. average defensive awareness .. slow at marking his man in his own end .. his play off the puck tends to drop off .. an '87 born .. a right-shooting forward .. can develop into a decent player, but isn't NHL material.

David Stieler (2006), C

a solid skater with an above-average acceleration .. solid agility and first-step quickness .. okay top-end speed and footspeed .. smooth on his skates .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. adequate puckhandling skills, but still could use softer hands in order to be more effective with the puck in traffic .. okay reading of plays .. a decent passer who can set up a scoring winger .. adequately imaginative with the puck .. fires an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. the slap shot needs to be more accurate and harder .. solid defensive awareness .. helps out the defense often and plays in position in his own end .. a valuable asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units .. needs to upgrade on his faceoff skills .. doesn't avoid physical contact but isn't very aggressive .. relies more on finesse than on toughness .. should visit the opposing slot more often .. not build for the NHL game, but is likely to make a good name for himself in Europe.

Michal Kazatel (2006), C

a decent skater but a bit heavy-footed .. able to execute at high speed and playing with an above-average agility but his top-end speed needs further upgrading .. adequate explosiveness .. solid lower-body strength and balance despite smallish size .. possesses a strong vision and hockey sense .. a deft playmaker with accurate and well-timed passes .. plays with his head up and looks for the passing possibilities .. finishes the scoring chances adequately well thanks to his decent offensive instincts .. unleashes an above-average wrist shot with a quick release .. needs to further improve his slap shot in terms of accuracy .. could fire the pucks more often .. prone to taking off-shifts .. made strides in improving his toughness, but isn't really aggressive .. needs to further progress on his defensive play, which didn't come all the way yet .. should limit the opposing player's options more effectively and return to his own zone more .. more of an one-dimensional player .. a non-factor when playing off the puck .. intensity drops once losing puck-possession .. a fringe NHL prospect, but is very likely to enjoy a solid career in Europe.

Martin Latal (2006), RW

a very good skater with an extra gear .. impresses with his acceleration and an above-average agility .. a high-flying winger likes to burn opposing defenders with speed .. solid lower-body strength .. crafty stickhandling skills and a good puck-control even in traffic .. a force in one-on-one situations .. strong variety of shots and finishing skills .. fires a quick and accurate wrist and snap shot .. decent slap shot .. all of his shots are of above-average hardness .. needs to further develop his defensive awareness as his intensity in his own end tends to cool off a bit .. a determined player even when playing off the puck .. blessed with a hot temper .. gets easily annoyed by mistakes of his linemates .. should mark his man more quickly and upgrade on his defensive positioning .. needs to add more muscle mass to his frame and get stronger to handle traffic more effectively .. can be pushed out of the scoring lanes by stronger opponents .. doesn't back down from executing in traffic and willing to throw hits .. a legitimate NHL prospect.

Jaroslav Ibl (2006), C

a decent skater .. uses a solid top-end speed, but should develop quicker first steps to upgrade his acceleration .. okay agility .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. average stickhandling skills .. okay dealing with passes, but doesn't have the puck skills to regularly succeed with the puck in traffic and in one-on-one situations .. not very creative with the puck .. could use a better vision and hockey sense .. uses all types of shots .. unleashes a hard slap shot which could be upgraded in accuracy .. taking the draws is a weak point .. average defensive play .. should upgrade on his defensive positioning and limit the options of the opponents more effectively .. tends to take odd shifts off in his defensive responsibility .. willing to play chippy and finish his checks .. digs for the pucks in the corners .. struggles for ice time on this talented team .. an '87 born .. won't get drafted.

Jakub Valsky (2006), RW

a decent skater with adequate bursts of speed and quickness .. solid balance on his skates .. can absorb open-ice hits .. blessed with above-average agility .. can make sharp turns .. solid puckhandling skills .. can maneuver well with the puck in tight space .. more of a playmaker than a finisher .. can make passes with solid timing, but should upgrade on accuracy .. needs to work on his variety of shots .. doesn't use his inaccurate slap shot very often .. needs to be more lethal and persistent around the goal area .. a diligent player who works hard in all three zones .. sacrifices his body to block the opposing shots .. can throw a decent hit when the play gets physical .. is solid in his defensive play as he is willing to return back and help out .. blocks the opposing passing lanes .. a diligent asset to the penalty killing units .. understands the positional plays on the penalty kill .. doesn't take off-shifts .. played himself into NHL consideration as a fringe prospect.

Petr Prochazka (2006), LW

an adequate skater .. doesn't impress with his acceleration and stride effectiveness .. adequate agility on his skates .. lacks high top-end speed .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. decent stickhandling skills, but isn't impressive with the puck in tight space .. should cover the puck better .. capable of making backhand passes .. should fire the pucks more often as he prefers passing to shooting .. vision and hockey sense are average .. adequate variety of shots .. the quickly released snap shot is the most impressive one .. all shots should be more hard .. a decent defensive awareness .. returns to his own end in time but should block the passing lanes more effectively .. occasionally looses position when playing in the defensive zone .. is just middle-sized and gets regularly outmuscled by bigger opponents .. doesn't play a tough style and gets pushed around but is willing to dig for the loose pucks regularly .. out of NHL draft consideration.

Jakub Voracek (2007), RW

a solid though not beautiful skater with okay footspeed and acceleration .. doesn't use an overly effective stride, but gets from place A to place B in an acceptable time .. could use a bigger top-end speed .. solid stickhandling skills .. corrals passes smoothly .. can cycle the puck in the offensive zone, looking for passing opportunities .. solid creativity with the puck .. an accurate passer .. finds the open man with regularity .. decent in-close finishing skills .. can be patient once on a scoring chance, waiting for the goaltender to make the move .. decent array of shots .. uses primarily his snap shot .. can be persistent around the goal area .. often executes in the opposing slot, looking for loose rebounds .. okay aggressiveness and tenaciousness .. a decent hitter along the boards who doesn't back down from battling bigger opponents .. returns back to help out the defense but is still raw in this asset .. marks his man adequately fast .. should stay more in position .. an '89 born underager .. a blue-chipper in the making.

Scouting Sobotka & Slavia Jrs (posted 3.8.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

HC Slavia Praha juniors

Bohdan Visnak (2006), D

a diminutive defenseman .. blessed with above-average skating skills .. displays solid speed, lateral movement and agility .. doesn't get beaten on turns by fast forwards .. possesses adequate balance, but with his lack of size the big opponents still knock him off his skates regularly .. possesses a solid offensive flair and doesn't hesitate to move the puck .. utilizes on an adequate vision .. can run the powerplay but doesn't stand out in this role .. an accurate passer with solid stickhandling skills .. doesn't fire the pucks very often by using his slap shot, he prefers the snap shot when shooting from the point .. the biggest downside is his smallish frame .. willing to play along the boards but doesn't play a physically assertive style and relies on his finesse more than on toughness .. doesn't clear the crease very often and isn't very effective in this asset .. reads the developing plays in his own end quite well which enables him to be adequately effective .. defensive stickhandling is okay .. is expected to add an inch or two to his frame, but won't ever be a sized player despite his stocky-build frame .. too small for NHL consideration.

Antonin Drbohlav (2006), D

possesses above-average size .. an average skater .. could use bigger bursts of speed and a bigger mobility .. decent balance .. average turns .. impresses with his above-average size .. possesses a good height, but there is some filling out still ahead of him .. plays more of a defensive style .. takes care of his own end before joining the rush .. stays with his man but doesn't read the developing plays very well .. should reduce his number of positional gaffs .. possesses solid reach .. adequately tough to beat in one-on-one situations .. capable of firing hard blasts from the point, but needs to do more frequently .. plays with average toughness .. doesn't shy away from the tough play, but is no crash-banger .. adequate stickhandling skills .. brings in only average offensive flair .. decision making with the puck is a drawback .. prone to erratic passes when making a pass on a long distance .. overwhelmed when asked to make quick decisions with the puck .. a right-shooting defenseman .. out of NHL draft consideration.

Tomas Prostrednik (2006), D

a decent skater with an adequate acceleration and lateral movement .. shows quick turns and decent speed both straightaway and backwards .. okay lower-body strength and balance .. progresses in his offensive flair .. decent puckhandling skills .. still taking care of his own end first, but can support the offense well with a quick pass .. is inconsistent in his effectiveness on powerplay units .. adequate timing of his passes .. can make plays from both sides of the stick, but is prone to the odd mistake when moving it .. unleashes a shot from the point with a decent accuracy and zip .. okay defensive zone coverage but his recent commitment to offense caused more frequent positional mistakes .. works hard down low but is inconsistent in this asset .. okay crease-clearer .. doesn't play afraid and is an okay physical force .. bulked up and is visibly stronger but needs to show a regular mean streak .. above-average attitude and work ethic .. a late '87 born .. registered an adequate progress this season but still isn't a lock to be selected in the draft.

Jiri Jebavy (2007), D

a smallish stocky blueliner .. a decent skater with a choppy stride .. decent change of pace .. solid acceleration and balance .. good lower-body strength .. okay lateral movement and turns .. decent top-end speed .. solid stickhandling skills .. doesn't make nifty puck moves, but corrals the passes without trouble .. prone to the odd mistake when moving the puck thanks to a limited offensive vision .. shows decent play on the offensive blue line but could be more quicker in offensive decisions .. adequate outlet passer, but doesn't have impressive offensive instincts .. hard shot from the point needs to be more accurate .. strong on the defensive side .. smart positionally .. regularly takes his man out of the play .. tough to beat in one-on-one battles .. works hard down low .. isn't afraid of throwing his body around .. digs for the loose pucks along the boards .. a tenacious warrior who plays bigger than his size .. solid mean streak and aggressiveness when clearing the crease .. an '89 born defenseman .. limited upside, but pro potential exists.

Lukas Lang (2007), D

an adequate skater for a player of his size .. is heavy-footed and needs to further progress in his footspeed and first-step quickness .. adequate acceleration .. possesses a decent lateral movement and turns to go along with solid balance .. a reliable defensive defenseman who plays a safe game in his own end and takes a minimum of possible risks .. works hard down low and takes his man out of the play .. doesn't panic with the puck and waits for the plays to develop to make the safe decision .. doesn't look for long passing lanes and turnover chances as he doesn't have the best offensive vision .. keep his plays reliable and passes to the nearby teammate .. an adequate stickhandler .. should make smoother moves with the puck .. fires a hard shot from the point, but needs to upgrade on accuracy and fire it more often .. possesses decent aggressiveness and is willing to mix things up along the boards, but only on occasions .. a late '88 born defenseman .. doesn't stand out with his upside, but is worth watching in the next season.

Vladimir Roth (2008), D

a lanky blueliner who still needs to grow into his frame .. a decent skater for a player of his size .. blessed with adequate straightaway speed and separation gear .. decent agility .. could use a better first-step quickness .. okay lateral movement .. doesn't get beaten on turns very often .. skating should upgrade with more lower-body strength .. an offensive-minded defenseman .. often joins the rush and supports the offense .. a solid puckhandler who likes to have the puck on his stick .. very good creativity .. good vision and hockey sense .. excellent powerplay quarterback .. very good shooting skills .. willing to let his hard accurate slap shot go .. makes quick smooth takeaways .. doesn't play afraid, but should use his body to a bigger extent and hit more often .. adequate defensive play .. spots his man quickly but should stay with him all the way .. should show a bigger conscientiousness when playing in his own end .. adequate defensive positioning .. a right-shooting defenseman .. a '90 born .. at this point the top Czech 2008 eligible prospect with considerable pro potential.

Vladimir Sobotka (Bos), C

an okay skater with a good agility .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. on the downside still could use more speed .. sometimes misses that extra gear which would send him flying into a scoring chances .. his stride needs some polishing in effectiveness .. won't jump at you with a huge frame, but still he plays two inches taller and isn't afraid of throwing hard hits or taking a hit to make a play .. drives hard to the net and will dig for the pucks in corners .. possesses soft hands and emerges as a smooth puck-carrier .. is solid in the faceoff circle and gets the job done well on both powerplay and penalty killing units .. isn't afraid of playing in heavy traffic and shows remarkable poise once on a scoring chance .. possesses a heavy slap shot which he unleashes regularly with solid accuracy .. adept at finding the open man with passes .. a tenacious forechecker .. presents a solid portion of vision and hockey sense in his play .. Boston Bruins' 4th round pick in 2005.

Lukas Endal (2006), LW

an adequate skater .. progressed in his first-step quickness, but still could upgrade on this asset .. adequate acceleration .. possesses solid balance on his skates .. agility isn't really awful, but could use upgrading .. possesses above-average stickhandling skills and can handle the puck smoothly even in traffic .. can beat the defensemen in one-on-one situation .. when off his game, he doesn't look for open space and gets blocked easily by opponents .. an adequate passer .. shows a solid wrist and snap shot with a quick release .. slap shot needs to be more accurate .. possesses a solid defensive awareness and returns often back to help out the defense .. marks his man quickly and can block the opposing passing lanes .. is blessed with a solid frame, but sometimes refuses to use it fully to his advantage .. a decent force along the boards and can play the body, he only needs to be a more constant physical force .. should upgrade on his attitude .. a late '86 born player .. would need to show a bigger progress to get drafted.

Jakub Stromko (2006), LW/C

blessed with adequate skating skills .. would benefit from developing a more powerful stride and upgrade on effectiveness .. adequate change of pace .. needs to add more lower-body strength and thus upgrade on balance .. deals with most passes well, but isn't impressive with the puck in tight space .. doesn't dangle the puck through traffic .. limited vision and hockey sense .. displays trouble with penetrating into scoring chances .. hindered by a lack of size .. can't battle heavy traffic effectively .. doesn't drive the net hard .. needs to upgrade on the hardness of the snap and slap shot .. conscientious in his own end .. returns back quickly and spots his man .. willing to get involved in corner battles, but isn't a physical menace .. gets outmuscled by bigger opponents .. a dependable forward who is willing to do the little things for his linemates to score .. a versatile player who can be used also at center .. a decent player on the penalty killing units .. an '87 born .. won't be selected in the draft.

Ondrej Klimes (2006), LW

possesses sub-par skating skills .. is hindered by a not very effective stride .. average footspeed and acceleration .. adequate agility and change of pace .. should upgrade on balance and gain more lower-body strength .. should be more explosive .. crafty puckhandling skills emerge as his strongest asset .. can beat defensemen in one-on-one battles .. needs to upgrade on his finishing skills and be more persistent around the goal area .. uses primarily his fast-released snap shot .. wrist shot is of solid accuracy .. average passing skills thanks to a limited vision .. overlooks passing lanes and doesn't react always well to developing plays .. average in his own end .. should block the opposing passing lanes more effectively .. smallish and not a physical menace .. refuses to play a gritty style along the boards and battle for the pucks .. doesn't look for rebounds in the goal area .. a late '86 born player .. doesn't show sufficient talent for NHL consideration.

Martin Ondracek (2006), RW

an adequate skater .. blessed with a decent balance, but needs to display more explosiveness .. could use a more fluid stride .. average acceleration .. adequate agility on his skates .. average stickhandling skills .. isn't impressive with the puck in tight space and doesn't dangle the puck through traffic .. shows a tendency to dump the puck without looking for possible plays .. should fire the pucks more often .. average variety of shots, the snap shot is the best and mostly used .. all shots should be more accurate .. possesses a solid defensive awareness .. returns to his own end in time and blocks the passing lanes .. plays in his own end in position .. a solid asset to penalty killing units .. displays his mean streak on occasions with hits, but plays 'friendly' for most of the time .. can drive the net hard but lacks the intensity and determination to do so on a regular basis .. a right-shooting forward .. a late '87 born player .. failed to register any noticeable progress compared to the previous season .. isn't NHL material.

Jakub Sklenar (2006), RW

an okay skater with a fluid stride .. possesses decent footspeed and an ability to make sharp turns .. shows decent bursts of speed and agility .. could upgrade on his balance .. possesses crafty stickhandling skills .. a good control of the puck .. an adequate force in one-on-one situations .. a decent passer who is adept at setting his linemates up with an accurate pass .. unleashes a fast and accurate wrist and snap shot, but could use some improving on the accuracy of his slap shot .. needs to further develop his defensive awareness as his intensity in his own end tends to drop off .. should mark his man more quickly and stay with him .. thanks to his diminutive size he isn't much of a force in heavy traffic .. can be pushed out of the scoring lanes by using power and isn't a physically intimidating player .. should be more willing to score garbage goals from the slot as he tends to wander on the perimeter .. not at a level where he would be worth selecting in the draft.

Martin Skaloud (2006), C

a decent skater .. possesses an okay stride .. can accelerate fast .. capable of sharp turns thanks to his above-average agility .. adequate top-end speed .. should further improve on his balance and lower-body strength .. handles the puck well with his soft hands .. a decent force in one-on-one situations .. possesses a solid portion of vision and an adequate hockey sense .. uses his strong stickhandling to maneuver in tight areas .. needs to be more effective in heavy traffic .. needs to bulk up not to be pushed around by hulking defensemen, who can bring him out of the scoring lanes .. hesitant to run the opponents over .. doesn't drive the net hard .. relies more on his finesse than on toughness .. needs to improve on his defensive play, which is only average .. average in the faceoff circle .. could be more effective in the offensive zone given his strong skill set and sometimes streaky scoring .. wouldn't reach success in the North American style of play.

Jiri Krejci (2007), RW

blessed with solid skating skills .. possesses decent footspeed .. displays a good agility, but still could use upgrade on his lower-body strength and balance .. okay top-end speed .. a smooth puckhandler who uses a shorter stick to make quick puck moves .. controls the puck precisely and can deal even with difficult passes well .. is a solid force in one-on-one situations and can bring the opposing defensemen out of position with his moves .. should be more creative with the puck .. a slippery forward, but he doesn't show a willingness to battle traffic regularly .. possesses decent in-close finishing skills .. unleashes a quick wrist shot with solid accuracy .. likes to fire screened shots .. a player who lacks heart and determination .. isn't a hardworking player who would give his best to help his team succeed .. often just floats on periphery .. lacks defensive awareness .. isn't a noticeable factor in his own end .. doesn't finish his checks .. .. should improve on his attitude and work ethic .. a late '88 born .. shoots right.

Marek Indra (2007), RW

a smallish forward .. a good skater with an above-average acceleration .. solid agility and first-step quickness .. okay top-end speed .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. decent puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. able to execute at a high tempo .. could be more effective with the puck in traffic .. okay reading of plays .. a decent passer .. possesses okay smooth in-close finishing skills .. adequately imaginative with the puck .. his moves can bring defensemen out of position .. fires an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. the slap shot needs to be more accurate and harder .. needs to further progress on his defensive awareness .. helps out the defense but should play better in position in his own end .. a valuable asset to the powerplay units .. doesn't avoid physical contact and is willing to perform in traffic despite his lack of size but doesn't initiate physical contact very often .. difficult to hit thanks to his quickness .. an '89 born player .. progresses rapidly and is worth watching closely next season.

Vladimir Ruzicka (2007), C

an adequate skater but still could improve on his propulsion .. blessed with a sharp agility .. changes direction in quick sharp turns .. decent bursts of speed and stride effectiveness .. upgraded on his lower-body strength and balance, but still gets knocked off his skates by bigger opponents .. strong puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. should corral difficult passes more smoothly .. okay vision and hockey sense .. when on his game he is able to control the play of the whole line with his creativity .. prefers setting up plays rather than shooting the puck .. fast-released wrist shot, but needs to develop a better variety of shots .. slap shot should be more hard and accurate .. returns to his own end, but his intensity wanders in his own end .. not small, but a skinny frame .. bulking up is essential .. doesn't play a tough style and isn't yet very effective when battling heavy traffic .. consistency is an issue .. an '89 born player .. son of ex-NHLer Vladimir Ruzicka Sr. .. possesses pro potential, but isn't a top prospect.

Fabricius On SEL Free Agent Watch (posted 3.2.06)

by Jante Abrahamsson

With the new CBA in place, NHL teams no longer need to draft an overaged European player before signing him. NHL clubs are now able to sign any European, above the age of 22, as a free agent after the end of the season.

Besides the most notable player, Lulea's Lubos Bartecko, here is a look at the most interesting free agents from the Swedish Elite League.

Karol Krizan (UFA), G, Modo

Twenty-five year old Karol Krizan was the top goalie in the Slovakian league last season. He now holds that title in the SEL as well, despite only speaking Slovak. A very quick and agile netminder, Krizan makes flashy saves and looks impossible to beat when moving laterally .. reads the game well, and rarely gives the shooter any angles to shoot from .. covers everything down low and has a razor quick glove hand as well .. certainly an NHL caliber goaltender, especially with the new restrictions placed on handling the puck, which is Krizan's only glaring weakness .. shows up under pressure as well, which he proved in the Slovakian playoffs last season.

Miloslav Horava (UFA), RW, MoDo

Miloslav is a Czech native but product of the MoDo youth program. He started playing with the club as a kid when his father, Miloslav Horava Sr., represented MoDo in the SEL back in the 90's and later came back for two years of junior hockey in the club. He obviously enjoys to play hockey, as he has a type of energy on the ice that rubs off on his teammates, despite not being overly physical .. he does not shy away from contact or heavy traffic though .. a quick skater, with solid top speed, who is able to move swiftly around most defensemen in the league .. owns a very good scoring touch, knows how to position himself in front of the net, and has an above average wrist shot .. he possesses solid stick handling skills and decent vision on the ice, although he is not the playmaker type at all.

Karl Fabricius (UFA), RW, Lulea

Fabricius is a local kid who recently got promoted to assistant captain this season, at the age of 23. It is noteworthy that he is on the Philadelphia Flyer's watchlist for next season, as Branko Radivojevic, Fabricius' teammate in Lulea during the lockout, recommended him to the Flyers. He has vastly improved his overall strength and defensive play this season, making him more of a complete package .. more streaky than consistent in his scoring however, but displays some elite moves and highlight reel goals when he's on .. works hard for his team in every situation and could be utilized killing penalties as well as on the powerplay .. soft hands and a quick, but somewhat less than accurate wrist shot .. a very strong skater when he finds his speed, but has some difficulties in taking his first few strides.

Fredrik Warg (UFA), C, Timra

The cousin of Anaheim's Jonathan Hedstrom, Warg is quietly having a breakout year at the late age of 26. Formerly a slow and soft center, Warg has made huge strides in terms of strength and speed this season .. will never be a quick, smoothing skating player, but his legs are stronger and the strides more powerful now, giving him pretty good top speed .. is more involved physically now, wins battles and doesn't shy away from traffic, which he had a tendency to do before .. fairly poised with puck and has above average vision on the ice .. good shooting arsenal, with an adequate wrister as well as a decent slapshot .. a good face-off man…most importantly, Warg has finally learned how to work hard now, both on and off the ice; this improvement has made him the number one center in Timra.

Patrick Thoresen (UFA), LW, Djurgarden

The Norwegian clocks in for free agency eligibility this off-season. After a strong season in the lockout influenced SEL, Thoresen had a good chance at getting drafted last summer, but didn't get the nod. This season, he picked up where he left off last year and has been the second best offensive performer in Djurgarden .. has very soft hands, and a good playmaking eye, is a quick and smooth skater who moves effortlessly across the ice .. works hard and knows what do defensively .. not a punishing hitter or a forechecker, which is not his role in Djurgarden, but he wins his fair share of battles along the boards, and doesn't hesitate to crash the net and move into high traffic areas when required .. his offensive skills are almost on par with the only Norwegian to have decent success in the NHL, Espen Knutsen, but Thoresen has more of a competitive drive and can play a gritty game when called upon, although that shone through more frequently last season than this.