Ivan Hlinka U-18 Tournament: Team Czech Republic

The Czechs had a well balanced team but no real game breakers. They did not have one horse who could lead them rather a collection of role players that appropriately led them to a fifth place finish. They lost a heart breaking opening game to the Finns as they surrendered a goal with less than 30 seconds left and then lost in a shootout. The loss seemed to deflate the Czechs almost to the point of packing it in. They maintained a .500% winning record with victories over Team USA and Team Swiss in their final two games.

McKeen's Chief Correspondent David Burstyn was on hand at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and files these notes on various Czech players.

Marek Mazanec (2009), G, HC Lasselsberger Pizen

The duo of Mazanec and Novotny split the duties for the tournament, however Mazanec gave his team the best chances to win in the games he played .. put fourth an outstanding effort against the Finns, showcasing his athleticism and mechanics .. plays a very similar style to that of Halak, a big goalie who expends very little energy to make a save, covers the net well and surrenders very little in terms of rebounds .. long active legs keep the bottom portion of the net covered almost forcing forward to go up high on him .. adopts a hybrid style .. like many young net minders he is guilty of going down too early but he recovers well and his lateral agility to push off his pads is superb .. he plays his angles very well and readily challenges forwards, often out waiting the opposition and forcing the shooter to hurry his shot .. he reads plays well and has a good sense of anticipation .. as a result he is able to track down pucks in traffic and smother them quickly .. his glove hand works in unison with his body and is also a weapon .. problems lie when he attempts to use his stick to make a save .. he handles the puck well enough however it is when he tries to poke check he leaves himself exposed .. he is tricked by flashy stick handlers who goad him into this maneuver .. still needs to fill out but has a great frame to work with and should be a name called on draft day.

Adam Polasek (2009), D, HC Vitkovice Steel

Team captain provided more of an aggressive style of play than an offensively fuelled one .. cherished the physical play and always looked for the big hit .. excelled in down low puck pursuits due to his strength .. he is very good on his skates, he has decent speed and the balance to succeed at board work .. he was able to execute plays off the boards and move it forward, occasionally jumping into the play to become an offensive option .. he does not handle the puck overly well and is guilty of coughing it up when pressured .. he does an adequate job of defending as he cuts down his angles but in most cases uses his imposing frame to cut off precious real estate ..for the things that make Polasek attractive are also the things that can take away from his game too as he needlessly takes poor penalties that are far too obvious for the referee not call them .. it will be an uphill battle for him as he is rather ordinary.

Adam Sedlak (2010), D, Peterborough

Peterborough had so much success with European defenseman that they decided to return to the well in hopes of replacing the fine work Arthur Kulda did for them for two seasons .. plays his best when he is not noticed as he is not flashy by any means .. he is a dependable, smart defenseman who makes calculated decisions .. mobile in all directions he is a better backwards skater than forward .. he will need to improve on his pivots as he surrenders too much ice to forwards just crossing the line and does not always anticipate their quickness .. was consistently beaten against some of Finland's quicker players .. his puck skills need some refinement as he is not the type to jump into the play but he does have the sense to push it forward .. Sedlak is slated to go to Peterborough this season and given the graduations of both Bogasian and Kulda he should be able to step into a top four position out of camp.

Oldrich Horak (2009), D, HC RI Okna Zlin

The Czech's most trusted offensive weapon on the back end .. eagerly vaulted himself into the offensive zone and attacked opposing forwards in an attempt to catch them flat footed .. quick transition game, as he can find escape routes and slither his way into the zone .. his skating is flawed as he does not possesses the first step quickness to be a true puck rushing defenseman however he exudes confidence and handles the puck with a considerable degree of poise .. he finds himself as deep as the face off dot and looks to unload his shot deep in the slot .. the problem was that many of the Czech forwards could not locate the pass and he would get caught deep in the zone .. he needs to physically assert himself as that aspect of his game is non existent .. has ability but will it be enough.

Petr Senkerik (2009), D, HC RI Okna Zlin

The policeman on the back end, his defensive diligence served him and his team well .. a rugged crease clearer, he took no guff from opposing forwards and easily removed them from the area .. played a kosher game as he easily contained guys in tight quarters .. he struggled in open ice situations as his style of skating, more of a sway than a stride lent him significant problems .. routinely loosing the gaps against quicker, skilled players who employed head fakes to throw him off .. he does not defend well in one-on-one situations mainly because he does not square up to the shooter .. his positioning is off due to his average foot work .. when he catches up to the opposition then they are in trouble as he is a punishing hitter and more than often he will eliminate his player from the action by pinning him against the boards .. lacks offensive skills and hockey sense but does fill a role.

Ondrej Dolezal (2009), D, HC Slavia Praha

The Czech's best all around defender .. he did not receive the ice time he deserved till towards the end of the tournament .. has presence on the ice in all three zones .. he is an under-rated defenseman that knows how to play his defensive angles and knows how to read the rush well too .. a straight shooter and knows what he can and can not do .. he is an above average skater which helps in the defensive zone to break up plays and make a play up ice with it .. he is difficult to beat one-on-one due to his quickness and size .. he is patient and poised with the puck, taking that extra second to locate a better option .. he will follow the play but does not jump into the rush often .. he is very competitive by nature and refuses to loose battles .. he is not a prominent hitter but will bang away at bodies .. his best trait is to constantly be in the best possible position to make a play, his hockey sense scores him top marks even if he is not a regular on the score sheet.

Ondrej Palat (2009), RW, HC Vitkovice Steel

Considered more of an offensive weapon, the first line winger was never able to contribute all tournament long as he tended to give up on plays well before they developed .. very immature in his game preparation and body language on the ice .. showed flashes of skill but too often he tried to do it by himself failing to utilize his team mates .. has tunnel vision and only sees plays unfolding in his direct line of sight as he does not evaluate his options thoroughly .. when he did not have the puck he was more of a spectator and did very little to work for it .. he does have a complimentary skill set when he chooses to compete as he started the tournament on fire with his rink length end-to-end rushes against Finland only to fizzle against Team USA in a somewhat nothing game .. his lack of competitiveness in that contest sorely hurt his draft stock .. seemed uninterested in protecting the puck and driving to the net as he had done in previous contests .. likes to back door defenseman and is constantly pushing towards the line to stimulate offence but sacrifices defensive positioning far too much for what he brings .. needs to play a more complete game.

Roman Horak (2009), C, HC Mountfield C. Budejovice

Horak maintained his top spot on the first line with consistent efforts and more importantly adjusting his style to suit the complexion of the game .. a very smart player who is the sum of his parts .. he draws from a good skill set but would not be considered exceptional in any one particular area .. he showed the offensive fortitude in front to be a difference maker for this team .. was particularly adept at making plays in tight spaces .. his shorter than normal stick allowed him to stick handle with relative ease however he is not a dangler, possessing just slightly above average play making skills .. he has short economical strides and uses his sharp cross overs to beat guys outside .. needs to attack the net with valor more often as he did against Finland and their smaller defense corps but was intimidated by Team USA's defenders in particular Bowman .. he is a tad soft and will not actively seek the body .. he is not afraid but at the same token he is constantly looking to see if he is being targeted .. showed concentrated efforts but no real game breaking ability and too soft to be a checker.

Michal Hlinka (2009), LW, HC Vitkovice Steel

The Czech's most improved player throughout the tournament he saw his ice time increase substantially to the point where he went from the fourth line to the first line .. Hlinka's game is persistence as he nags at the opposition and forces turn overs with his massive frame .. he generates his fair share of offensive chances and led Team Czech in scoring with 4-2-2-4 totals .. his wingspan and surprising speed and acceleration made him a threat every time he stepped on the ice and certainly noticeable .. he does not have the touch to be an exceptional play maker and does not have much of a shot as the majority of his goals come from deflections or tucking in rebounds .. it is his anticipation skills that set him apart .. he briskly surveys the ice and almost uncannily finds himself in the right spot to give or receive a pass .. a bit of a gentle giant he uses his size well to defend but he is not a punishing hitter .. is the type of player that NHL scouts like to monitor as his desire to get better and competition level are healthy signs.

Petr Kolouch (2010), RW, HC Vitkovice Steel

Under aged winger played a spirited game as he worked hard in all areas of the ice .. a weak skater he has time to improve as he is not draft eligible till next season .. he has good vision and is able to cycle and play a down low game .. needs to pick his head up when crossing the line as he tends to look down far too much when handling the puck .. active stick in the defensive zone and always looks to get his body in front of a pass or a shot .. he is a good back checker and rarely wanders from where he should be in the defensive zone .. has time but will need to address his skating woes.

Antonin Honejsek (2010), C, HC RI Okna Zlin

Showed flashes of being a player however there are many holes in his game .. not overly polished, Honejsek does manufacture his fair share of scoring chances (4-1-2-3 tournament scoring) his stride and skating are average at best .. he lacks extension and as such displays little to no power .. he can not hurry his way into the offensive zone and is more of a lurk in the weeds type player, capitalizing on breakdowns in the offensive zone .. he finds ways to instinctively get into open ice areas but tends to be selfish when he has the puck in his possession .. his hockey sense bails him out in most cases but he can get caught flat footed when trying to defend .. continues to make progress but lack of skating could be his biggest down fall.

Roman Chlouba (2009), C, HC Chomutov

Chlouba is your typical work in progress prospect as he is tall, has presence, is blessed with some moves but is raw in almost every offensive and defensive category .. is certainly a player that needs to develop as he is like a beanpole but has the frame to fill out .. wonky skater, a direct result of his lack of strength and coordination .. weak ankles so he has difficulty with his turns .. he is well balanced though and can absorb a hit .. he is constantly moving his feet and is active in his defensive duties .. he earned ample minutes on the PK and played in several 3-5 situations .. he tends to choke up on his stick which restricts his shot .. he can also be guilty of playing with blinders as he does not always see plays unfolding around him .. he needs to get close to the net to score because he is not going to finesse the puck anywhere .. has potential at this stage to become an important player in future international tournaments for the Czech's.