Ivan Hlinka U-18 Tournament: Team Slovakia

Yet another disappointing finish for Team Slovakia who again finished in the bottom portion of the standings. The Slovaks have not had success in this tournament since finishing third back in '98. They lacked goaltending and defense however they were able to roll two decent forward lines. Suffering from the loss of their best player Richard Panik did not help their cause either. Several Slovakian players are headed to the CHL to hone their trade and better prepare their NHL draft chances this season.

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

Marek Hrivik (2009), LW, MsHK Zilina a.s.

Hrivik is a key member of the Slovakian program and most recently played in the IIHF Under 18 tournament held in April where he posted modest point totals .. he played on the top line in this tournament and tied for the team lead in goals with two .. is slow to react in the offensive zone as his hands move faster than his feet .. he can create when he has the puck on his stick due to his gangly frame and his ability to skate with the puck in his feet .. his skill set is deceiving, while he does not excel at either passing or shooting he can do both well .. his role and penchant for making others better is a trait he possesses .. lumbering skater with a sluggish stride he has yet to fill out his 6'2 frame .. has decided to stay home and play for his local team.

Andrej Stastny (2009), C, Dukla Trencin

First line centre had a respectable tournament notching two goals in four games .. he lost momentum in games as his conditioning is simply not up to par .. in the later stages of many contests he would become a non factor and will desperately need to get stronger in all areas of conditioning and tougher in all areas of the ice .. he is very timid to approach the corners .. he is a methodical skater with very little speed however his hockey sense and passing skills help to advance the puck .. he makes heads up plays with the puck and does not like to forfeit it .. a tweener at this point, he should be able to garner considerable ice time playing at home however it will do very little for his overall development as a North American pro.

Andrej Kudrna (2009), LW, Vancouver

Kudrna has good size and makes healthy use of it to create offensive chances for himself and his line mates .. he is not overly skilled or fast but he is smart .. he designs plays from the half boards where his size and ok hand skills can carry the puck out .. he uses his team mates well and can score if given open ice .. he posted point a game numbers (4-1-3-4) and finished the tournament with the highest +/- rating on the team (+2) .. he has a good read of the ice and recognizes swings in the play which allows him to retreat quicker in the defensive zone than his peers .. his skating is average, he does not blow you away with power rather with a long stride that swallows up the ice .. he is not equipped with much speed or agility .. he is well balanced on his skates and as such he can sustain being hit, recover quicker and make a play faster .. he is a character player who supports his team mates with on ice encouragement .. his transition to the North American game should be a steady one however do not expect him to blow you out of the water with his offensive prowess.

Miroslav Preisinger (2009), RW Sarnia

Most dependable and consistent performer on Team Slovakia, Preisinger will be front and centre for the Sarnia Sting this season .. very intuitive in terms of knowing where to go as he follows plays intelligently .. he can handle the puck with poise and has to be considered more a play maker than a shooter .. he recorded three assists in this tournament and opened things up with his stick skills and quick feet .. not a powerful skater, he does build up good energy and is difficult to contain due to his agility and shiftiness .. his shot lacks power as his wrist shot needs severe upgrades but in all fairness he does get it off his blade quickly .. due to his rapid release he has been known to handcuff goalies however with additional practice and being on a strict work out regime in Sarnia this should help out that aspect of his game .. coming over to the CHL bolsters his chances of being a mid to late round pick as he will get plenty of exposure in Sarnia, a team that has suffered from the loss of graduations.

Dalibor Bortnak (2009), C, Kamloops

The most enigmatic and intriguing prospect from this Slovakia team as he can dazzle you one shift and infuriate you the next .. Bortnak does not play up to his potential and at times is down right lazy however at the end of the game he somehow manages to be a plus player and has contributed on the score sheet .. he led Team Slovakia in scoring at the Under 17 and continued that trend with another team point leading performance at this tournament .. he is a natural talent as his size really lets him stick handle well however he is very predictable in his actions .. he is still rather rigid in his movements .. the tall yet under developed Slovakian lacks agility and struggles to shift his body .. more of an up and down skater with reliable speed, he will not win any foot races but is surprisingly in tune as to which areas of the ice will serve him best .. he stops moving his feet constantly, even when he accepts a pass he is unable to stay in stride .. he plays with little to no urgency in his game but is near impossible to move in shooting lanes .. he will take shots and is capable of scoring from both wings but is more comfortable parking himself on the right hand side below the face off dot to launch his shot .. will go down low but does not compete hard enough for loose pucks, with his size if he were to get his hands up and throw the occasional elbow he would win more battles and keep the opposition wondering .. he is very raw and has many things to learn about the North American game however he has something that can not be taught which is size and the ability, despite his vast short comings to create offensively .. it will be an interesting year for him to see how he adapts to the North American game and he thrives or buckles under the pressure.