Meet Jiri Tlusty

During the communist regime in the Czech Republic, the city of Kladno was well-known for two things: its high-quality steel and outstanding development of young hockey prospects. Suddenly, since the fall of the iron curtain, only the prospects remain.

Consider the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Patrick Elias as well as youngsters Marek Zidlicky and Tomas Plekanec. With the chance to follow in their footsteps is the 2006 NHL draft-eligible Jiri Tlusty.

Curious Beginnings

Although Tlusty had hockey in his genes, his parents were split on giving him the green light to play. Tlusty’s mother considered hockey to be too brutal for her son, while his father, who had given up on a hockey career after failing to advance as a midget player, supported the potential of his son as a hockey prospect. Ultimately, Tlusty had the final say – a bit of an unruly kid in kindergarten, he had the kind of competitive nature that seemed to transfer perfectly to a competitive sport and take out his aggressions that way.

At six years old, Tlusty was enlisted on the Slany’s (his native city) entry level team, coached by Vladimir Kazatel. Also playing soccer, Tlusty developed a true athlete’s stamina over time.

"Soccer helped me to upgrade my stamina," says Tlusty. "I didn't need to participate in the summer workouts with the hockey team until the eighth grade, because I had enough conditioning workouts with the soccer team. And running on a softer ground like grass was safer for my joints, which was an important factor for me and my parents."

Tlusty played forward and displayed excellent skills and a knack for scoring goals. He learned to skate well and move the puck, emerging as one of the team’s offensive leaders.

Leadership Qualities

He was named the fourth grade team’s captain at the age of nine. Playing with long-time linemate Michal Kazatel (the coach’s son), he developed an excellent chemistry with the teammate.

Ultimately, Tlusty was offered a chance to join Kladno’s prospect pipeline.

"I had a chance to play with some real good players. I felt comfortable in Kladno from the very beginning and when I look back, we had great seasons in the youth categories," said Tlusty.

Tlusty’s play at the summer exhibitions for the Kladno fifth grade team made a great impression on the coaches, as he earned the captain’s "C" on his jersey. Eventually, performing against players of his own age turned out to be easy pick’ens for the boy as he started to perform for the 1987-born team of Kladno, playing with kids mostly a year older than he. Playing with talented youngsters Michael Frolik and David Ruzicka, Tlusty captained the squad to the championship tournament, where they wound up victorious; winning what was the first of five consecutive championship appearances.

Breaking Through Offensively

In the sixth grade, Tlusty focused greatly on his offensive development and flourished into a dynamo, winning the top goalscorer’s trophy. He repeated as the top marksman in the seventh grade, displaying a great nose for the net.

As an eighth grader, Tlusty was part of a Czech selects team that traveled to Quebec City to play at a Pee-Wee tournament. He was a part of a victorious tour, where the Czechs won all of their games, en route to a dominant show in the final, becoming the first Czech squad to win the tournament for the age group.

The crafty Tlusty registered six points on a line with Michal Kazatel and Martin Skaloud.

"I will always remember our victory at this tournament," said Tlusty. "It was a huge experience for every player as we could square off against the best pee-wee teams from the whole world and in the end were lucky enough to win."

In 2001-2002, Petr Taticek, the father of the Florida Panthers’ prospect by the same name, took over the coaching duties of the ninth grade squad. A year away from the midget level, the squad was well coached and responded with yet another title. The normally one-dimensional Tlusty developed into a solid all-around force and displayed defensive savvy like never before.

The Big Boys

The following year, Tlusty was promoted to midgets as an underager along with his high-flying linemates. Playing considerable minutes, mostly on the second and third line to start off, Tlusty adjusted to the pace of midget hockey remarkably well and impressing with his two-way prowess after only a few weeks of competition. Tlusty dressed for 46 games, amassing 40 points on 23 markers, en route to the midget Extraleague championship title.

After impressing junior national team coaches Bretislav Kopriva and Vladimir Bednar, Tlusty made his debut with the Under-16 national squad, playing in a three-game series against Slovakia in Humenne. Playing composed, he scored a goal and added a pair of assists in the series. He took another step in the following tournament, amassing four points (one goal, three assists) in a three-game series against opponent Switzerland. Filling a defensive role against the tougher Russians, he recorded one assist.

His success did not stop there, as Tlusty had another solid showing at the Four-Nations (two goals, four points) and concluded his season amassing two points in another series versus the Slovakians.

Seeing the youngster’s talent and dedication, impressed Kladno juniors head coach Jaromir Sindel rewarded Tlusty with a promotion. Satisfied with his conditioning level during the summer exhibition, Sindel added Tlusty to the roster although the youngster was at least two years younger than most of his teammates and five years younger than some.

He skated in 52 games for the Kladno juniors in total recording 13 points on 10 goals.

Tlusty began his 2003-2004 international season at the Under-17 Five-Nations tournament played in Prievidza, Slovakia. In front of NHL scouts, Tlusty amassed three points on one marker.

Lean and Mean

At Christmas time, Tlusty was heading to Canada with the Czech U-17’s to perform at the Viking Cup. Proving that the small ice surface suits his style of play well, the tough-nosed forward played excellent hockey, contributing to the team’s fourth place finish with five points on three goals.

Tlusty’s diligent hit-and-go style earned him a lot of respect among his peers. Displaying good aggressiveness at both ends of the ice, he likes to stick his nose into tight corner battles and isn’t afraid to perform in heavy traffic. Built solidly (5-11, 188), Tlusty is also very quick and a balanced skater due to his impressive lower body bulk. A smart passer, Tlusty has above-average vision and hockey sense to add to his competitive demeanor. He needs to improve his puckhandling skills and the one area of his game that has been questioned by scouts are his hands and shooting game, as he tends to produce purely on spunk at times.

Up Close and Personal

Personally, Tlusty is a layed back guy who likes to rest in his free time. He likes sleeping and fishing in a pond near his home.

"I'm a fond of fishing, I'm very excited whenever I catch a fish. It's fun and a good way how to relax for me."

After finishing elementary school last year, Tlusty was accepted to study at the secondary school of construction, which was also attended by current NHL star Jaromir Jagr.

Jiri is also an accomplished soccer player who likes to meet his friends to play for fun in his spare time.

Not NHL draft eligible until 2006, Tlusty is represented by player agent Frantisek Kaberle who currently works for the Bobby Orr agent group. He hopes to experience North American hockey as early as in 2005/2006.

"I consider the CHL as a challenge for me. If I'll be drafted in the 2005 CHL Import draft, I would like to come over and play major junior in Canada."