Sindel Earns Top Marks

Robert reviews six more Czechs for the draft including Jakub Sindel who impressed late this season with solid on-ice leadership. Robert also reviews the no-nonsense Karel Hromas and offers insight as to his upside.

Jakub Sindel (2004), C/RW, HC Sparta Praha

Excellent skater; has a very smooth stride .. slips through opposing defenses due to his mobility and quickness .. agile with a nice first step .. very soft hands; handles the puck flawlessly .. very crafty; has elite-level offensive instincts .. a natural goal scorer thus far at every level who thrives in one-on-one situations .. a strong PP threat .. excellent vision and a crafty playmaker .. has shown to be pretty coachable .. surprised with some good work ethic this season; he leads by example .. there are some setbacks; defensive game has improved, but is a considerable weakness .. skinny frame hasn’t helped; Jakub isn’t very strong on the puck .. was switched from right wing to center and has coped with the change well this year .. a guy who could be an NHL sniper if he significantly strengthens his arms.

Karel Hromas (2004), LW, HC Sparta Praha

A combative, in-your-face player .. aggressive and shuts down opposing offensive weapons regularly due to excellent defensive awareness and willingness to stick his nose in traffic .. uses his frame wisely in puck battles .. strong, but still a tad lean .. tremendously quick for his size .. has a smooth stride and good balance .. has a long reach he uses shrewdly at both ends of the ice .. a smart, instinctive passer with adequate vision and hockey sense .. works his butt off; never takes a shift off .. a strong forechecker and a monster at the cycle .. doesn’t have the best hands and puckhandling skills are a weakness .. has to work on his array of shots, but scores most of his goals up close .. not pretty but gets the job done .. has checking upside, but will bulldog his way to a share of goals as a pro.

Martin Bucek (2004), LW, HC Vitkovice Jr.

When on his ‘A’ game, he plays a feisty game with a competitive nature .. willing to battle in scrums .. throws hard checks and is a punishing force along the boards, despite a frame that doesn’t intimidate .. offensive asset is a booming slapper .. impressive upper body strength, which allows him to drive to the net and create scoring chances .. hockey sense, vision are questionable aspects .. struggles at defensive aspects; tends to vanish in his zone .. a balanced skater, but lacks fluidness in his stride .. lacks good first-step quickness .. does not possess sufficient speed to outrace skaters.

Zdenek Bahensky (2004), C/RW, HC Chemopetrol Litvinov Jr.

A smooth skater with good quickness .. impresses with strong bursts of speed and above-average agility .. handles physical rigours quite well; plays with edge and doesn’t avoid traffic areas .. a bit skinny; doesn’t have the strength to overpower .. shrewd offensively with good vision and impressive shooting skills .. struggles at stickhandling, especially when having to corral a bad pass or deke an opponent .. releases his wrister quickly and crisply, although struggles to hit the net .. not one-dimensional, but has yet to learn to play effectively in his own end .. consistency is not there yet; tends to disappear for long stretches when not motivated.

Stanislav Balan (2004), C, HC Hame Zlin Jr.

Skinny, but crafty forward .. a fluid skater with good agility .. adequately quick when taking off .. can execute effectively at high velocity .. a tremendous puck handler with soft hands .. sees the ice very well .. deft playmaker with excellent hand-eye coordination .. good hockey sense; knows how to play a positional game .. has decent finishing potential; boasts a crisp wrist shot with a fast release .. defensive range is very raw, but he likes to get back and help out in his own end .. a finesse player without much potential for toughness .. will be expected to break out at the senior level next season.

David Krejci (2004), C, HC Rabat Kladno Jr.

A daring, undersized pivot .. loves to drive the net and dig for the puck in the corners .. has near-elite offensive skills .. very soft hands; handles the puck with silky flair .. an effortless stickhandler .. not afraid of playing in heavy traffic .. above-average shooting skills; a highly accurate wrister, but seldom shows the slapper .. good vision and natural hockey sense .. above-average in terms of skating, but lacking that extra gear of elusiveness you see from elite offensive talents .. tends to lose his temper at times and take dumb penalties .. lack of size hurts him for the draft.

Next: Robert will review Lukas Kaspar and comments on the strides he’s made defensively.