Slovak Draft Update: Nitras Hidden Gem

One of the pleasant surprises in the last month of Slovak junior Extraleague play was the emergence of Nitra junior goaltender Branislav Konrad.

Nitra unloaded Samuel Ersek to the Czech Republic to make room for the emerging Konrad, who is progressing in his ability to carry the team and also steal a number of games.

The late '87-born goalie is relatively underscouted as he was hidden as backup behind Vladimir Kovac on the under-18 level and also playing second fiddle to Buffalo Sabres' prospect Michal Valent on the Slovak under-20's.

But, given his strong play in the junior Extraleague, Konrad may be a player on the verge of making a breakthrough internationally over the second half of the season. He has progressed well in his lateral movement and also shows upgraded anticipation and patience. Konrad plays a bit less wild than he did in previous seasons and is slightly better in his fundamentals.

He is willing to play the puck when needed, though could still distribute more accurate passes One area that needs further attention is his ability to deal with heavy traffic in front, which is a weakness at this stage. However, as he gains maturity this will undoubtedly improve.

Balis Seeks Balance

One player who could possibly challenge Marek Biro as the top Slovak defenseman taken in the 2006 NHL Draft is Milan Balis of the Slovan Bratislava juniors.

Once highly coveted for his big offensive upside, Balis is battling a subpar start to this season and has been frequently snake-bitten, therefore allowing Biro to slip past him in the rankings.

Balis has been unable to find his reliability on the junior level and struggles with fast-paced games. One area that needs improvement is his lateral skating skills as flashier opponents enjoy a relatively easy time against him. He is willing to jump into the play more often than before, however his dependability with the puck and his ability to quickly recognize passing lanes, both need to be elevated to higher levels.

Consistency is another issue with Balis who shows the occasional flashes of positive development but routinely regresses with ugly, sub-par performances. Though willing to make use of his decent size, he still isn't a physically intimidating force by any means. A call-up to the senior team seems unlikely in the short term until Balis proves he can excel at the junior level first.

Cherry-Picker Lusnak

Patrik Lusnak, a 2006 eligible forward from the Skalica juniors, has drawn attention in the past few weeks with his scoring prowess. Used in Skalica's system as an offensive winger, Lusnak pays even less attention to defense than he does at the international tournaments. However, his quick bursts of speed and solid finishing ability make him a threat for opposing defenses.

Lusnak frequently waits around the opposing blueline looking for a breakaway pass, a form of cherry-picking, though his chemistry with linemates enables the line to work effectively and not give up too many goals. Lusnak is frequently used on the powerplay units where he can showcase his slick puckhandling skills and sound offensive instincts.

In his favour, Lusnak doesn't play afraid, although he could be a bigger physically presence and doesn't stick his nose into heavy traffic as often as he should.

Undoubtedly, his stat totals are padded by the powerplay and, even if the new NHL makes a pro career a possibility, his potential remains limited by his obvious lack of development regarding defensive awareness.