Tomas Kana Profile

Tomas Kana, C

Team: HC Vitkovice Sr.

Birthdate: November, 29th, 1987

Birthplace: Opava, Czech Republic

Height: 6'0

Weight: 202 lbs.

Shoots: R

Season Recap: the best Czech 2006 eligible goal scorer during the preseason exhibition games with the Vitkovice senior team .. passed on a CHL chance to play in the senior Extraleague and maintained his spot all season long without any game played for the junior team .. started the season on the fourth line despite the strong efforts in preseason but emerged as one of the favorite players of head coach Vladimir Vujtek with his dedication to the practices and a fearless approach to the games .. spent the first two months with getting accustomed to the pace and physical demands of the elite senior level .. didn't score so many goals than in preseason and filled usually a playmaking role in the first three months of regular season play .. broke his goal-scoring drought in January .. his progress enabled the coaching staff to provide him with a larger portion of playing time and from the Christmas break, he skated regularly on the third line .. promoted to second-line duty and earned regular special units time since mid-February .. responded to the larger role with a progress in his scoring ability and provided consistent scoring .. averaged half a point per

game in the last 12 regular season games .. regularly used in overtime when skating four-on-four .. had problems with fouls resulting from a hot head and thus hurting his team but proper coaching enabled him to play with a more cool head .. earned a nomination for the 'Top rookie' award of the 2005-2006 Czech Extraleague and ended up as a runner-up to Radek Fiala.

Playoffs: performed in all six playoff games with the Vitkovice seniors ..played in a more reduced role than during the regular season with less playing time on the special units .. showed solid efforts but was not a strong factor in the playoff games .. focused on making the safe plays but still could show his upgraded confidence with the puck .. paid regular attention to defense and spotted his man quickly .. registered just one assist during the playoffs ..didn't participate in the junior Extraleague playoffs.

International: key player for the Czech Under-20 team participated in the Under-20 Four Nations Tournament in Finland in September .. scored a clutch goal in the match up against Russia and registered a solid overall showing ..took part in the Under-20 Four Nations Tournament in Russia in November ..repeated his okay gritty performance .. scored an important goal in the game against Sweden .. performed at the 2006 Under-20 WJC in Canada .. got a very limited portion of playing time mostly on the third or fourth line but could make the most of the chance he got and could score two goals .. played a diligent all-round style at the WJC .. didn't play any international games

during the February international break and only practiced with the Vitkovice senior team.

Strengths: a solid skater with okay bursts of speed and footspeed .. strong lower-body and balance .. displays a solid stride .. okay agility .. not afraid to finish the checks .. a tenacious forechecker who does not tend to take an odd shift off .. battles for the pucks a lot and performs in the corners .. an okay stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick .. covers the puck adequately well .. solid vision and hockey sense .. distributes very accurate passes on a short and middle distance .. decent passes on the long distance ..

possesses an okay variety of shots .. fires a quick accurate snap shot as his most dangerous shot .. shows a solid commitment to the defensive play .. a decent player on both powerplay and penalty killing units .. drives the net hard.. plays bigger than his size and regularly performs in tight traffic areas ..okay forechecker.

Weaknesses: hard slap shot needs to be more accurate .. should further develop on his face-off ability .. still should upgrade on his smoothness when playing in a one-on-one situation despite the recent progress in this asset .. defensive positioning is not really holding him back but still should improve in this aspect of game .. prone to an occasional tendency to dive.

Progress in play: solid .. got accustomed to the senior Extraleague smoothly and responded with a noticeable progress when provided with a large role on the second line .. more confident and patient with the puck when pressed by an opponent .. improved on the smoothness of his in-close finishing skills and is more dangerous in one-on-one situations .. gained more strength and is able to handle bigger opponents more effectively .. progressed in his overall maturity

.. improved on his game on the penalty killing units .. more able to handle the key moments of the game such as overtimes.

Injuries: none

Previous notable injuries: sprained ribs

Stats: HC Vitkovice Sr. 48GP 5G 10A 15P +/- +4 52 PIM

Mental Make-up: a hardworking player aware of what it takes to become a

professional athlete and focused to achieve his career goals .. more of a phlegmatic nature in general but occasionally looses his temper on the ice ..does not express his opinion very often on the player's bench but is able to lead by example when his team needs to be provided with some leadership .. does not have problems with getting along with his teammates .. does not show cockiness ..modest about his abilities when asked off the ice but believes in his ability when out on the ice .. respects the opinion of the coaching staff and is able to play within the tactics well .. doesn't let the pressure of key game moments

bother him much and is suited for those moments .. blessed with an above-average attitude .. does not suffer from off-ice issues .. keeps his regimen .. raised in a hockey family .. his younger brother Jan Kana is a 2008 eligible prospect .. doesn't speak English very well at this point.

Agent information: represented by Lawrence Kelly (Global Management Group) and Czech representatives Jiri Hamal and Jiri Kuntos

NHL potential: his progress curve took a rise with the steadily rising

responsibility laid on him and his ability to develop his scoring when provided with a larger portion of playing time indicates that his NHL upside is higher than a low-scoring checking-line center .. possesses the potential to develop into a second-line NHL forward if he will be able to reach his highest possible potential .. given his physical assertiveness and vision is a solid third-line center who will add an adequate amount of points very possible to reach if not reaching his maximal potential .. an honest player who is very likely to play pro

due to his overall skill level, psychical mindset and dedication .. is trusted by the new Vitkovice seniors coaching staff and will be provided with a larger role on the senior team next season, which will help his progress .. likely to need seasoning in the minors before he will be able to make the jump to the NHL.. would be recommended for a selection in the second round .. a possible steal if picked in the third round and later.