U18 Junior Cup: Czech Republic

Top performers

Michal Neuwirth (2006), G

Notes: Czech starter had the biggest workload among tournament goaltenders (269:17) .. faced the most shots on the tournament (132 shots) .. finished eighth in save percentage (.9090) .. registered a solid opening game against Sweden despite not being tested by many shots .. played just one period in the game against Canada, but managed to show good intangibles .. kept the Czech team in the game against Russia and was the hero of the final shootout .. pulled off a good showing against Canada in the gold-medal game .. helped to boost his draft stock with his play.

Scouting: a quick goaltender who plays more of a butterfly style .. shows above-average skating skills .. is quick when moving side-to-side .. fast to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. decent footspeed .. solid lateral movement .. possesses above-average athleticism and reflexes .. unpredictable for shooters .. uses his quickness to close possible gaps in his stance .. solid anticipation of plays and maturity .. uses his pads well .. strong down low .. solid resilience and athleticism .. doesn't flop around too much but still should further upgrade on his fundamentals .. sports a fast glove hand .. solid on the blocker side .. tends to play too deep in the net which makes him strong on rebounds, but more vulnerable on the initial shot .. solid orientation in the crease .. could upgrade on playing the angles .. decent stickhandling skills .. willing to go behind the net to move the puck.

Patrik Prokop (2006), D

Notes: best Czech goalscorer (3 goals) .. leading goalscorer among all tournament defensemen .. pulled off an average start to the tournament in the game against Sweden .. bounced back with a very good showing in the next match against Switzerland displaying strong two-way savvy and registering his best game of the tournament .. a limited factor in the first game against Canada, not avoiding mistakes in his own end .. played a decent game against Russia though didn't impress on a regular basis .. showed both excellent stickhandling and a penchant for making glaring mistakes in the gold-medal game against Canada .. rode a rollercoaster during this event.

Scouting: a solid skater .. swift change of pace and good lateral movement .. adequate bursts of speed .. needs to upgrade on balance .. excellent stickhandling skills .. adept at moving the puck smartly and distributing it to the forwards .. a decent passer with solid vision .. good awareness of his linemates .. adequate shooting skills, but has to work on firing harder .. should unleash his slapper more often .. a good asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units .. sound positionally, makes a low number of speculative decisions .. willing to get involved physically, but bulking up and adding more strength is essential .. can't handle bigger opponents effectively at this point .. relies more on his smarts than on toughness .. consistency is a serious issue .. when off his game, can be a complete non-factor.

David Stich (2007), D

Notes: held his own with a defense-first showing against Sweden in the tournament opener .. played a strong reliable game against Switzerland, keeping the opponents under control .. registered a good opening period before vanishing in the first game against Canada .. only a limited factor against Russia, but of adequate reliability .. bounced back with an above-average showing in the final game against Canada, making use of his tenaciousness and size .. a blue-chipper in the making.

Scouting: a solid skater with good balance .. possesses decent top-end speed, but his first-step quickness has still some way to go .. plays with decent agility and lateral movement .. isn't a significant offensive force, but is calm in puck possession and plays with his head up .. a decent puckhandler, but still could improve on this asset .. makes passes of solid accuracy and doesn't panic with the puck, which leads to a minimum of mistakes .. unleashes a booming slapshot, but needs to upgrade on accuracy and on keeping it lower on the ice .. belligerent and strongly built .. shows reliable play in the defensive zone .. focuses on marking his man quickly and taking him out of the play .. displays a good mean streak and throws regular hard hits when he has a chance .. a solid force on the penalty killing units .. plays with intelligence and maturity beyond his age .. tough to beat in one-on-one situations .. an '89 born defenseman.

Martin Bartos (2006), LW

Notes: pulled off an above-average start to the tournament with a good showing against Sweden .. wasn't as successful against Switzerland, where he took the odd shifts off .. couldn't make use of his strong physical tools in the round-robin game against Canada and faded .. bounced back with a good effort against Russia displaying strong creativity .. should have stepped up more in the gold-medal game against Canada though as he wasn't a regular offensive threat.

Scouting: a sturdy skater with above-average balance and lower-body strength .. possesses a powerful stride, but could use improvement in his overall speed and first-step quickness .. lacks that extra gear .. doesn't impress with his agility .. could upgrade on his puckhandling skills .. doesn't have the softest hands and could make more slick puck moves, although he corrals passes without a problem .. sees the ice adequately well and is a solid tape-on-tape passer .. can be a creative force .. adequate variety of shots .. a good hard snapshot with a fast release .. slap shot could be more accurate .. a combative forward .. plays a belligerent style and initiates physical contact .. willing to muck in the corners and show up in traffic .. crashes the net .. a decent hitter who utilizes his size to advantage .. some filling out for him left to do .. shows an adequate commitment to defensive duties, though his defensive positioning is still an issue.

Jiri Tlusty (2006), LW

Notes: played a decent tournament opener against Sweden, but couldn't make use of his scoring chances .. sidelined with a hip injury for the next game against Switzerland .. didn't show his usual belligerence and tenaciousness in the first game against Canada, which was only average for him .. registered a better showing against Russia, hitting the opponents and creating solid plays .. arguably the best Czech forward in terms of dealing with the physical style of Canada on a regular basis in the gold-medal game .. proved his quality pro potential, however he couldn't avoid the occasional downs.

Scouting: a well-balanced skater .. solid lower-body strength makes him very tough to knock off the puck .. boasts a powerful stride, but still could work on acceleration .. decent agility and top-end speed .. registered an improvement in his stickhandling skills, but still doesn't have the best hands .. can shoot and pass equally well but in the offensive zone tends to prefer passing to shooting .. capable of finding the open man with a crisp pass .. fires an accurate wrist and snap shot .. slap shot is hard, but only of average accuracy .. good defensive awareness .. often returns back to help the defense .. limits the options of opposing forwards and blocks passing lanes well .. decent defensive positioning .. a solid asset on both powerplay and penalty killing units .. willing to throw his weight around and play a belligerent style along the boards .. shows up in traffic regularly and punishes bigger players despite only average size.

Other Players

David Ruzicka (2006), D

Notes: the tournament's most productive defenseman played a different game than the stats would seem to indicate .. effective against Sweden and Switzerland when keeping plays simple .. held back significantly by his slow skating in a sub-par round-robin showing against Canada .. upgraded his play a bit against Russia, but couldn't avoid mistakes when trying to move the puck .. a very limited factor in the gold-medal game .. got his share of points but in general didn't impress .. proved that he will need patience in his development as a potential defensive defenseman at the pro level ..

Scouting: a big lanky defenseman .. an average skater .. needs to develop a smoother stride and bigger bursts of speed .. gets beaten on turns and when asked to move laterally .. decent balance .. average puckhandling skills .. uses a long stick which he uses to pinch the pucks off the opposing players effectively, but has a tough time when having to deal with difficult passes .. uses his size to advantage and is willing to throw the occasional hit .. solid crease-clearer .. should show his nasty edge more often .. a force in his own zone with his smart positional play and long reach .. can take his man out of the play but is prone to moments where he needs more time to react to plays properly .. tries to move the puck, but lacks the elite vision needed to emerge as a two-way force .. a heavy slapshot which misses the net too often as he needs to keep it lower.. adding more bulk to his gangly frame is essential.

Bohdan Visnak (2006), D

Notes: the pint-sized defenseman tried to generate offense from the blue line in the opener against Sweden .. failed to keep up to the pace of the round-robin game against Canada despite solid skating, and couldn't avoid mistakes .. pulled off an unspectacular showing against Russia where he failed to support the offense effectively, though he did avoid glaring mistakes .. a nice surprise in the gold-medal game against Canada as he stepped up his play and battled bigger opponents displaying impressive heart .. the final showing helped him get a solid rating, but his size is a significant obstacle in terms of his pro potential.

Scouting: blessed with decent skating skills .. a diminutive defenseman who displays solid speed, lateral movement and agility .. doesn't get beaten on turns by fast forwards .. possesses adequate balance, but with his lack of size the big opponents still knock him off his skates regularly .. possesses solid offensive flair and doesn't hesitate to move the puck .. utilizes his adequate vision and can run the powerplay .. an accurate passer with solid stickhandling skills .. doesn't fire the pucks very often from the point using his slapshot, preferring the snapshot .. the biggest downside is his smallish frame .. doesn't play afraid but should be more physically assertive .. doesn't clear the crease very often .. reads the developing plays in his own end quite well which enables him to be effective, but not when asked to be physical .. defensive stickhandling is okay .. expected to add an inch or two to his frame, but won't ever be a sized player despite a stocky build.

Antonin Drbohlav (2006), D

Notes: tried to create offense in both opening games against Sweden and Switzerland but showed that he lacks the offensive vision to be successful .. registered a sub-par round-robin showing against Canada where the opponents could burn him with speed and feistiness .. the next contest against Russia exposed his average positioning and mobility .. a very limited factor in the gold-medal game .. failed to impress with many assets and didn't register an overly successful tournament.

Scouting: an average skater .. could use bigger bursts of speed and mobility .. decent balance .. average turns .. impresses with his above-average size .. possesses good height, but there is some filling out still ahead of him .. plays more of a defensive style .. takes care of his own end before joining the rush .. stays with his man but doesn't read the developing plays very well .. needs to reduce his number of positional gaffes .. possesses solid reach .. adequately tough to beat in one-on-one situations .. capable of firing hard blasts from the point, but needs to do more frequently .. plays with average toughness .. doesn't shy away from the tough play, but is no crash-banger .. adequate stickhandling skills .. shows only average offensive flair .. decision making with the puck is a drawback .. overwhelmed when asked to make quick decisions .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Jiri Jebavy (2007), D

Notes: a feisty defensive force in the tournament opener against Sweden .. played a conservative role against Switzerland, but kept his play free of mistakes .. showed solid tenaciousness in the round-robin game against Canada, though couldn't avoid shifts where he looked overwhelmed .. gave a more spirited showing against Russia, hitting the opponents and displaying solid reliability .. a decent aggressive factor in the gold-medal game against Canada, albeit his showing was cut short by a broken skateblade .. met expectations well even though he didn't stand out.

Scouting: a decent skater with a choppy stride .. adequate change of pace .. solid acceleration and balance .. good lower-body strength .. okay lateral movement and turns .. solid stickhandling skills .. doesn't make nifty puck moves, but corrals the passes without trouble .. prone to the odd mistake when moving the puck .. shows decent play on the offensive blueline but could be quicker with his decisions .. adequate outlet passer, but doesn't have impressive offensive vision and instincts .. hard shot from the point needs to be more accurate .. strong on the defensive side .. smart positionally .. regularly takes his man out of the play .. tough to beat in one-on-one battles .. works hard down low .. isn't afraid of throwing his body around .. a tenacious warrior who plays bigger than his size .. solid mean streak and aggressiveness when clearing the crease .. an '89 born defenseman.

Michal Kazatel (2006), C

Notes: the best Czech scorer and passer did not play as well as his stats would indicate .. started the tournament on a decent note against Sweden showing solid creativity and chemistry with his linemates .. registered a number of strong shifts against Switzerland .. virtually a non-factor in the round-robin game against Canada .. his stickhandling skills helped him to dangle his way through the Russian defense in the next game .. performed adequately in the gold-medal game, but his lack of defensive play was evident all tournament long .. can set up solid plays, however the rest of his game was often missing at this event.

Scouting: a solid skater able to execute at high speed .. above-average agility .. adequate explosiveness .. solid lower-body strength and balance despite smallish size .. possesses strong vision and hockey sense .. a deft playmaker with accurate and well-timed passes .. finishes scoring chances well thanks to strong offensive instincts .. unleashes an above-average wrist shot with a quick release .. needs to further improve his slap shot in terms of accuracy .. could fire the pucks more often .. prone to taking shifts off .. made strides in improving his toughness, but isn't really aggressive .. needs to improve on his defensive play, which hasn't progressed all the way yet .. needs to limit opposing player's options more effectively and return to his own zone with greater frequency .. more of a one-dimensional player.

Martin Latal (2006), RW

Notes: speed was the factor which sold him all tournament long .. could sneak into scoring chances in the opener against Sweden, but should have finished at least one of them .. pulled off a decent showing against Switzerland .. was inconsistent against Canada, though he occasionally made use of his propulsion to get past the defense .. should have stepped up more often against Russia which was suited to his style .. would have been a better factor in the gold-medal game against Canada if he could find a way to battle through traffic regularly.

Scouting: a very good skater with an extra gear .. impresses with his acceleration and above-average agility .. high-flying winger likes to burn opposing defenders with speed .. solid lower-body strength .. crafty stickhandling skills and good puck-control even in traffic .. a force in one-on-one situations .. strong variety of shots and finishing skills .. fires a quick and accurate wrist and snap shot .. decent slap shot .. needs to further develop his defensive awareness as his intensity in his own end and away from the puck tends to cool off noticeably .. gets easily annoyed by mistakes of his linemates .. should mark his man quicker and upgrade on his defensive positioning .. needs to add more muscle mass to his frame and get stronger in order to handle traffic more effectively .. can be pushed out of the scoring lanes by stronger opponents .. doesn't back down from executing in traffic and occasionally throw hits.

Vladimir Ruzicka (2007), C

Notes: floated on the periphery for much of the opener against Sweden where he was unable to make use of his creativity .. more involved against Switzerland and showed off some tricky moves .. didn't totally bust in the round-robin against Canada, though couldn't find his playmaking ability until the third period .. an average factor against Russia as he took too many shifts off .. looked tired in the gold-medal game against Canada and couldn't outpower the opponents in traffic .. showed some intangibles, but in general played only average.

Scouting: an okay skater with sharp agility .. changes direction using quick sharp turns .. solid bursts of speed and stride effectiveness .. upgraded on his lower-body strength and balance, but still gets knocked off his skates by bigger opponents .. strong puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. solid vision and hockey sense .. when on his game, is able to control the play of the whole line with his creativity .. prefers setting up plays rather than shooting the puck .. fast-released wrister, but needs to develop a better variety of shots .. slapshot needs to be harder and more accurate .. returns to his own end, though his intensity sags in his own end .. not small, but a skinny frame .. bulking up is essential .. doesn't play a tough style and isn't yet effective when battling heavy traffic .. consistency is an issue .. an '89 born player.

Jakub Sklenar (2006), RW

Notes: failed to impress in his first showing at the tournament against Sweden .. floated as a one-dimensional forward .. also failed to really find his game against the weakest opponent, Switzerland .. virtually a non-factor against Canada .. couldn't handle traffic well and looked fuzzy .. upgraded on his play against Russia, though failed to score .. returned to his unimpressive form in the gold-medal game against Canada .. did nothing to prove pro potential.

Scouting: a swift skater with a smooth stride .. impresses with his footspeed and an ability to make sharp turns .. possesses strong bursts of speed and agility .. could upgrade on his balance .. possesses crafty stickhandling skills and good control of the puck .. a force in one-on-one situations .. a decent passer who is adept at setting his linemates up with an accurate pass .. unleashes a fast and accurate wrist and snap shot, but could use better accuracy on his slap shot .. needs to further develop his defensive awareness as his intensity in his own end tends to drop off .. should mark his man quicker and stay with him .. thanks to his diminutive size, he isn't much of a force in heavy traffic .. can be pushed out of the scoring lanes by using power and isn't an overly intimidating player .. should be more willing to score garbage goals from the slot as he tends to wander on the perimeter occasionally.

David Stieler (2006), C

Notes: only a limited factor in the tournament opener against Sweden .. battled traffic issues and could show his creativity .. played a bit better against the weak Swiss team though still wasn't a regular offensive threat .. a non-factor against Canada .. couldn't handle the physical style .. didn't upgrade his play against Russia with lesser physical contact .. lost puck possession too often .. also unimpressive in the gold-medal game against Canada .. registered only a sub-par performance at this event.

Scouting: a solid skater with above-average acceleration .. solid agility and first-step quickness .. okay top-end speed and footspeed .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. adequate puckhandling skills, but still could use softer hands in order to be more effective with the puck in traffic .. okay reading of plays .. a decent passer who can set up a scoring winger .. imaginative with the puck .. fires an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. slapshot needs to be harder and more accurate .. solid defensive awareness .. helps out the defense often and plays in position in his own end .. a valuable asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units .. needs to upgrade on his faceoff skills .. doesn't avoid physical contact but isn't very aggressive either .. relies more on finesse than on toughness .. should visit the opposing slot more often.

Jakub Voracek (2007), RW

Notes: started the tournament on a solid note against Sweden displaying nice belligerent style .. played a decent game against Switzerland and needed only a bit more luck in the offensive zone to finish his scoring chances .. performed up to par in the Canadian drubbing of the Czech team where he showed his tenaciousness and acceleration .. showed that he lacked a top breakaway gear in the game against Russia .. looked snake-bitten in the gold-medal matchup against Canada .. wasn't as successful in traffic as during the first meeting against Canada, and failed to show his smooth puck control .. underaged forward didn't disappoint even if he couldn't avoid some off moments.

Scouting: a solid though not beautiful skater with okay footspeed and acceleration .. doesn't use an overly effective stride, but gets from A to B in an acceptable time .. could use bigger top-end speed .. solid stickhandling skills .. corrals passes smoothly .. can cycle the puck in the offensive zone, looking for passing opportunities .. solid creativity with the puck .. an accurate passer .. finds the open man with regularity .. decent in-close finishing skills .. can be patient once on a scoring chance, waiting for the goaltender to make the move .. decent array of shots .. uses primarily his snap shot .. can be persistent around the goal area .. adequate aggressiveness and tenacity .. a decent hitter along the boards .. doesn't back down from battling bigger opponents .. returns back to help out the defense but is still raw in this area .. marks his man adequately fast .. needs to learn to stay in position more .. an '89 born underager.

Michal Repik (2007), RW

Notes: played a solid first game against Sweden, though he failed to capitalize on his chances .. repeated his showing against Switzerland, displaying solid puck control .. registered a number of solid shifts against Canada with his sneaky play in traffic, although he should have been even a bigger factor .. played an above-average game against Russia .. his showing in the gold-medal game was better than his first game against Canada .. the slick forward played a solid tournament, albeit wasn't an outstanding factor.

Scouting: a good skater with deceptive bursts of speed and agility .. can make sharp turns and possesses solid straightaway speed .. doesn't get knocked off the puck very easily thanks to his good balance...an above-average puckhandler and a sneaky player in traffic .. willing to shoot the puck often and utilizes his quick and accurate wrist and snap shot .. slapper still needs to be harder and more accurate .. a solid passer with strong creativity .. a force in one-on-one situations .. returns to his own end to help out the defense, but needs to display a bigger commitment to his duties as his defensive intensity wanders .. doesn't play a rough style with lots of hitting, but also doesn't really play soft and afraid either .. doesn't throw hard hits, but is able to get along against opponents who can play the body well .. his quickness enables him to avoid bone-crunchers .. still needs to get stronger .. a late '88 born forward .. shoots right.

David Kveton (2006), RW

Notes: found his way into scoring opportunities against Sweden, however was hit by bad luck when finishing .. registered a solid showing against Switzerland with his quickness and smooth skills .. displayed an increased mean streak against Canada and showed above-average smarts, however couldn't avoid shifts where he faded along with the rest of the team .. displayed his usual skilled game against Russia, though also created his share of mistakes .. stepped up his play in the gold-medal game against Canada and handled the physical style of the opponent without significant trouble .. registered a solid showing even if this tournament wasn't among his very best.

Scouting: an above-average skater with a fast change of pace and deceptive quickness .. shows solid agility along with good acceleration .. could only use bigger top-end speed .. emerges as a swift puckhandler with soft hands .. likes to penetrate into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick and create plays .. blessed with above-average smarts and offensive instincts .. capable of good tape-on-tape passes .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release, but doesn't use his slap shot very often .. is willing to return to his own end to help out the defense, however still must upgrade his defensive awareness, especially in terms of how quickly he marks his man .. doesn't have the size to be an intimidating force, but pays the physical price to succeed .. has progressed in his physical awareness and is willing to throw decent hits .. doesn't play afraid and sticks his nose into traffic.