u18 WJC: Czech Republic

Tournament All-Star Ondrej Pavelec out-played Tuukka Rask head-to-head at the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship but was shaky in the bronze medal game, leaving the Czech Republic out of the medals. We continue our series of notes and scouting reports with Pavelec, Michael Frolik and a host of other Czech players like Martin Hanzal and Vladimir Sobotka.

TOP PERFORMERS

Ondrej Pavelec, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a deserving member of the tournament's All-Star team .. had an inspiring start to the tournament, looking very calm and poised behind the rather unspectacular Czech defense .. out-played highly-touted prospect Tuukka Rask in the game against Finland, where Rask was destroyed by the Czech offensive storm .. had a weaker showing in the match-up against the USA, where the USA shooters burned him on the high glove side .. handled the pressure of the quarterfinal and semifinal games well .. was selected the Czech 'Player of the game' against Russia and Canada .. pulled off a shaky performance in the bronze medal game, allowing three soft goals during the first 13 minutes and was replaced by backup Alexander Salak .. led all tournament goaltenders in minutes played (380:51) .. ranked third among goaltenders with more than 120 minutes in save percentage (.9141) .. ranked second among goaltenders with more than 120 minutes in GAA (2.05) .. recipient of the tournament's 'Top goaltender' award .. All-Star team member.

Scouting: a solid-sized goalie with strong reflexes and anticipation .. more of a butterfly style .. smart at reading the developing plays and reacting to them .. good athleticism and dexterity .. capable of highlight reel saves .. moves well in the crease thanks to his decent skating ability...lateral movement can still be improved .. needs to stay square to the shooter .. adequate flexibility and foot speed .. gets back up quickly when dropping to a butterfly .. an semi-fast glove hand, but still shows occasional trouble on higher-aimed shots .. solid focus and mental toughness .. vulnerable to allowing goals on shots aiming at his five-hole .. prone to allow the odd rebound as a number of pucks bounced right in front of him .. tends to play too deep in the net, thus being more vulnerable to shots than dekes .. average stickhandler.

Tomas Kudelka, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: battled minor problems with his back in the opening game against Switzerland .. was caught flat-footed on several occasions late in the game against Slovakia, but gradually upgraded his play in the contest against Team USA .. showed that when he keeps things simple and chooses the obvious passing lane he can be a very effective defenseman .. repeated the same showing in the semifinal game against Canada and adequately responded to the physical play of the opponent .. quarterbacked the powerplay as the team's second-best player on this position after Jakub Vojta .. didn't keep his feet moving in the bronze-medal game against Sweden and upgraded his play when it was already too late .. finished fourth in tournament defensemen scoring (4 points) .. tied with Tomas Kana for the best Czech passer (4 assists) .. tied with seven more players for the tournament's fourth-best passer .. finished seventh in tournament +/- at +6.

Scouting: a good skater for a player of his size .. solid backwards skating and lateral movement .. strong turns and agility .. adequate acceleration .. bigger top-end speed would make him more effective, but speed isn't really hurting him .. difficult to out-skate for the opposition .. displays solid poise when jumping into the rush .. good offensive creativity .. sometimes careless when moving the puck .. could be more confident in his own abilities on the ice .. adequate puckhandling skills .. willing to use his quickly-released slap shot, but needs to work on accuracy .. doesn't show much aggressiveness in his own zone, where he relies on his above-average smarts and vision .. tends to think twice about hitting .. average at clearing the crease .. still inconsistent .. above-average attitude and work ethic.

Jakub Vojta, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: served as the Czech captain .. had an average start to the tournament in the game against Switzerland with problems in one-on-one situations .. picked his game up in the next match against Slovakia, taking care of both offense and defense .. had a very good two-way showing in the contest against Finland, earning Czech 'Player of the game' honors .. survived the long-awaited test against the USA team with an adequate mark .. he held his own for much of the game but couldn't avoid off-shifts in this one .. played well in the game against Russia with quality passing plays .. was average in the game against Canada, failing to impress on a regular basis and having odd problems in the defensive zone coverage .. faded like much of the Czech defense in the bronze medal game against Sweden.

Scouting: a solid skater with above-average straightaway speed and decent first-step quickness .. adequate lateral movement .. decent balance, but still could use more lower-body strength .. an offensive-minded defenseman .. often joins the rush and supports the offense .. a solid puckhandler who likes to have the puck on his stick .. smart creativity .. good vision and hockey sense .. strong powerplay quarterback .. makes hard and accurate passes at both short and long distances .. willing to let his slap shot go, but has to keep it lower .. doesn't play afraid, but should use his body and hit more often .. doesn't play physically against bigger opponents .. average defensive zone coverage .. suffers from the odd positional breakdown .. can play wing as well .. sub-par attitude and work ethic .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Martin Hanzal, C/LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: was quiet in the beginning of the tournament opener against Switzerland before dominating in the second half of the game .. played a decent game against Slovakia but still could have used his body and instincts more .. really impressed on some shifts against the USA, but didn't play the same style all game long despite bringing home Czech 'Player of the game' award .. pulled off a very good game against Russia, destroying the softer Russians with his belligerent two-way play and good hitting .. the only player who could really show up against the physical style of the Canadian team in the semifinal game .. failed to impress in the first half of the bronze medal game before emerging as a solid force late in the contest .. the best Czech hitter on the tournament .. sixth-best tournament scorer and leading scorer of Team Czech Republic (7 points) .. tied with David Kveton for the best Czech goal scorer (4 goals) .. tied with Petr Kalus for the second-best Czech passer (3 assists) .. most frequent Czech shooter (31 shots) .. ranked second in tournament +/- at +7 tied with teammate Ondrej Pozivil .. finished ninth in face-offs on the tournament (.5802) .. All-Star member.

Scouting: a decent skater for a player of his size .. possesses solid acceleration and agility for a big man .. could still use more lower-body strength in order to upgrade balance .. a decent puckhandler with solid hand-eye coordination .. backhand passes need upgrading .. handles heavy traffic well thanks to his frame .. is blessed with above-average smarts and understanding of the game .. emerges as a solid playmaker with good defensive awareness .. aware of his linemates .. dishes out hard passes through traffic .. unleashes a quick wrist and snap shot .. his slap shot is hard, but needs to be more accurate .. fires the puck often but should develop smoother in-close finishing skills .. works conscientiously in his own end, marking his man fast and blocking the passing lanes .. plays with decent toughness, throwing good hits, but could be a steadier physical presence .. decent in the face-off circle, taking key draws for his team.

David Kuchejda, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: really turned up his play a notch compared with the February tournament .. clicked well with Martin Hanzal .. a combative sparkplug in the opening two games against Switzerland and Slovakia .. named deserving Czech 'Player of the game' against Switzerland .. hit the opposing players with authority despite his lack of size .. battled for the pucks and created quality chances .. spoiled his tournament performance in the game against Team USA, which turned out to be an unprecedented diving show from Kuchejda .. played a solid and gritty game against the Russians and Canadians, but still couldn't avoid the temptation to fall on the ice once touched on the wrist .. awkward in the beginning of the bronze medal game before bringing his game to a decent level in the third period .. finished 17th in tournament scoring .. tied with Michael Frolik and Jiri Tlusty as the second-best Czech goal scorer (3 goals).

Scouting: a slick skater with solid agility and first-step quickness .. shows above-average speed and decent balance .. solid lower-body strength .. blessed with solid puckhandling skills .. covers the puck well despite the size deficiency .. despite his inconsistency, Kuchejda is involved in the games and is willing to execute in traffic .. battles hard in the trenches and wins numerous puck battles every game .. a tenacious forechecker who can wreak havoc in the opponent's end .. isn't a feared physical force thanks to his frame, but doesn't back down from hitting bigger players .. slightly overweight .. an imaginative passer who is a good asset to a scorer .. solid vision and hockey sense .. should develop more intensity in the defensive zone .. needs to stay with his man in his own zone all the way .. displays an ugly penchant to dive a lot.

Michael Frolik, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: battled fatigue from the senior, junior and midget Extraleague playoffs in the beginnings of the tournament, but coped well with the role of a leader since the opening game .. delivered his usual smart performance with lots of crisp passes and sneaky moves .. emerged as a valuable offensive threat also in games against the biggest powers in the tournament like the USA and Canada .. outplayed the porous Russian defense in the quarterfinals .. arguably the top Czech player in the bronze-medal game, dangerous on the vast majority of his shifts despite undeservingly not being named the 'Player of the game' .. a strong performance for Frolik .. 2006 blue-chippers Phil Kessel and Peter Mueller outplayed him on this tournament .. tied with Jiri Tlusty and David Kuchejda for the second-best Czech goal scorer (3 goals) .. second on Team Czech Republic in shots (30).

Scouting: a solid skater with deceptive quickness .. good agility on his skates and a smooth stride .. strong balance and lower-body strength .. above-average stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. moves the puck with grace even in heavy traffic .. can go end-to-end with the puck .. excellent hockey sense and an ability to find the open man .. has a rare sixth sense for controlling the play and finding a passing lane unseen by others .. very strong playmaker .. a good array of shots, but prefers passing to shooting .. unleashes a quick and accurate wrist and snap shot .. okay slap shot .. above-average in-close finishing skills .. solidly built and able to handle traffic without trouble .. doesn't play an overly intimidating style, throwing just the occasional hit .. doesn't get rattled with opponents playing his body .. an '88 born forward.

David Kveton, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: made a good name for himself with his finesse skills in the first two match-ups against Switzerland and Slovakia .. play took a slight step back in the game against the USA, but he didn't look out of place despite the modest frame .. didn't play a very physical style, but didn't back down from traffic either .. was solid in the contest against Russia where he showed his slick puckhandling moves .. snuck into breakaway opportunities in the semifinals against Canada and held his own, but was neutralized on a number of shifts .. didn't impress early in the bronze-medal match, but found his game late in the contest .. finished 11th in tournament scoring .. tied with Martin Hanzal as the best Czech goal scorer (4 goals) .. tied with Tomas Kana for second place in scoring on Team Czech Republic (6 points) .. second on Team Czech Republic in shooting percentage (.3077).

Scouting: an above-average skater with a fast change of pace and deceptive quickness .. shows solid agility along with good acceleration .. needs better 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, but still has to upgrade his defensive awareness, especially the quickness of marking his man .. is very skinny at this point and not a significant physical force .. doesn't dish out many hard hits and relies more on his finesse skills .. an '88 born forward.

Tomas Kana, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: saw a reduced role as a member of the fourth line in the opening two games against Switzerland and Slovakia .. upgraded his play in the contest against Finland, looking more composed on the ice .. blossomed in games against more physical opponents like the USA and Canada despite the lack of size .. was willing to mix things up and play gritty when asked to deliver such a playing style .. showed adequate creativity in the quarterfinal game against Russia .. was trying hard, but wasn't very effective in the bronze-medal game against Sweden despite the fearless style .. finished 12th in tournament scoring .. tied with David Kveton for second place in scoring on Team Czech Republic (6 points) .. tied with Tomas Kudelka for the best Czech passer (4 assists) .. tied with seven more players for the tournament's fourth-best passer.

Scouting: a solid skater with adequate bursts of speed and foot speed .. strong lower-body and balance .. displays a solid stride .. not afraid to finish the checks .. a tenacious forechecker who doesn't tend to take shifts off .. battles for the pucks a lot and is willing to play in traffic regularly, but his smallish size is a disadvantage for him .. a decent stickhandler, but needs to work on dealing with difficult passes .. an adequate passer in-close, but needs to develop smoother in-close finishing skills .. solid variety of shots .. hard slap shot needs to be more accurate .. shows a solid commitment to defensive play .. stays with his man, but still needs work, especially in his positioning in the defensive zone .. blessed with a good work ethic but tends to dive .. a late '87 born forward.

Petr Kalus, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: started the tournament on a hot note, playing a very North American style in the first two games against Switzerland and Slovakia where he delivered some rugged hits and made use of his speed .. withstood the physical challenge against the USA squad without problems, but was particularly hindered by a lack of vision and chemistry within his line .. could skate with the fast Russian players in the quarterfinals, but was quiet after the game had been decided .. surprised with several quick moves in the semifinals against Canada, but generally failed to create much offense .. hardly visible in the bronze-medal game .. tied with Martin Hanzal for the second-best Czech passer (3 assists) .. ranked second on Team Czech Republic in PIM's (12).

Scouting: a quick, slippery skater with above-average quickness and rapid change of pace ... an agile forward .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. solid top-end speed ... a smooth puckhandler who can maneuver in traffic using his nifty stick moves .. prone to 'tunnel vision' as he refuses to use his linemates in many situations .. should develop more creativity .. considerable finishing skills .. releases his wrist shots quickly and with accuracy .. could use more pep behind his adequately accurate slap shot .. a valuable asset to the powerplay units .. a threat in one-on-one situations .. a coachable guy with an adequate attitude .. plays a chippy style and finishes his checks .. prone to some cheap shots during games .. performs in traffic regularly .. more of an offensive forward, Kalus has to display a bigger commitment to the defensive aspect of the game .. should mark his man faster.

OTHER PLAYERS:

David Ruzicka, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: focused on filling a defensive role with quality shooting from the blueline in the first two contests against Switzerland and Slovakia .. was reliable and composed in the slow-paced games, but the higher tempo of the match-up against the USA revealed a glaring downside in Ruzicka's lack of mobility as the faster USA players had an easy time beating him on many occasions .. played adequately well when the Russian players broke down in the quarterfinal game, but registered problems in the opening period .. played a disappointing game against Canada, not making much use of his strong size and struggling against players who made him move .. didn't find his game against Sweden either and played as a friendly, slow giant .. the underager started well, but finished on a very cold note.

Scouting: a big, lanky defenseman .. 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 his advantage and is willing to throw the occasional hit .. solid crease-clearer .. a force in his own zone with his smart positional play and a long reach .. regularly takes his man out of the play .. tries to move the puck, but lacks the elite vision needed to emerge as a two-way force .. a heavy slap shot misses the net too often as he needs to keep it lower.. adding more bulk to his gangly frame is essential .. needs to show more progress in his game .. an '88 born defenseman.

Alexander Hegegy, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: wasn't a significant factor during the tournament .. filled the role of a two-way defenseman in all tournament games, but couldn't avoid defensive lapses and several positional mistakes .. jumped into plays but needs to learn when to support the offense and when to stay back .. the best game of the tournament for Hegegy came against the USA with a solid first two periods before looking fatigued in the third stanza .. made several mistakes in the bronze-medal contest against Sweden .. this tournament didn't help Hegegy boost his stock by a significant extent .. finished ninth in tournament defensemen scoring (2 points).

Scouting: a solid skater with good straightaway speed and decent acceleration .. has to work on his agility and turns .. solid offensive flair and can play wing as well .. boasts decent stickhandling skills .. a solid passer, but sometimes careless with the puck, which leads to turnovers .. suffers from the odd positional breakdown .. needs to improve on his play in his own zone and stay with his man all the way .. fires a hard slap shot with average accuracy .. willing to play the body, but needs to show his mean streak all the time .. rushes the puck many times, but sometimes tries to do too much and creates several turnovers .. needs to improve on his reliability and read the plays better so that he will know when to stay back and when to join the rush .. isn't really soft, but uses his body only to a limited extent .. a late '87 born defenseman.

Ondrej Pozivil, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: looked rusty in the opening game against Switzerland, but played an adequate game on the defensive end .. improved his game against Slovakia, fitting into the team's system and didn't look out of place despite the severe lack of size .. registered an okay showing against Finland on both ends .. USA players burned him with speed and strength in numerous cases, but he still held his own .. played two average games against Russia and Canada, focusing on making a minimum of mistakes .. not very impressive in the bronze-medal game against Sweden, having trouble with Swedish offensive raids .. draft is out of contention with his size and lack of improvement during the season, but this tournament showing was okay .. ranked second in tournament +/- at +7 tied with teammate Martin Hanzal.

Scouting: a diminutive defenseman who has decent skating skills .. displays adequate speed, lateral movement and agility, but often looks tired in late stages of games .. could use more balance in his play .. possesses a solid offensive flair and doesn't hesitate to join the rush .. adequate vision .. needs to improve on his positional play and stay with his man all the way .. should further develop his shooting skills, as he doesn't fire the puck very often .. his shots are quite accurate, but not hard .. biggest downside is his smallish frame .. doesn't play a tough style and relies on his finesse .. big forwards cause him trouble as he doesn't have the strength to outmuscle them either along the boards or in one-on-one battles .. defensive stickhandling is solid .. needs to upgrade on his crease-clearing abilities and work harder down low.

Vladimir Sobotka, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: asked to emerge as one of the team's leaders .. didn't seem to find his game in the first two matches against Switzerland and Slovakia .. battled for the pucks and tried to generate offense, but ended up ineffective on too many shifts for a player of his caliber .. named Czech 'Player of the game' twice against Slovakia and Sweden but none of these selection was really deserving as he didn't really stand out in any of the games .. coped with the physical play of North American teams adequately well and was digging in traffic regularly .. failed to score points and focused on the grinder role more as the tournament went on .. the top Czech face-off man at .6319, good for fourth overall on the tournament.

Scouting: won't jump at you with a huge frame, but he still plays two inches taller and isn't afraid of throwing hard hits or taking a hit to make a play .. drives hard to the net and will dig for the pucks in corners .. has soft hands and emerges as a smooth puck-carrier .. is solid in the face-off circle and gets the job done well on both powerplay and penalty killing units .. isn't afraid of playing in heavy traffic and shows remarkable poise once on a scoring chance .. possesses a heavy slap shot which he unleashes regularly and with solid accuracy .. adept at finding the open man with passes .. a tenacious forechecker .. solid vision and hockey sense .. an okay skater with good agility .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. on the downside still could use more speed .. sometimes misses that extra gear which would send him flying into a scoring chances .. his stride needs some polishing.

Tomas Pospisil, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: impressed early in the opening game against Switzerland with swift puck movement, but faded for the rest of the match-up .. played slightly better in the game against Slovakia, but lacked the extra gear which would send him into breakaway chances .. hit by hard luck on scoring chances, but also failed to show up in heavy traffic in the game against USA .. the game against Russia found him in better shape as he danced with the puck around opponents several times, but his lack of productivity still hurt him .. was neutralized by the physical play of the Canadian team and suffered a minor rib cage injury in this game .. looked average in the last game against Sweden and didn't save his rating on this tournament from falling.

Scouting: a solid skater with okay acceleration and agility .. developed solid lower-body strength and is already upgrading his balance .. uses solid smarts and instincts to generate offense .. a smooth puckhandler .. is patient with the puck, waiting for the plays to develop and then making the right decision .. can set up his linemates, but is adept at scoring as well .. a solid array of shots and unleashes a quick, accurate wrist shot and a solid slap shot with adequate accuracy .. is okay in one-on-one situations and can beat the opposing defensemen with his smooth stick moves .. found a decent commitment to the physical play .. isn't afraid of performing in traffic and throwing the occasional hit .. can still be knocked off the puck occasionally by bigger opponents .. as an offensive-minded forward, he has to further improve on his defensive responsibility .. intensity in the defensive zone drops off and he doesn't mark his man very quickly .. shoots right.

Tomas Svoboda, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: didn't look very impressive at the beginning of the tournament .. coaching staff provided him with a significant portion of playing time, but Svoboda was shying away from crashing the net and performing in heavy traffic .. wasn't a quality force in any of the games he dressed for .. the best came in the drubbing of the Finnish team .. the more physical game of the USA team caused him problems as Svoboda didn't find a way to cope with it .. tore his ACL in the semifinal game against Canada and underwent a knee operation the next day .. sidelined for the remainder of the tournament.

Scouting: a solid skater with a fluid stride and okay acceleration .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create plays .. is prone to over-handling the puck at times .. a smooth puckhandler with soft hands .. can make plays from both sides of the stick and can deal with difficult passes .. shows a decent vision, but is prone to the odd bad pass .. needs to be more persistent around the net .. solid finishing skills and utilizes a good variety of shots .. one of his best weapons is his quick and accurate snap shot .. slap and wrist shot are of decent accuracy .. needs to bulk up considerably in order to be more effective .. the main knock against him is the fact he plays soft and avoids playing in traffic .. he doesn't hit very often and refuses to perform in the corners .. tends to wander in the defensive zone and his intensity drops when asked to play defensively .. doesn't mark his man quickly enough and needs to work on defensive positioning .. shoots right.

Jiri Tlusty, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: arguably the best Czech forward in the first period of the opening game against Switzerland before fading for the remainder of the game .. played snake-bitten in the game against Slovakia, but emerged as a way more valuable force in the game against the USA, dealing with the physical play well and contributing at both ends of the ice .. focused on playing the role of the defensive forward in the game against Canada and didn't impress on the offensive side .. average in the game against Sweden with a number of off-shifts .. a bit inconsistent, but showed remarkable potential as an underager .. tied with Michael Frolik and David Kuchejda as the second-best Czech goal scorer (3 goals) .. led Team Czech Republic in shooting percentage (.3750).

Scouting: a well-balanced skater .. solid lower-body strength makes him a player who is very tough to knock off the puck .. boasts a powerful stride, but still could work on acceleration .. decent agility and top-end speed .. improved his stickhandling skills, but still doesn't have the best hands .. can shoot and pass equally well .. capable of finding the open man with a crisp pass .. fires an accurate wrist and snap shot .. slap shot is semi-hard, but 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 his average size .. an '88 born forward.

Ondrej Fiala, C (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: the sturdy forward was an useful member of the checking line .. worked hard in all three zones and proved that he can thrive in the two-way game during the first two contests against Switzerland and Slovkia .. didn't see a lot of ice time against the USA squad and focused on filling a gritty checking role adequately well .. had an off-game against Russia, where he didn't find a way to play his game and ended up floating on most of his shifts .. picked his game up against Canada and was involved more, not showing fear when having to battle the biggest and toughest opponents .. didn't completely disappoint in the bronze-medal game against Sweden, but more offense was asked from the late '87 born forward.

Scouting: a sturdy skater with above-average balance and lower-body strength .. powerful stride, but could use improvement in his overall speed and first-step quickness .. a combative forward .. plays a belligerent style with lots of intensity and determination .. is willing to muck in the corners and play where it hurts .. a good hitter and uses his size to his advantage .. some filling out for him left to do .. shows a good commitment to the defensive duties and fits the mold of a grinding, two-way forward .. sees the ice quite well and is a solid tape-on-tape passer .. good variety of shots, including a heavy slap shot with adequate accuracy .. on the downside he needs to upgrade his puckhandling skills .. he doesn't have the softest hands and could make more nifty moves .. a late '87 born forward.

Jakub Cerny, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: replaced the injured Tomas Svoboda in the lineup for the semifinal game against Canada after just practicing with the team in the opening stages of the tournament .. wasn't expected to be a significant force against Canada and didn't turn heads, but showed that he is ready to give his best for the team to succeed by trying hard in game situations despite not thriving in traffic .. hardly did anything of interest in the bronze-medal game and was just floating on the periphery for most of his shifts while not getting much support from his linemates.

Scouting: an okay skater with solid bursts of speed and agility .. good foot speed and first-step quickness, but needs to upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. can maneuver with the puck in traffic relatively well thanks to his good stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. good understanding of the game .. can get into scoring position .. unleashes a fast and accurate wrist shot, but his slap shot needs to be harder .. is used on powerplays as a defenseman .. shows decent passing skills and is adept at finding his linemates .. isn't much of a physical force and can get out-muscled in the corner battles .. needs to upgrade his defensive awareness .. is willing to return back to his own end, but should mark his man more quickly and stay with him.

Alexander Salak, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: served as the backup goaltender and got into playing action only in the bronze medal game against Sweden where starter Ondrej Pavelec was pulled after a shaky performance .. handled the pressure of this situation adequately well and helped the team with several solid saves, but couldn't avoid the Czech team finishing fourth.

Scouting: a quick, smallish goaltender .. displays good movement in the crease .. a solid skater .. moves effectively side-to-side and is quick to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. stays square to the shooter and shows poise and confidence, waiting for the shooter to make the first move .. positions himself square to the shooter and is tough to beat on the initial shot .. solid athleticism .. above-average reflexes enable him to handle most rebounds well .. on the downside, he lacks size and doesn't have any outstanding intangibles to make up for this drawback .. is more vulnerable in the upper half of the net thanks to an average glove hand and a penchant to go down too early sometimes .. isn't a total liability when handling the puck, but still needs further progress.