U19 5-Nations: Jekyll Hyde Vojta

After getting upset by Switzerland 2-1, a worn-out Czech Republic team had nothing left in the tank the next day (Saturday) against Sweden as the host nation won a clearcut 4-1 decision.

The Swedes outmuscled and outplayed a bleak-looking Czech team who can thank goalie Radek Fiala and sheer luck for not getting completely blown out.

The Czechs opened the tournament on a promising note with wins over Finland (3-2) and Germany (6-3, but ended up finishing in third spot behind Sweden and Finland.

Tournament Standings and Stats

Jakub Vojta (2005), D, Sparta Praha

One of the few Czech players to come away clean from the debacle against Sweden .. can look totally disinterested at times, appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential .. the kind of player who is in complete control of everything on the rink and is capable of adjusting the pace of the game to his liking .. an excellent passer, constantly delivers crisp feeds .. very soft hands and extremely effective quarterbacking the powerplay .. possesses a decent slapshot with a quick release .. .very confident handling the puck .. always in command and, though not a blistering skater, has the ability to carry the puck end to end thanks to a solid combination of poise, intelligence and stickhandling abilities .. does the job defensively as well .. not overly physical, but is usually where he needs to be on the ice. (4-1-0-1)

Lukas Endal (2005), LW, Slavia Praha

Intriguing winger delivered a puzzling performance which begs the question - does he lack work ethic or conditioning? .. he definitely showed that he has the tools offensively, but not often enough to really help his team .. possesses a natural scoring touch and knows what to do and where to be around the net .. also boasts a quick wristshot which can be difficult for goalies to get a good read on .. doesn't get involved physically at all however .. loses almost every battle along the boards despite having a good frame .. must improve his competitiveness in these situations .. a fluid skater, although he seems to lack a superior top gear, at least most of the time .. perks up considerably every time there is a powerplay though, suddenly becoming quite energetic .. all-in-all, a player who has the tools but who still needs to put it together. (4-1-3-4)

Stanislav Balan (Nsh), C, Zlin

Playmaking center was selected in the draft last year by Nashville but, judging from his performance at this tournament, it's hard to see why the Preds even bothered .. a typical soft Czech pivot who will likely enjoy a productive pro career in Europe and that's about it .. he handles the puck well and wants to be creative and set up good plays, however, he isn't willing to pay any kind of price for it .. shies away as soon as there is any sign of traffic .. avoiding all hits seems to be his primary objective on the ice .. his reluctance to enter the danger areas might be a confidence issue as he's still very lanky and weakish .. naturally he should bulk up and that will allow him to play a tougher game and better absorb hits .. also needs to continue to improve his skating, which is technically sound but lacks that extra bite in his legwork. (4-1-1-2)

Tomas Kana (2006), C, Vitkovice

One of the few 2006 draft eligibles in this tournament, Kana certainly held his own on this Czech team .. has the playmaking eye and stickhandles quite well .. unlike his older teammate Balan, Kana isn't afraid on the ice and at least tries to play a fearless game .. did a decent job keeping bigger and stronger players off his back .. makes the right decisions but he clearly needs to get stronger in the legs as well as the upper body .. would also benefit from learning to shoot the puck more frequently. (4-0-0-0)

Tomas Mertl (2005), C, Ceske Budejovice

Another undersized Czech pivot, though he at least seems to possess a more interesting upside than the likes of Stanislav Balan .. Mertl constantly moves his legs and is a very quick skater, which is essential considering his lack of size .. tends to still take shifts off however, as a lot of players on this team seem to do .. a strong puckcarrier who excels at running the powerplay.. boasts a pretty strong wristshot .. defensively sound and a definite 'go-to' guy at this level .. however, given his size and the fact that he got overlooked last season, may likely keep him out of the draft again next time. (4-2-0-2)

Michal Psurny (2005), RW, Zlin

Psurny was the obvious offensive catalyst for the Czech team, although even he slowly faded away as the games went on .. .a quick skater but still a little short of having pure breakaway speed .. very good work ethic, really shows a desire to win which tends to rub on to his linemates .. doesn't shy away from the physical part of the game despite being no giant himself .. shifty, good stickhandler, likes to show off his deking skills which are certainly a key weapon in his arsenal .. also possesses a quick wristshot, though he still could use work on his accuracy as he often misses the net by quite a few feet even when fairly close to goal, which never looks very reassuring. (4-2-3-5)

Radek Fiala (2005), G, Litvinov

Was the lucky recipient of some poor aiming on the part of opponents and from some hit goalposts and crossbars, however he also pulled off some old-fashioned Dominik Hasek-style saves to keep the Czechs alive, especially in the game against Sweden .. Fiala plays a butterfly style and is quick to get down on the ice, and subsequently has good coverage down low .. also showed off a fast glove on occasion when catching a few booming shots from the blueline .. stayed in his net consistently and never played the puck with his stick .. lacks some in the agility department, so his lateral movement can appear a bit sluggish at times, which can lead to positional breakdowns. (2.25, .925)