Prospect Info: 6th Overall Pick: Pavel Zacha

[Cheddabombs]

It's almost identical to Crouse's scoring rates, except Crouse was on a worse team. Pretty sure not everyone was ready to peg Crouse as a top-6 NHL scorer.

Context is so important here, and you should know the differences between both players' situations by now.

 

[NHL Fanatik*]

Zacha will play at least 5 NHL games - fact

 

[SeidoN]

Zacha will play at least 5 NHL games - fact

e5

4char

 

[JimEIV]

It's almost identical to Crouse's scoring rates, except Crouse was on a worse team. Pretty sure not everyone was ready to peg Crouse as a top-6 NHL scorer.

If the conversation is about "NHL ready", Crouse has widely been considered the most NHL ready player in the draft for quite some time.

Where an 18 player slots is kind of irrelevant, that probably has more to do with the team he's going to and how the particular players fits.

If Zacha shows he is mentally prepared for the NHL from September through early October, I see no problem with letting him play.

 

[JimEIV]

Zacha will play at least 5 NHL games - fact

I would think that he still would have to earn the opportunity in Preseason.

 

[NHL Fanatik*]

e5

4char

basically lol. it is all but confirmed at this point.

 

[NHL Fanatik*]

I would think that he still would have to earn the opportunity in Preseason.

He would have to have an extremely disappointing camp to not get in for 5 games with Elias

 

[JimEIV]

He would have to have an extremely disappointing camp to not get in for 5 games with Elias

Well I hope there is a higher threshold than that...the NHL isn't a kiddie league and we don't want this kid hurt.

If were up to me he would have to pass 3 test to get NHL games:

1. July prospect camp. Here he has to be head and shoulders above everyone else.

2. Training camp. Here he has to look like he belongs.

3. Exhibition games. Here he has to produce something while not looking like a deer in headlights....

Do all those things and he should get NHL games then reevaluated.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Well I hope there is a higher threshold than that...the NHL isn't a kiddie league and we don't want this kid hurt.

If were up to me he would have to pass 3 test to get NHL games:

1. July prospect camp. Here he has to be head and shoulders above everyone else.

2. Training camp. Here he has to look like he belongs.

3. Exhibition games. Here he has to produce something while not looking like a deer in headlights....

Do all those things and he should get NHL games then reevaluated.

Like to hope this is exactly how the staff is approaching this. Depending on how open the camps are we really won't know much until preseason games as far as our eyes go.

 

[JimEIV]

Like to hope this is exactly how the staff is approaching this. Depending on how open the camps are we really won't know much until preseason games as far as our eyes go.

Well I'm sure TG will give us enough clues during prospect camp and training camp to give us some idea of how it is going.

 

[Tretyak 20]

Well I hope there is a higher threshold than that...the NHL isn't a kiddie league and we don't want this kid hurt.

If were up to me he would have to pass 3 test to get NHL games:

1. July prospect camp. Here he has to be head and shoulders above everyone else.

2. Training camp. Here he has to look like he belongs.

3. Exhibition games. Here he has to produce something while not looking like a deer in headlights....

Do all those things and he should get NHL games then reevaluated.

Agreed.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Well I'm sure TG will give us enough clues during prospect camp and training camp to give us some idea of how it is going.

I do suspect parts of camp will be more open to the public this year then past years and a few posters can give us their insights as well.

 

[Devils Dominion]

I do suspect parts of camp will be more open to the public this year then past years and a few posters can give us their insights as well.

I think you're on to something.

 

[AvsGuy]

In my excitement in getting Rantanen, it slipped my mind that Zacha is a pretty damn good pick for the Devils. I wanted him for a time on the Avs, I think he's got future Kopitar capabilities and will be exactly what the Devils needed out of this draft.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Well I hope there is a higher threshold than that...the NHL isn't a kiddie league and we don't want this kid hurt.

If were up to me he would have to pass 3 test to get NHL games:

1. July prospect camp. Here he has to be head and shoulders above everyone else.

2. Training camp. Here he has to look like he belongs.

3. Exhibition games. Here he has to produce something while not looking like a deer in headlights....

Do all those things and he should get NHL games then reevaluated.

If all these happen, I'd have no problem with him sticking around for awhile. I just think assuming he'll be on the NHL team before any of these have happened doesn't make sense. I don't see any point in assuming he's "NHL ready" (which is basically scout-speak for "over 6'2" and 195 pounds") until we've seen a shred of evidence that suggests so.

 

[Jtown]

Hey Guys,

Over on the FLyers board a few of us were trying to get an amateur scouting project going where we would watch a player numerous times then come up with a scouting report. At the time I did this i was really interested in Zacha as a player the flyers should be interested. I did a scouting report on him and here it is, i figured you guys might be interested in it. If you have any questions just ask.

Originally what i wanted to do was have a variety of people on the board look at prospects they were interested in for a scouting project. However there wasn not enough interest to do that, so I just went ahead and did some very amateur scouting on zacha a prospect that I find intriguing.

Zacha is really an enigma. There are times where he is the fastest skater on the ice , and there are times where he looks slow. There are times where he looks defensively responsible and there are times where he looks like he has no clue what he is doing on defense. There are very few consistencies about his game but the few I will list.

Areas where he is good

1. Great hands, he is very good accurate passer , can dangle, receives passes nicely and in stride. Just great soft strong hands all around

2. Physical. He is a great forechecker. Simple as that.

3. Elite shooting capability , with great release, accuracy, and abiity to get shots off.


Areas where I think he is bad at

1. Mental aspects of the game. More on this later.


Areas where he struggles to find concistency

1. Skating. At times when he puts his nose down and moves his legs his skating is elite top speed and elite acceleration. You may only see those shifts 2x a game which is ashame. Most of the time he is not moving his legs and kinda just gliding. I don't know if this is a concious thing he is doing or if the mental aspect of the game is hindering his ability to impact it physically.

2. Defense. There are times where he plays deep into his own zone and has the puck skills and skating to break out all on his own with ease. There are times where he cheats up ice and does not fulfill his responsibilities as a center and as result Sarnia fails to clear the zone. When he is facing his man he is a pretty good defensive center because of his ability to cover a huge area of the ice with his size ,skating and reach. He is not very good at faceoffs from what i could tell.

3. Playing Center. Zacha may not be a natural center, but again he had a lot working against him this year in Sarnia.


Advocay on his part:

Zacha played on a pretty bad sarnia team this year. NOt much talent, and from most of the games i saw they really struggled to clear the puck out of their zone. Zacha was tasked as a first year NA player to center their top line. Zacha was clearly the most talented Forward on the team and was suspended twice this year and injured his shoulder as well as playing in the wjc this season. All those interruptions prevented him from finding any consistency in his game , along with being a first time NA player. I can fully understand why some considered his rookie year to be a dissappointment , but he had so much working against him this year I can see why he may have struggled. I don't think we saw him at his best this year.

Final Notes:

I am scared of Zacha as a fan of the flyers. I am scared of him busting if we select him, but what i am most scared of is us passing on him and him finally blossoming and becoming an absolute force. Zacha clearly struggled in the NA game. I think he would've looked a lot better and put up more guady numbers as a winger but going through the growing pains now may benefit him more next year. He absolutely has first line 2 way center potential which is extremley rare. He has also shown he has no sort of consistency in his overall game right now. Young players are rarely consitent, and considering this was his first year playing in north america i can sympathize with why he did not have the consistency you would expect.

Best case scenario is this, Zacha has top 3 talent and was unable to show that this year because of a disasterous up and down season with no rhythm and some fortunate team is able to get him while his value is lowest.

Worst case scenario is for all his physical gifts zacha has zero hockey sense which makes him unable to make a signifcant impact.

On the High end he could be Jeff Carter

On the Low end he could be Benoit Pouliot.

 

[HobokenIrish]

Hey Guys,

Over on the FLyers board a few of us were trying to get an amateur scouting project going where we would watch a player numerous times then come up with a scouting report. At the time I did this i was really interested in Zacha as a player the flyers should be interested. I did a scouting report on him and here it is, i figured you guys might be interested in it. If you have any questions just ask.

Thanks for this. Really looking forward to hear how he does in Development camp and then in Training camp

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

If all these happen, I'd have no problem with him sticking around for awhile. I just think assuming he'll be on the NHL team before any of these have happened doesn't make sense. I don't see any point in assuming he's "NHL ready" (which is basically scout-speak for "over 6'2" and 195 pounds") until we've seen a shred of evidence that suggests so.

You don't have to assume, the Devils brain trust think he is as do nhl scouts.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

Stud!!

https://instagram.com/p/48fe-jFQAK/?taken-by=pavelzacha14

 

[Emperoreddy]

Overall it seems he needs to be coached more then anything.

Unseen and I presented this argument. Do you trust him with Sarnia or do you prefer our coaching staff?

 

[Cheddabombs]

Overall it seems he needs to be coached more then anything.

Unseen and I presented this argument. Do you trust him with Sarnia or do you prefer our coaching staff?

Solely based on that, I'd rather him here. I think Hynes and co can do a nice job helping him adjust to not only the NA game, but also the NHL and the style of play they want to instill. But that shouldn't be the only measurement going into it. This is a high profile prospect, rushing him for the sake of better coaching just doesn't seem worth it if he doesn't show he's ready. He had a lot of obstacles last season and I'd be more comfortable in him continuing to adjust in a less pressure-filled situation. Because if he plays with us it'll most likely be 2nd line minutes, in which I'd expect him to produce.

 

[Davegarri]

Stud!!

https://instagram.com/p/48fe-jFQAK/?taken-by=pavelzacha14

Lol I've gotta follow him

Edit: Lol this kid's madly in love with that chick. Hopefully she's not a gold digger

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Hey Guys,

Over on the FLyers board a few of us were trying to get an amateur scouting project going where we would watch a player numerous times then come up with a scouting report. At the time I did this i was really interested in Zacha as a player the flyers should be interested. I did a scouting report on him and here it is, i figured you guys might be interested in it. If you have any questions just ask.

Thank you for coming over to share your scouting report on Zacha. It was a good, interesting read.

 

[Devil X]

Overall it seems he needs to be coached more then anything.

Unseen and I presented this argument. Do you trust him with Sarnia or do you prefer our coaching staff?

I had mentioned this also. Frankly, while i know juniors coaches deal with it more i think i would rather have him with the NHL staff. The guys we have in place seem more about developing players then our past staff. If Deboer and co were here i would say i want him in Sernia learning if he isnt head and shoulders above the rest. Meaning clearly NHL ready.

Solely based on that, I'd rather him here. I think Hynes and co can do a nice job helping him adjust to not only the NA game, but also the NHL and the style of play they want to instill. But that shouldn't be the only measurement going into it. This is a high profile prospect, rushing him for the sake of better coaching just doesn't seem worth it if he doesn't show he's ready. He had a lot of obstacles last season and I'd be more comfortable in him continuing to adjust in a less pressure-filled situation. Because if he plays with us it'll most likely be 2nd line minutes, in which I'd expect him to produce.

One thing I wonder about is does Zacha have a physical game thats too much for juniors. Is he holding back at all because he was suspended a few times? Did he let up at all worried about that? Did it affect they way he played? Those are things he doesnt have to worry about as much in the NHL.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Solely based on that, I'd rather him here. I think Hynes and co can do a nice job helping him adjust to not only the NA game, but also the NHL and the style of play they want to instill. But that shouldn't be the only measurement going into it. This is a high profile prospect, rushing him for the sake of better coaching just doesn't seem worth it if he doesn't show he's ready. He had a lot of obstacles last season and I'd be more comfortable in him continuing to adjust in a less pressure-filled situation. Because if he plays with us it'll most likely be 2nd line minutes, in which I'd expect him to produce.

Oh I didn't mean for it to be the only consideration. Only that it should at least be considered among the other more obvious factors.

And you are right. Zacha is high profile. Maybe one of if not our most important prospect. We HAVE to get his development right. Especially because his ceiling seems extremely high.

High enough to be the cornerstone of our forwards that can lead us back to contender status.