C Radek Faksa (2012, 13th, DAL)

[J22*]

Wild fan here. How does this kid compare to Koivu?

 

[CharlieGirl]

Is Radek Faska type of playing similar to Anze Kopitar? If not, which player he should be compared to in the NHL?

Kopitar is a pretty good comparison. Skilled, big, very good defensively, and doesn't shy away from physical play but it's also not a big part of his game.

 

[Bob Barker]

Posted it elsewhere and will post it here too.

Really don't understand how people can call Faksa a Landeskog clone when:

a. People then say, "yeah, but he's not nearly as physical".

b. People also say, "but he's got much more offensive potential".


So how the hell is he a clone or a similar player? I've only seen Faksa 3-4 times and I wasn't blown away and he reminded me nothing of Landeskog. When I watched Landy with Kitchener he was the most physical guy on the ice.

In my opinion, Landeskog was clearly a better prospect than Faksa. Faksa is okay, but not on the same level. I understand why you weren't blown away.

 

[McNuge]

Lando and Faksa are similar in the sense of grit and physicality with Lando being a bit more physical though. IMO Faksa is much better offensively and is a better playmaker. Don't get me wrong I loved Lando when he played for the Rangers but the large majority of his goals were right in front of the net dumpin in the garbage, while he also played with much better players (Akeson and Tipoff both overagers) compared to the players Faksa is playing with now. Defensively its hard for me to chose since I have been watching Faksa now rather than Lando but the one thing that I love about Faksa is that if he is stripped fo the puck 70-80% of the time he somehow ends up behind the guy and just takes it right back.

All in all kid is a top 2 center with an awesome shot, if Kitchener gets their act together he could end up going top 10 (in a little slump right now)

 

[CharlieGirl]

Landeskog is far more than a bit more physical than Faksa - there is no comparison. Faksa isn't soft by any means, but he doesn't initiate contact the way Landeskog does.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

bump as the draft comes nearer and I haven't seen much of his defensive game so wonder how it is.

 

[DekeLikeYouMeanIt]

There are talks that he's been working in his own zone in the 2nd half of the season as per coach instruction. Any K.Rangers fans wanna confirm?

 

[Bjorn Le]

Don't know anything about that but he's been a strong defensive player all season, he seems to be working more on offense this half.

 

[KevinRedkey]

I think he might go top 10 (closer to 10 tho) considering he's the best forward outside the "big three". There is a huge shortage of 1st round forwards, and he could benefit.

 

[Tim Wallach]

There are talks that he's been working in his own zone in the 2nd half of the season as per coach instruction. Any K.Rangers fans wanna confirm?

Brock Otten who does a very respected OHL blog calls Faksa the top defensive forward in the Western Conference. That's high praise amongst a number of credible contenders.

I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but it tells you all you should need to know about his defensive game.

If I have knocks on him it's with offensive consistency/net presence. He went through lulls where he wasn't getting to the net and using his skills. And secondly, his skating needs some work. At full stride he has to rely on body position and shifty-ness to create room as he rarely pulls away from anyone.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'm betting that Carolina drafts him. They are currently sitting in the 5th draft spot, but given how they've been playing, I could see them slipping to the 7th or 8th spot in the draft. And Rutherford sticks with trends and has taken guys from Kitchener with their last two first round picks (Skinner and Murphy).

 

[CharlieGirl]

I'm betting that Carolina drafts him. They are currently sitting in the 5th draft spot, but given how they've been playing, I could see them slipping to the 7th or 8th spot in the draft. And Rutherford sticks with trends and has taken guys from Kitchener with their last two first round picks (Skinner and Murphy).

Aw come on, you guys. No more Rangers to Carolina.

Besides, we don't trust you to return a big strong solid two-way forward to the OHL.

 

[seafoam]

Bump, when will he get drafted? Will a team like Toronto who needs a center take him in the top ten or will he be gone by then anyway? I'm hoping the Isles use their lottery pick to trade down and grab Faksa, and one of Girgensons/Hertl/Collberg/Lindholm/Bystrom/Aberg...

 

[Ringing Iron]

Bump, when will he get drafted? Will a team like Toronto who needs a center take him in the top ten or will he be gone by then anyway? I'm hoping the Isles use their lottery pick to trade down and grab Faksa, and one of Girgensons/Hertl/Collberg/Lindholm/Bystrom/Aberg...

IMO, Faksa likely goes somewhere from 7th - 15th but more likely right around 10-12. I think (or hope) that Toronto takes the best player available approach and if they do that then Faksa shouldn't be a Leaf. Reasoning; I don't think Faksa is a top 8 player in this draft nor do I feel he fills that #1C need that Leafs are seeking.

The Isles could be willing to deal down (makes sense) as there are a few teams that SHOULD move up to get the player who fills their needs (ie Toronto - ideally they need to be in a top 4 spot)

 

[WhiteTrashAmerican]

The Hurricanes are going to draft Faksa assuming he is available. I'd bet anything on it.

 

[DuncanMacpherson]

I could see the leafs taking him if they are picking 6th or 7th

 

[ponder]

I have only seen a few of his games over the last 2 years, but I do worry that for a guy getting hyped as a top 10 pick, he doesn't seem very dominant offensively. He has never really stood out to me on the ice the way most really high forward picks do, doesn't seem to be one of those special players who the puck just follows around. I don't really see the Kopitar comparisons, Kopitar has dirty hands and is a real puck possession player who can really hold onto the puck, Faksa seems to play a much simpler north/south game. I also think his 6'3" listed height is a bit generous, he doesn't look THAT big on the ice. If I was using a really high pick on him, I'd be worried that he won't amount to much more than a good #3 C at the NHL level, and that he only seems like a strong forward prospect because this draft is pretty weak in terms of forwards. As the prospect he is today, if this was the 2011 draft he'd IMO be going in the Armia/McNeill range (16-18), I think he's mostly getting top 10 hype because this is a dman heavy/forward weak draft.

 

[Royal Canuck]

This kid has been rising in the rankings since the beginning of the year. I've seen him at #4 on some people's lists. he was a late 1st rounder about 4 months ago. Incredible.

 

[Tim Wallach]

I have only seen a few of his games over the last 2 years, but I do worry that for a guy getting hyped as a top 10 pick, he doesn't seem very dominant offensively. He has never really stood out to me on the ice the way most really high forward picks do, doesn't seem to be one of those special players who the puck just follows around. I don't really see the Kopitar comparisons, Kopitar has dirty hands and is a real puck possession player who can really hold onto the puck, Faksa seems to play a much simpler north/south game. I also think his 6'3" listed height is a bit generous, he doesn't look THAT big on the ice. If I was using a really high pick on him, I'd be worried that he won't amount to much more than a good #3 C at the NHL level, and that he only seems like a strong forward prospect because this draft is pretty weak in terms of forwards. As the prospect he is today, if this was the 2011 draft he'd IMO be going in the Armia/McNeill range (16-18), I think he's mostly getting top 10 hype because this is a dman heavy/forward weak draft.

As a Kitchener STH, I have been cautioning teams in the top-10 about him for a while. He has a great package, but not that high-end, elite offensive dominance you'd like to see in a top-10 forward pick. He had a big lull after Christmas that lasted almost two months. He seemed to be fatigued, a step behind and not responding to more intense checking.

However, I will say that he has found his next gear again. The last couple weeks and into the playoffs he has been stellar. He is a 200-foot player who is smart, smart, smart. And while he won't dazzle with constant offence, he is slick enough to create chances and bury it when he needs to. i.e. He's a threat.

I still struggle with taking him in the top-10, but he has to be a solid 10-15 pick.

 

[BenchedGuy]

As a Kitchener STH, I have been cautioning teams in the top-10 about him for a while. He has a great package, but not that high-end, elite offensive dominance you'd like to see in a top-10 forward pick. He had a big lull after Christmas that lasted almost two months. He seemed to be fatigued, a step behind and not responding to more intense checking.

However, I will say that he has found his next gear again. The last couple weeks and into the playoffs he has been stellar. He is a 200-foot player who is smart, smart, smart. And while he won't dazzle with constant offence, he is slick enough to create chances and bury it when he needs to. i.e. He's a threat.

I still struggle with taking him in the top-10, but he has to be a solid 10-15 pick.

The lull you mention was not 2 months IMO. He had the World JR tourney to deal with and that in itself is taxing. I too see other players better than him but in regards to forwards, I put him behind Yakapov, Grigorenko and Galenchyuk.

 

[Patty Roy]

The lull you mention was not 2 months IMO. He had the World JR tourney to deal with and that in itself is taxing. I too see other players better than him but in regards to forwards, I put him behind Yakapov, Grigorenko and Galenchyuk.

Ahead of Forsberg?

 

[BenchedGuy]

Ahead of Forsberg?

I do. But obviously I have seen more of Radek than video of Filip.

For the only reason that I feel offensively they are equally impressive. I like Radek's game defensively better. He's also very effective on the PK IMO.

 

[Tim Wallach]

The lull you mention was not 2 months IMO. He had the World JR tourney to deal with and that in itself is taxing. I too see other players better than him but in regards to forwards, I put him behind Yakapov, Grigorenko and Galenchyuk.

In my opinion the dip in play was at least two months. But we can agree to disagree.

It's hard for anyone to compare him to a Forsberg or any European based player because we just don't see them enough. I get annoyed reading these lame "scouting reports" on Faksa from fans who saw him play a handful of shifts in the WJC. It's that kind of limited scouting that force NHL teams to make mistakes.

Faksa needs to add a bit of bulk to endure a full season and more of a mean streak wouldn't hurt. But there's a lot to like.

 

[ponder]

As a Kitchener STH, I have been cautioning teams in the top-10 about him for a while. He has a great package, but not that high-end, elite offensive dominance you'd like to see in a top-10 forward pick. He had a big lull after Christmas that lasted almost two months. He seemed to be fatigued, a step behind and not responding to more intense checking.

However, I will say that he has found his next gear again. The last couple weeks and into the playoffs he has been stellar. He is a 200-foot player who is smart, smart, smart. And while he won't dazzle with constant offence, he is slick enough to create chances and bury it when he needs to. i.e. He's a threat.

I still struggle with taking him in the top-10, but he has to be a solid 10-15 pick.

Yeah, from the little I've seen of him, he seems to have a complete game for sure, effective all over the ice in all situations. But like you, in the games I've seen of his (not many), he hasn't dazzled me offensively. A 2-way forward who should be a good #3 C in the NHL, with the upside to maybe be a good #2 C in the NHL if he develops really well, that's definitely worth a pick around the middle of the 1st round, but I'm not so sure about projecting him around the 5-8 range like many are suggesting. Yes, he's one of the better forwards in this draft, but I think taking him over dmen like Trouba and Rielly could be a mistake, regardless of team needs.

 

[Petter Granberg]

As a Kitchener STH, I have been cautioning teams in the top-10 about him for a while. He has a great package, but not that high-end, elite offensive dominance you'd like to see in a top-10 forward pick. He had a big lull after Christmas that lasted almost two months. He seemed to be fatigued, a step behind and not responding to more intense checking.

However, I will say that he has found his next gear again. The last couple weeks and into the playoffs he has been stellar. He is a 200-foot player who is smart, smart, smart. And while he won't dazzle with constant offence, he is slick enough to create chances and bury it when he needs to. i.e. He's a threat.

I still struggle with taking him in the top-10, but he has to be a solid 10-15 pick.

This. I'm a Rangers STH as well and there are a lot of things to like about his game, but I don't think he'll ever be a top line player. Very smart, safe, good in both ends, calming presence, competes on the boards, with a booming shot. But he doesn't see the ice incredibly well and his hands are quite average. Maybe he's a top ten pick in the sense that his game is pretty developed already and he's a safe pick, but potential wise, he's probably a second line center at best.