Czech prospects update thread

[Goodman68]

People always default to “he needs to get stronger” and “he needs to improve defensively” with smaller players but I don’t think that’s the issue with him.

In the matches against the Swiss, he had big problems in personal duels. That he needs to get stronger is certain. I already wrote it, his father was a very strong player even when he was small. There's a good chance it will be similar.
And what do you think his problem is?

 

[Czechboy]

Is the Canada game on CT24? Or anywhere?

 

[pgfan66]

In the matches against the Swiss, he had big problems in personal duels. That he needs to get stronger is certain. I already wrote it, his father was a very strong player even when he was small. There's a good chance it will be similar.
And what do you think his problem is?

I’m not sure if it will be a problem, but to be a high draft pick he’ll have to stop playing like the fourth forward on every shift. It’s fine to do so when the opportunity is there, but he’s completely careless at times and just jumps up any chance he gets, which often means forwards have to cover for him when they shouldn’t have to and it can lead to odd-man rushes. He has all the skill in the world and is a fantastic skater, but he needs to be more selective about using it.

 

[pgfan66]

I spent quite a bit of time getting caught up on Czech prospects the last few weeks, so here's my pre-season ranking with no guarantees that it's complete. There's a good chance I missed someone and I'm sure this list will look completely different at the end of the season, but I like to have something to go back to and compare at the end of the season.

1. D Adam Jiricek
I like his skating and puck skills but was higher on his brother at the same age because of his size, compete and hockey sense. So as of today I don't think Adam will go as high as David, but he's without a doubt a very likely first-rounder.

2. D Tomas Galvas
This might come back to bite me but Galvas' offensive upside is too high to ignore. The question mark for me is how well he'll transition to the next level, whether it's pro or major junior, especially in terms of his ability to be effective defensively. If the transition is successful, the sky is the limit.

3. F Adam Jecho
Big centres with hockey sense are always interesting. Jecho has yet to wow me in the way that a guy like Galvas has, but there's so much potential there. His foot speed and overall pace are an issue, but he's still a first-round candidate for me too.

4. D David Svozil
While I said I liked David Jiricek more than Adam at the same age, I like David Svozil more than Stanislav at the same age (must be the first name). I think David is an excellent all-round two-way defenseman already, with flashes of size and physicality on one end and flashes of dynamic skill at the other end. For me, Svozil is a first-round candidate too.

5. D Dominik Badinka
Badinka is the player I've probably seen the least of on this list, so I'm not fully sure about my evaluation. He could be a first-round guy too, but mostly based on him being one of the older players in this draft, I have him behind Jiricek, Svozil and Galvas. But, he's certainly an intriguing two-way D as well.

6. D Jakub Fibigr
Fibigr has a long ways to go in his decision-making and discipline with the puck, but also on defense. That said, his skating and skill are excellent, and if he has a successful transition to pro or major junior, he has high-end upside as an offensive defenseman too.

7. F Ondrej Kos
The forwards behind Jecho were a bit tougher to evaluate simply because they aren't as high-end as the D group. That said, Kos takes the top spot for me because of his combination of size, speed and skill. I liked him every time I saw him. How high he can go? No idea. It's unlikely that the first 5 names on this list actually all go in and around the first round, but Kos is clearly a step behind that group for me.

8. F Lukas Kral
I've mentioned this in other threads but I really like Lukas Kral. Does he have actual draft upside? I don't know. He'll have to take another step for sure. But he's shown a ton of intriguing flashes. Speed, skill, shooting, passing, quick decision-making – he's shown it all at some point, albeit always inconsistently.

9. F Oskar Lisler
Not sure how much I actually like Lisler but he looked like a future pro to me. Good speed, size and work ethic. Not sure about his skill level and hockey sense but that can still develop.

10. F Adam Titlbach
This is probably the hottest take and the one many people will disagree with. But I just struggle to see Titlbach take his game to the next level and be as successful as he has been so far. Yes, his U20 league play showed he can play against older, bigger players. But I'm not quite sold on the skill level and decision-making. It can all improve and I'm looking forward to following his progress in Vancouver.

HM: F Jiri Klima, F Maxmilian Curran, F Samuel Drancak

Edit: Already realized I forgot Klima.
Edit 2: Skok isn’t eligible yet.

Post-Hlinka update with pre-Hlinka ranking in parentheses.

1. D Adam Jiricek (1)
No doubt about this one.

2. D Tomas Galvas (2)
I didn't like Galvas in the pre-tournament games but he was very good in the tournament itself. I do wonder if he'll get even better at the next level, whether that's pro or the OHL, when he doesn't get quite as much freedom as he did here. The skating and hockey sense give him high upside.

3. F Adam Jecho (3)
A decent tournament. Not outstanding but good enough to keep my hopes about his upside alive.

4. D David Svozil (4)
No idea why he didn't play, wouldn't make sense to move him down for it.

5. D Dominik Badinka (5)
Like I said in my previous edition, I haven't seen Badinka much and obviously that didn't change during the Hlinka.

6. F Ondrej Kos (7)
At the Hlinka, Kos was the best forward behind Benak for me. Not elite in any one area but does everything at a high level. Good speed and skill with hockey sense and decent size. Has a chance to overtake Jecho if he keeps this up throughout the season.

7. D Jakub Fibigr (6)
Fibigr wasn't as good as I'd hoped but at the same time I didn't not like him. He just dropped because Kos moved up but I really like Fibigr's upside too.

8. F Lukas Kral (8)
Sucks that Kral didn't play at the Hlinka but obviously Czechia was more than fine without him. That doesn't change my opinion on him, though.

9. F Adam Titlbach (10)
Titlbach had a fantastic tournament and he moves up one spot on my list – but not because of what he did, it's just because Lisler dropped out of the top 10. Don't get me wrong, Titlbach showed a lot of good tools. Smart without the puck, very good speed and puck play off the rush. Scored a few nice goals, got a few assists. But I still struggle to see him as an NHL player. I just don't think any of his tools are good enough to succeed at his size, and I still saw some red flags at the Hlinka. Would've loved to see him play away from Benak and Kos because I'm sure he would've struggled a lot more than Benak and Kos would struggle without him.

10. F Maxmilian Curran (HM)
Nothing crazy from Curran but I thought he looked very good at times. I'm still not sure how high his skill level really is but his skating and hands looked very good for a player his size and better than I'd seen from him in the past. He has a lot of upside, especially as a player who I think will be a center at the next level.

HM: F Oskar Lisler (9), F Jiri Klima, F Samuel Drancak

 

[Pan]

First/second {second/third} round material:

22
David Jiříček
Tomáš Hamara
Šimon Slavíček
Jiří Kulich
Matyáš Šapovaliv
{František Formánek, David Moravec}

23
Dominik Petr
Eduard Šalé
Jakub Štancl
Petr Pavelec
Pavel Šimek
{Tomáš Trunda, Šimon Bialy}

24
Adam Jecho
Patrik Král
Jiří Klíma
Vojtěch Vochvest
Kevin Coufal
{Adam Titlbach, Bogdan Stepanchuk}

25
Adam Benák
Václav Raichl
Václav Nestrašil
Martin Švec
Matouš Kucharčík
{Teodor Vápeník, Vojtěch Čihař}

26
Václav Nedorost
Jiří Maxa
David Sedláček
{Adam Burda}

27
Oliver Vaňha
Lukáš Kachlíř
Oliver Andrle
Václav Dostálek
Adam Šimek
Adam Keller
{Jakub Petružálek, Jakub Zaruba}

This prediction was made in 2021.
57% accuracy (4/7) for 2022 Draft. 28% accuracy (2/7) for the 2023.
Everything you wanted to know about stats credibility when it comes to U16 and younger kids.

 

[Czechboy]

Post-Hlinka update with pre-Hlinka ranking in parentheses.

1. D Adam Jiricek (1)
No doubt about this one.

2. D Tomas Galvas (2)
I didn't like Galvas in the pre-tournament games but he was very good in the tournament itself. I do wonder if he'll get even better at the next level, whether that's pro or the OHL, when he doesn't get quite as much freedom as he did here. The skating and hockey sense give him high upside.

3. F Adam Jecho (3)
A decent tournament. Not outstanding but good enough to keep my hopes about his upside alive.

4. D David Svozil (4)
No idea why he didn't play, wouldn't make sense to move him down for it.

5. D Dominik Badinka (5)
Like I said in my previous edition, I haven't seen Badinka much and obviously that didn't change during the Hlinka.

6. F Ondrej Kos (7)
At the Hlinka, Kos was the best forward behind Benak for me. Not elite in any one area but does everything at a high level. Good speed and skill with hockey sense and decent size. Has a chance to overtake Jecho if he keeps this up throughout the season.

7. D Jakub Fibigr (6)
Fibigr wasn't as good as I'd hoped but at the same time I didn't not like him. He just dropped because Kos moved up but I really like Fibigr's upside too.

8. F Lukas Kral (8)
Sucks that Kral didn't play at the Hlinka but obviously Czechia was more than fine without him. That doesn't change my opinion on him, though.

9. F Adam Titlbach (10)
Titlbach had a fantastic tournament and he moves up one spot on my list – but not because of what he did, it's just because Lisler dropped out of the top 10. Don't get me wrong, Titlbach showed a lot of good tools. Smart without the puck, very good speed and puck play off the rush. Scored a few nice goals, got a few assists. But I still struggle to see him as an NHL player. I just don't think any of his tools are good enough to succeed at his size, and I still saw some red flags at the Hlinka. Would've loved to see him play away from Benak and Kos because I'm sure he would've struggled a lot more than Benak and Kos would struggle without him.

10. F Maxmilian Curran (HM)
Nothing crazy from Curran but I thought he looked very good at times. I'm still not sure how high his skill level really is but his skating and hands looked very good for a player his size and better than I'd seen from him in the past. He has a lot of upside, especially as a player who I think will be a center at the next level.

HM: F Oskar Lisler (9), F Jiri Klima, F Samuel Drancak

4 of your top 5 are D!

I still have no idea what happened to Svozil.

I was thinking about our NT and it occured to me that we will have a C problem real soon. Eg. if rumour is true and Krejci wants to play in Prague then currently we still have a 1 and 2C in Hertl and Krejci.

After this season we don't have a legit C after Hertl for top 6. Unless I'm missing someone obvious. We have tonnes of good 3 and 4C's. Lots of great Wingers. D is clearly on the way. G's are totally fine. But there isn't a great C anywhere in the pipe after Hertl that I can see? Sapo is in the mould of a Faksa/Kampf for instance. Kulich projects as a W so far. Benak is years away but looks to be one future dynamite 1C.

 

[Goodman68]

Post-Hlinka update with pre-Hlinka ranking in parentheses.

1. D Adam Jiricek (1)
No doubt about this one.

2. D Tomas Galvas (2)
I didn't like Galvas in the pre-tournament games but he was very good in the tournament itself. I do wonder if he'll get even better at the next level, whether that's pro or the OHL, when he doesn't get quite as much freedom as he did here. The skating and hockey sense give him high upside.

3. F Adam Jecho (3)
A decent tournament. Not outstanding but good enough to keep my hopes about his upside alive.

4. D David Svozil (4)
No idea why he didn't play, wouldn't make sense to move him down for it.

5. D Dominik Badinka (5)
Like I said in my previous edition, I haven't seen Badinka much and obviously that didn't change during the Hlinka.

6. F Ondrej Kos (7)
At the Hlinka, Kos was the best forward behind Benak for me. Not elite in any one area but does everything at a high level. Good speed and skill with hockey sense and decent size. Has a chance to overtake Jecho if he keeps this up throughout the season.

7. D Jakub Fibigr (6)
Fibigr wasn't as good as I'd hoped but at the same time I didn't not like him. He just dropped because Kos moved up but I really like Fibigr's upside too.

8. F Lukas Kral (8)
Sucks that Kral didn't play at the Hlinka but obviously Czechia was more than fine without him. That doesn't change my opinion on him, though.

9. F Adam Titlbach (10)
Titlbach had a fantastic tournament and he moves up one spot on my list – but not because of what he did, it's just because Lisler dropped out of the top 10. Don't get me wrong, Titlbach showed a lot of good tools. Smart without the puck, very good speed and puck play off the rush. Scored a few nice goals, got a few assists. But I still struggle to see him as an NHL player. I just don't think any of his tools are good enough to succeed at his size, and I still saw some red flags at the Hlinka. Would've loved to see him play away from Benak and Kos because I'm sure he would've struggled a lot more than Benak and Kos would struggle without him.

10. F Maxmilian Curran (HM)
Nothing crazy from Curran but I thought he looked very good at times. I'm still not sure how high his skill level really is but his skating and hands looked very good for a player his size and better than I'd seen from him in the past. He has a lot of upside, especially as a player who I think will be a center at the next level.

HM: F Oskar Lisler (9), F Jiri Klima, F Samuel Drancak

I like your player rating for a long time. I see them very similarly, so I really don't have much to add. Actually all the players played well, surprisingly the offense played well in general. I expected only an average performance from them..
They actually broke the old narrative (together with U20) that if the Czech team wants to succeed, they only have to defend. And so we had to suffer with national teams coaches like Jalonen (it was at the level of Pešán) and Petr (just like with Jalonen, incredible differences in performances in individual passages of matches). I honestly hated both of them as trainers lol..
All of those players who played took a big step toward being drafted.

 

[Goodman68]

4 of your top 5 are D!

I still have no idea what happened to Svozil.

I was thinking about our NT and it occured to me that we will have a C problem real soon. Eg. if rumour is true and Krejci wants to play in Prague then currently we still have a 1 and 2C in Hertl and Krejci.

After this season we don't have a legit C after Hertl for top 6. Unless I'm missing someone obvious. We have tonnes of good 3 and 4C's. Lots of great Wingers. D is clearly on the way. G's are totally fine. But there isn't a great C anywhere in the pipe after Hertl that I can see? Sapo is in the mould of a Faksa/Kampf for instance. Kulich projects as a W so far. Benak is years away but looks to be one future dynamite 1C.

As far as I know, Nečas wanted and wants to play center and he would be able to do it, he still played it as a junior, for example with Zadina and Kaut at the World Cup. But yes, this is a position where we would need to produce some top players in the future..

 

[Czechboy]

I like your player rating for a long time. I see them very similarly, so I really don't have much to add. Actually all the players played well, surprisingly the offense played well in general. I expected only an average performance from them..
They actually broke the old narrative (together with U20) that if the Czech team wants to succeed, they only have to defend. And so we had to suffer with national teams coaches like Jalonen (it was at the level of Pešán) and Petr (just like with Jalonen, incredible differences in performances in individual passages of matches). I honestly hated both of them as trainers lol..
All of those players who played took a big step toward being drafted.

I've been thinking about this too.lol

I saw an interview with the coach and he said he met with Rulik and looked at the playbook from the U20. Both teams were built on very dynamic D. I can safely say we had the best D at the World Juniors now that they are over. We easily had a top 2 D core at the Hlinka too.

Now what happens at the senior level when Rulik tries to run the same style around our Euro and NHL D?lol

Eg. at a U20.. having a Svozil, Jiricek and Spacek flying around with a guy like Hamara on pair 3. That's damn good!

At the Hlinka we had Fibigr, Jiricek and Galvas all flying around (and still have a Svozil somewhere).. that's damn good!

In prague the D core will consist of much weaker D players that can't crack the NHL and have returned home or guys that never even got to NA. Ouch.

 

[Czechboy]

As far as I know, Nečas wanted and wants to play center and he would be able to do it, he still played it as a junior, for example with Zadina and Kaut at the World Cup. But yes, this is a position where we would need to produce some top players in the future..

Necas is interesting but he doesn't really do it in the NHL.

I just can't picture him going to a best on best and taking draws against Drai, McD, Matthews and having much success as a C. As a W he'd be amazing!

 

[Goodman68]

Necas is interesting but he doesn't really do it in the NHL.

I just can't picture him going to a best on best and taking draws against Drai, McD, Matthews and having much success as a C. As a W he'd be amazing!

I wouldn't underestimate him

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I would’ve placed Badinka 3rd instead of 5th, but I agree otherwise. Those are the clear top 5 Czechs for me in the upcoming draft going into the season.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

Big difference in level between U20 Finland and U20 Czech.

Top 4 : A.Jiricek, D.Badinka, O.Kos, A.Jecho

The others will have a hard time finding a place in the NHL.

Only 3 Czechs per class make a career in the NHL and it's not a very strong generation this year. They will rather be players for their physical and defensive profile.

Last year after Sale, Hrabal and Dvorak, it was uninteresting.

I'm having trouble finding more than 8 players drafted even taking repeaters into account.

To play in the NHL, you have to be top 60 in the world and top 10/12 at your generation position.

Edit : Amazed at your optimism. The last 20 years of the draft do not invite this concerning Czech hockey.

 

[Goodman68]

Kubalík, Palát or Kempný say hello.
Now the so-called "teplý bonz" will follow.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

Clearly, you have comprehension problems.

 

[Goodman68]

Clearly, you have comprehension problems.

And I thought those players were living proof that we have to take different draft picks predictions with a grain of salt. And yours especially.

 

[Wooren]

Post-Hlinka update with pre-Hlinka ranking in parentheses.

1. D Adam Jiricek (1)
No doubt about this one.

2. D Tomas Galvas (2)
I didn't like Galvas in the pre-tournament games but he was very good in the tournament itself. I do wonder if he'll get even better at the next level, whether that's pro or the OHL, when he doesn't get quite as much freedom as he did here. The skating and hockey sense give him high upside.

3. F Adam Jecho (3)
A decent tournament. Not outstanding but good enough to keep my hopes about his upside alive.

4. D David Svozil (4)
No idea why he didn't play, wouldn't make sense to move him down for it.

5. D Dominik Badinka (5)
Like I said in my previous edition, I haven't seen Badinka much and obviously that didn't change during the Hlinka.

6. F Ondrej Kos (7)
At the Hlinka, Kos was the best forward behind Benak for me. Not elite in any one area but does everything at a high level. Good speed and skill with hockey sense and decent size. Has a chance to overtake Jecho if he keeps this up throughout the season.

7. D Jakub Fibigr (6)
Fibigr wasn't as good as I'd hoped but at the same time I didn't not like him. He just dropped because Kos moved up but I really like Fibigr's upside too.

8. F Lukas Kral (8)
Sucks that Kral didn't play at the Hlinka but obviously Czechia was more than fine without him. That doesn't change my opinion on him, though.

9. F Adam Titlbach (10)
Titlbach had a fantastic tournament and he moves up one spot on my list – but not because of what he did, it's just because Lisler dropped out of the top 10. Don't get me wrong, Titlbach showed a lot of good tools. Smart without the puck, very good speed and puck play off the rush. Scored a few nice goals, got a few assists. But I still struggle to see him as an NHL player. I just don't think any of his tools are good enough to succeed at his size, and I still saw some red flags at the Hlinka. Would've loved to see him play away from Benak and Kos because I'm sure he would've struggled a lot more than Benak and Kos would struggle without him.

10. F Maxmilian Curran (HM)
Nothing crazy from Curran but I thought he looked very good at times. I'm still not sure how high his skill level really is but his skating and hands looked very good for a player his size and better than I'd seen from him in the past. He has a lot of upside, especially as a player who I think will be a center at the next level.

HM: F Oskar Lisler (9), F Jiri Klima, F Samuel Drancak

Good list. Well aside from having Titlbach over Curran, hard disagree on that.

I actually dropped Jecho in my personal rankings after Hlinka, even though it's more about others rising than him necessarily dissapointing. The biggest takeway for me regarding Jecho is that he has grown to 6'5", while still having some room to fill and gain weight. At 6'3" (listed at prior to the tournament) he would still be a decent prospect, but with this massive frame he is going to be a very interesting player to follow throughout the season even if his offense doesn't come along as hoped. In the past couple years, size has been getting valued a lot at the NHL drafts again, so he has that going for him as well.

Also, shout out to Sikora, Pohludka and Humenik, who did well, despite getting some heat in here earlier for 'taking' Lukas Kral's spot lol. Granted, I would have still liked to see him on the squad, but those three looked good and contributed to the very positive impression the Czech team left.

 

[pgfan66]

Good list. Well aside from having Titlbach over Curran, hard disagree on that.

I actually dropped Jecho in my personal rankings after Hlinka, even though it's more about others rising than him necessarily dissapointing. The biggest takeway for me regarding Jecho is that he has grown to 6'5", while still having some room to fill and gain weight. At 6'3" (listed at prior to the tournament) he would still be a decent prospect, but with this massive frame he is going to be a very interesting player to follow throughout the season even if his offense doesn't come along as hoped. In the past couple years, size has been getting valued a lot at the NHL drafts again, so he has that going for him as well.

Also, shout out to Sikora, Pohludka and Humenik, who did well, despite getting some heat in here earlier for 'taking' Lukas Kral's spot lol. Granted, I would have still liked to see him on the squad, but those three looked good and contributed to the very positive impression the Czech team left.

I agree with everything you said and actually thought about moving Curran up ahead of Titlbach. But at the end of the day, this is still a preseason list where draft grades would be more important than numbers. And I’d give Titlbach and Curran the same grade. Curran just needs to prove he actually has enough skill when he gets to Tri-Cities.

I also liked Sikora, Pohludka looked fine too. But I definitely would’ve taken Kral over Humenik, Chludil, Klima, Pohludka and even Kubiesa, who put up several goals too. And going into the tournament, I would’ve taken him over Sikora and Drancak too, although these two played centre, so it made sense to bring them no matter what. Anyway, it all worked out fine for Czechia, the Hlinka doesn’t actually matter, and Kral will be fine in the WHL.

 

[Czechboy]

Not at all how I thought it'd go. Jecho is normally a whipping boy and Galvas is usually loved. Guess which one got the A rating and which one got the C?lol

Not that it matters and it's just one source but interesting to see

Somewhere, Dirtyfighter is giggling.lol

 

[Czechboy]

Miroslav Holinka - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Miroslav Holinka, 2005-11-10 Kromeriz, CZE Czechia. Most recently in the undefined with Edmonton Oil Kings. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

In case you are like me and have no idea who Holinka is.lol

 

[Czechboy]

I will say... Svozil, Fibigr and Galvas all getting a C is a bit surprising regardless of what you think of the grades. Same with Badinka at a B. Those are 4 guys I was (and still am) hoping go in top 100.

 

[Czechboy]

 

[austin63867]

If it was me I'd replace Holinka with Fibigr and Hradec and maybe Milota slips into B as well. Petr has an argument for C Tier also.

 

[Czechboy]

If it was me I'd replace Holinka with Fibigr and Hradec and maybe Milota slips into B as well. Petr has an argument for C Tier also.

Petr is my fav non 1st round prospect... he's going to be the next Szturc or Gut at this point.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

I was saying it all along that Jecho is ✧✴GENERATIONAL✴✧ talent. Looks like NHL scouts are reading my comments on HFBoards. Galvas 4th rounder though..