I'm going to post my write-ups of all three prospects, and the debate can follow in the thread. Anyone who wants to trade the pick, please post elsewhere because there is obviously a lack of understanding of the immense potential of these three prospects.
LW Juraj Slafkovsky, TPS Finland
Right away, it's important to point out that this 6'4-220 Slovakian is an absolutely rare combination of size, power, finesse and skill. Though he has more of a development curve than some of the forwards who are competing with him for the #2/#3 slots in the 2022 entry draft behind ostensible top pick Shane Wright, it is this rare combination which might give him an argument for the highest upside for any winger available in the class.
Let's start with the obvious. Before you even see him play, he's clearly towering over the competition, and we're talking about a kid who is solidly built through and through. By the time he reaches the NHL, Slafkovsky could be in the 6'4-230 range. But once the puck drops, you quickly realize we're not dealing with some north/south banger. Slafkovsky features a pair of talents which are absolutely elite -- his hands and his passing vision.
Let's start with the puckhandling ability, because it is crucial in factoring his potential dominance at an NHL level. This kid has incredibly soft hands, and he can dangle the puck like an absolute wizard. Slafkovsky is on the short list for the best stickhandler in the entire class of 2022. On its own, this is a phenomenal attribute for any hockey player to have, but when this is combined with his high hockey IQ, high-end awareness and huge physical stature? It's downright deadly. Even down low in tight spaces, Slafkovsky can be impossible to get the puck from. There are almost shades of a young Jagr, how Slafkovsky can quickly maneuver the puck to a safe spot with his huge backside shielding off the defender to gain himself time and space where seemingly there was none. He's just a beast down low, so tough to beat one on one once he gets possession that defenders are almost better off just backing off him and trying to cut off the passing lanes.
Because Slafkovsky also has elite passing vision. This cannot be understated, as well. He makes slick, soft no-look passes with the acumen and accuracy of a 5'9 skill center. Again, his ability to use his size and hands to create time and space in tight areas is unique and elite, but when combined with the high level of awareness necessary to assess the situation and lace a dart to a teammate in scoring position? Slafkovsky is simply a weapon, and when he's on his game he's quite possibly impossible to defend.
The young Slovakian is not simply a distributor -- he also possesses a very hard shot. However, this is an area which needs improvement -- primarily, he is a pass-first player who needs to utilize his shot much more. As a player with high intelligence, I feel this will be coached into him during his development. Slafkovsky also needs to work on the accuracy of his shot, which is not comparable to the accuracy of his puck distribution as of yet. Most of Slafkovsky's goals seem to come from the crease area down low, where he is an absolute beast and impossible to move. Combined with his soft hands, he is a constant danger to score from anywhere down low.
With most players of Slafkovsky's immense stature, the next question is usually concerning whether they can skate. Though Slafkovsky's skating is not on the elite level of some of the other top forwards in the class of 2022, it is very good. Slafkovsky has a long, powerful stride and can cover large amounts of ice very rapidly. I would rank Slafkovsky's skating as "good" with the potential to become "excellent" with a bit more work in that area.
I really like Slafkovsky's compete level. He's really frenetic and heady on the forecheck, and combined with his high hockey IQ, he's always in the right place. I'd like to see him be a bit more physical, especially on the defensive side of the puck, where he is adequate but not great. This would not be a deterrent in deciding whether to draft him of course, I'm perfectly fine with a high scoring winger with top line potential being far superior offensively than defensively if they are at least adequate defensively, and Slafkovsky is just that.
From a Devils perspective, Slafkovsky makes a great deal of sense, I just don't feel he will be available where they are destined to pick. I would call "top-line-caliber LW" the Devils second biggest organizational need after RD, and Slafkovsky would certainly fit the bill. The Devils also desperately need power/strength up front, as they struggle to get goals off deflections and rebounds, especially against more physical opposition. Slafkovsky is a phenomenal prospect -- maybe the best Slovakian winger to come out of the draft since Hossa -- and certainly a guy to keep a close eye on as the season progresses.
RD David Jiricek, HC Plzen Czech
David Jiricek is an absolute beast -- 6'3-190 and always playing with tenacity which borders on abject ferocity. He is one of the most physical defenders to come out of the draft in years, and he has the strength and athleticism to back it up. Playing in the Czech men's league as a teenager, Jiricek already changes the way opposition offenses approach the zone -- he's one of those defenders you always need to be aware of on several levels. He punishing in the crease and the corners, always seeking an open ice hit, and nearly impossible to beat in a one-on-one physical battle. There's no point in throwing the puck in his corner, because he's just going to come out with the puck, and once Jiricek gets the puck he really knows what to do with it.
Jiricek's puck skills are what separate him from the typical defensive defenseman and make him a likely pick for the top half of the first round in a stacked 2022 draft class. Though I would be reticent to classify him as an elite puck-mover like a Drysdale or Hughes or Clarke, Jiricek has excellent awareness and anticipation rare in a defenseman with such elite shut-down potential. He's always thinking one-step ahead, which allows him to make quick accurate passes in all three zones. He's capable of getting the puck in full stride as he enters the offensive zone and lasering a cross-ice pass onto a rushing forward's blade in full stride. It's very impressive.
Jiricek's abilities are further accentuated by some other outstanding abilities. He's a terrific skater with room to improve. Though not an elite skater in the vein of a Drysdale or Hughes, Jiricek still features 4-way mobility, acceleration and top speeds rare in a defenseman of his size and physicality. His skating is an asset now, will be an asset going forwards, and with a few improvements will increase his ceiling on either side of the puck. The young Czech's best offensive asset could be his shot -- it's an absolute cannon from the point. Though his overall offensive vision would rank him a bit shy of the elite NHL PP quarterbacks, his shot could see him one day on an NHL top PP unit as the trigger man. He's very good at using his lateral mobility to side step defending forwards and give himself passing and shooting lanes. With the passing lanes, as I've mentioned, he's very good at utilizing them, while not elite. But if you give Jiricek a shooting lane? He's downright deadly. That shot is an absolute weapon. His wrist shot is quick and accurate, and his slap shot can beat Czech men's league goalies clean from the blueline.
I feel Jiricek's shooting is what separates him from a player he's likely to be compared to from the 2021 draft in Simon Edvinsson. While their size, power and physicality -- along with strong defensive play and high compete level -- are comparable, I feel Jiricek has a clear edge in passing vision and a ridiculous edge in shooting. In Edvinsson's defense, the 2021 6th overall pick is an even better skater with a better set of hands, but it's important to note that Jiricek is strong in both areas, as well. But I feel Jiricek has a similar high-end defensive upside to Edvinsson while offering markedly superior offensive upside. That shot alone can see Jiricek hit his ceiling as a 15-20 goal scorer from the point.
Again, the offense is a bonus here. Jiricek's calling card is size, defense, mobility and physicality, along with a strong awareness in all three zones. But we should not confuse him offensively with Cale Makar or John Carlson, because that's just not the foremost strength in his game.
Fortunately, the questions which will be asked about Jiricek's ultimate offensive potential are what could drop him to where the Devils will likely pick, somewhere in the #10-#20 range in the 2022 first round. Like I said -- and will keep saying -- the 2022 draft class is far superior to 2021; extremely talented and deep. And, as such, David Jiricek is a player for Devils fans to keep an eye on -- a big, fast physical shut-down RD with intriguing offensive potential due to underrated awareness and a bomb of a shot.
RD Simon Nemec, HK Nitra Slovakia
Let's cut to the chase and say off the bat this is a player the New Jersey Devils absolutely must be tracking closely. With defensemen early in the draft, there is always some risk -- as defensemen take longer than forwards to develop and there is usually more projection necessary as a result among a team's scouting staff. Nemec kind of transcends this -- I feel there's virtually no risk he won't be at least a good NHL defenseman, and there's a great deal of reasons to be optimistic Nemec will be an all-situations, two-way stud NHL RD for many years down the line.
Nemec's tool kit is best described as ideal. He's got ideal size at 6'1-190, and he is an excellent skater who is fast and agile without being quite elite in terms of speed or edges. He gets where he wants to go quickly and is rarely outskated, especially when combined with his anticipation and awareness, both of which are excellent. Nemec's intangibles shine across the board -- he's extremely smart and competitive and knows what to do on the ice in any situation -- he's always aware of not just what is going on the ice, but also the context of the game, which is impressive for a player his age. Down a goal late? Nemec is slinging stretch passes and pinching in everywhere in the offensive zone. Up one goal late? Nemec is hanging back and playing conservatively trying his best to protect that lead. There's little doubt he's a smart kid.
Nemec's most elite tool in my opinion is his passing and vision. This kid will be an absolute beast in transition. The moment he collects the puck anywhere in the defensive zone, he already knows what to do with it. He's one of the better transitional passers I've seen in the past decade, often flinging highlight reel passes up ice to forwards which stun the opposition and often have them playing on their heels for the rest of the game whenever he's on the ice. Nemec is also very good at playmaking in the offensive zone and on the PP.
This brings us to the most viable aspect of Nemec's future success. He's potentially the player who you put out to protect a late lead or come back from a late deficit, a player who will be on the first unit for both your PP and PK. He's just so steady defensively. He's not what I'd call a player who relies on physicality, but he's willing to play physically and is very strong, especially considering he's one of the youngest defensemen in the Slovakian men's league. He's very adept at using shoulder checks and box outs to separate opposing puck carriers from the puck, and then he's very quick to transition those pucks. Positionally, I'd say he's not quite perfect but he's very good and, as I've mentioned, Nemec displays very good on-ice awareness. Quite simply, he's a very good defender -- I'd go so far to say this aspect of his game is further along than his offense right now, and has the potential to one day be pretty elite.
When combined with his scoring upside -- and Nemec has significant scoring upside -- it's no wonder Nemec is considered the consensus top defender for the 2022 draft. However, it's important not to confuse Nemec with Cale Makar or John Carlson -- I wouldn't say he'll be a 60-70 point guy in his NHL career. Nemec's shot is okay, but not a cannon blast like #2 2022 defenseman David Jiricek. Sometimes Nemec has trouble getting the puck to the net from the point, and that's something he'll have to work on. He seems to have a great deal of shot attempts blocked away. Although he's very adept at rushing in from the point if given a window, his hands are also "good but not elite", and the fact that defenders fear his passing more than his shot allow them to ease back on defending him a bit which limits this ability.
Ultimately, I'd say Nemec's potential is as a shut-down, all-situations NHL defender with 50+ point ability. This is an extremely tempting player which every single NHL team would rightly covet. As far as his ceiling goes, it's hard to say. This is not a player with many aspects we would define as "flaws", but if he can improve his skating to a near-elite level and get smoother with his shooting and puckhandling... well, he could one day make my projection look extremely conservative. What I really love about him is that his floor is unnaturally high for a draft-eligible defender. There's virtually no risk here. I would be willing to bet the farm Simon Nemec will, at the very least, be an extremely effective two-way, all-situations defender at the NHL level. It's rare to make such a statement with such confidence, but Nemec is just that impressive thus far into his amateur career.
As far as the New Jersey Devils go, RD is the thinnest position in their entire prospect pool and Nemec might just be one or two years away from making an NHL impact. This must make him extremely attractive the NJ front office. The young Slovakian is going to be a terrific, all-situations NHL defender though, so you have to take notice. I hate comparisons, but I'd say the best comparison here would be Roman Josi, but without the rocket shot.
