Scandalous, should be ranked 0th. Slafkovsky is so good that he has transcended the natural numbers and needs to be ranked with integers.
F Adam Sykora - Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL (2022, 63rd, NYR)
- Thread starter hellwar9
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Scandalous, should be ranked 0th. Slafkovsky is so good that he has transcended the natural numbers and needs to be ranked with integers.
vlady
Registered User
I wouldn't ever trust the Slovak media with regards to Slovak players.
Also, why should anyone have to compensate for how they rank certain players anyway? It is just opinions. Not to mention that you are probably confusing Mark Edwards and HockeyProspect.com with someone else.
Mark Edwards
@MarkEdwardsHP
ConnorMcMullet
#12 Colby Cave
- Jun 10, 2017
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Sykora's a first-rounder on my list too.
What are your team's thoughts on fellow Slovak Alex Sotek? Did you peg him as draft-worthy?
KevSkillz4
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2016
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LastWordArmy
Registered User
This year’s NHL Draft features what is probably the strongest group of draft prospects ever produced by Slovakia. The Slovakian team had an excellent performance at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, winning a silver medal. Winger Adam Sykora played a big role in the performance, scoring two goals in the five-game tournament. He also made the Slovakian side for the World Junior Championships, but the tournament was cut short due to a Covid outbreak. Sykora also played with the Slovakian Team at the D1A Under-18 World Championships, helping the team win the tournament and advance to the top group next year. Sykora finished his national team commitments by playing for the Slovakian Men’s Team at the World Championships. He scored two goals and three points in six games.
Sykora plays his club hockey in the HK Nitra system. In 46 games in the Slovakian Elite League, he put up 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points. He also added two goals and five points in 19 playoff games. Sykora also played three games in the Slovakian Under-18 league, and one game in the Under-20 league. His father was a pro player in Slovakia.
Sykora plays his club hockey in the HK Nitra system. In 46 games in the Slovakian Elite League, he put up 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points. He also added two goals and five points in 19 playoff games. Sykora also played three games in the Slovakian Under-18 league, and one game in the Under-20 league. His father was a pro player in Slovakia.
Adam Sykora Scouting Report: 2022 NHL Draft #57
Adam Sykora Scouting Report: This year's NHL Draft features the strongest group of draft prospects ever produced by Slovakia.
lastwordonsports.com
Mark Edwards
@MarkEdwardsHP
He's in our Black Book with a pretty lengthy profile. Not ranked. NI.
@Mark Edwards: I apologize, but the names are too similar. HockeyProspect.com versus HockeyProspecting.com That borders on copyright infringement by someone. The latter site outrageously ranks Slafkovský at #16 (and I argued with Byron Bader on Twitter about it):
The Hockey Prospecting Top 32 (2022)
Introducing the final Hockey Prospecting rankings of the top 32 for the 2022 draft! The rankings factor in the probabilities from the model, but also age, runway left to improve (i.e., how much tim…
hockeyprospecting.com
vlady
Registered User
from what I gather, they use certain mathematical models for their ranking. Not actual scouting. Slaf's weak Liiga production got him to that position. They seem to be completely ignoring his international numbers though.@Mark Edwards: I apologize, but the names are too similar. HockeyProspect.com versus HockeyProspecting.com That borders on copyright infringement by someone. The latter site outrageously ranks Slafkovský at #16 (and I argued with Byron Bader on Twitter about it):
The Hockey Prospecting Top 32 (2022)
Introducing the final Hockey Prospecting rankings of the top 32 for the 2022 draft! The rankings factor in the probabilities from the model, but also age, runway left to improve (i.e., how much tim…
Nothing to be outraged about. It's just math.
You're contradicting yourself. It's bad math if they "completely ignore international numbers".
Olympics and World Championships are far more important than silly regular seasons of silly regional leagues, and I told Byron Bader on Twitter so.I'm sorry, but that's typical overseas ignorance and arrogance – to be discounting Olympics and World Championships so much as to pretend they don't even exist.
It's precisely this attitude that leads Canada and the US to sabotaging the Olympics and World Championships for decades, and shrug it off as if it's completely fine and natural. What would be unthinkable in international soccer (putting regional leagues over top-level international events), they consider unavoidable in hockey. No, it ain't!
Don't make any draft rankings at all, if your "math model" is flawed to this extreme degree, that a consensus #1 or #2 draft pick lands at #16 on your "list".
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chill, dudeYou're contradicting yourself. It's bad math if they "completely ignore international numbers".
I'm sorry, but that's typical overseas arrogance – to be discounting Olympics and World Championships so much as to pretend they don't even exist.
It's precisely this attitude that leads Canada and the US to sabotaging the Olympics and World Championships for decades, and shrug it off as if it's completely fine and natural. What would be unthinkable in international soccer (putting regional leagues over top-level international events), they consider unavoidable in hockey. No, it ain't!
Don't make any draft rankings at all, if your "math model" is flawed to this extreme degree, that a consensus #1 or #2 draft pick lands at #16 on your "list".
it's a model that he makes very clear does not include international tournaments as they are generally regarded as a flash in the pan - they don't match up to larger sample sizes from from full years of league play. Just because you want to cry that Slaf is not getting recognition for his Olympics stats, doesn't mean it's a useless model. It's based on historic LEAGUE production at a given age and level - no one else gets credit for their World Juniors or Olympic numbers either, so consider them moot. Slaf is a unique case study because his production increased so dramatically in small spurts. We'll see what kind of player he becomes in 5 years, but the hate Bader has gotten for his 16th ranking on Slaf is hilarious. His model isn't the Holy Grail - no one ever claimed it was. It's a tool, that can be utilized along with 100 others...relax
Which makes it a completely flawed model.
Sure! Just like the Stanley Cup play-offs are a "flash in the pan", right? Just a short-term tourney, so who chares? Olympics, World Championships, in any sport – just a flash in the pan!
Never mind they build statues for athletes who excel in those top international events – just a flash in the pan! Byron Bader knows better than that – it's the regular season of regional leagues that is the pinnacle of any athlete's achievements, the height of their dreams!
Even if you were to accept Byron's faulty premise – that regular seasons of regional leagues is the only thing that matters – his "math model" is flawed in that respect as well: it doesn't recognize players playing in multiple regional leagues in a single season. Slafkovský played in juniors this season, too, scoring admirably, yet Byron's model pretends as if that never happened either, just like the Olympics and the World Championships never happened.
His model in its present form is deeply flawed – there's no getting around that. And his predictions of Cale Makar's future career show that. You can look at other players as well – Pavol Regenda would never, ever have landed a 2-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks, as he just did, if all that matters were solely his production in Slovak league. It's the two top international events that put him and the Ducks in a position to do so.
Sure! Let's consider the Stanley Cup play-offs moot as well! No one really cares about them.... The greatest NHL goalie of all time is Roman Čechmánek, I believe. (Brodeur can go hide in a hole. Who cares that Čechmánek never delivered in the post-season? No one gives a damn about the Stanley Cup play-offs, right?)
Not at all – it's completely warranted and justified. If you present a ridiculous product to the public, you must be ready to accept criticism.
It's a flawed tool, and given its flaws, Byron should not have used it to compile "draft rankings" of any sort, solely based on his "model".
In isolation, when looking at individual players, it can be interesting to look at his player cards, which is why I follow Byron Bader on Twitter, too, and consider his efforts worthwhile overall, but the tool alone should not have been used to compile "draft rankings" of any sort. That was a misstep.
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Yeah, that's what I figure. It's a mistake IMO, especially given the quantity of games being ignored (it's about a quarter of the sample that we have of Slaf this year). Including the international games jumps him from around 16th to around 7th by my calculations. Then if you add in the rest, the case for a much higher ranking basically builds itself.
It's a shame because Bader could end up looking really smart with his Nemec ranking.
Mark Edwards
@MarkEdwardsHP
No problem.@Mark Edwards: I apologize, but the names are too similar. HockeyProspect.com versus HockeyProspecting.com That borders on copyright infringement by someone. The latter site outrageously ranks Slafkovský at #16 (and I argued with Byron Bader on Twitter about it):
The Hockey Prospecting Top 32 (2022)
Introducing the final Hockey Prospecting rankings of the top 32 for the 2022 draft! The rankings factor in the probabilities from the model, but also age, runway left to improve (i.e., how much tim…
Never heard of them. We've been around since 2004 so I think it's save to say I didn't copy them.
No problem.
Never heard of them. We've been around since 2004 so I think it's save to say I didn't copy them.
Well, yeah... HockeyProspecting.com certainly seems like a derivate of HockeyProspect.com (by domain name only, I mean) rather than vice versa. I made sure to look up HockeyProspects.com as well, but that domain is yet to be taken, maybe someone third, and then utter confusion will ensue and everyone will get confused for everyone else. (I hope not, of course.)
Mark Edwards
@MarkEdwardsHP
HockeyProspects.com was gone 18 years ago when i registered our current domain without the s
I see. It's available now, but for a hefty price... Porkbun.com, which is where I buy my domains, lists it for $15,999 + transfer fees. Ouch!
(While something like hockeyprospects.info can be had for measly $2 to $15 per year.)Anyway, good luck to Adam later this week, and I do hope he gets taken in the 1st round somehow.
Michael Brand Eggs
Knee Guard
Aha, time for me to maliciously domain name squat on hockeyingprospect.com. I'll have you know I have Slafkovsky unranked.@Mark Edwards: I apologize, but the names are too similar. HockeyProspect.com versus HockeyProspecting.com That borders on copyright infringement by someone. The latter site outrageously ranks Slafkovský at #16 (and I argued with Byron Bader on Twitter about it):
The Hockey Prospecting Top 32 (2022)
Introducing the final Hockey Prospecting rankings of the top 32 for the 2022 draft! The rankings factor in the probabilities from the model, but also age, runway left to improve (i.e., how much tim…
Ivo
Registered User
I translated a bit of his interview for the Bruins board, might as well post it here. I suppose Sykora will not strive to be popular beyond the fanbase of his own team...
Adam Sykora, talking about his favourite player (full interview in Slovak: https://sportnet.sme.sk/spravy/hoke...y-4-diel-adam-sykora-rozhovor-nhl-draft-2022/ my own translation):
Your favourite player is Brad Marchand. Do you try to imitate him on the ice?
Yes, especially in my age category, I try to take advantage of it. These boys are the same age as me, so definitely against them, but I can pick on older ones too.
Marchand is known for controversial behaviour. Do you imitate that too?
That's exactly what I like about him. He is of smaller stature, but is not afraid do jump any other player, I like that he is so fearless and commits fully to every battle.
Can we expect from you in the future that you will lick an opponent or spear a goalie, or something similar?
Yes, it might occur.
Adam Sykora, talking about his favourite player (full interview in Slovak: https://sportnet.sme.sk/spravy/hoke...y-4-diel-adam-sykora-rozhovor-nhl-draft-2022/ my own translation):
Your favourite player is Brad Marchand. Do you try to imitate him on the ice?
Yes, especially in my age category, I try to take advantage of it. These boys are the same age as me, so definitely against them, but I can pick on older ones too.
Marchand is known for controversial behaviour. Do you imitate that too?
That's exactly what I like about him. He is of smaller stature, but is not afraid do jump any other player, I like that he is so fearless and commits fully to every battle.
Can we expect from you in the future that you will lick an opponent or spear a goalie, or something similar?
Yes, it might occur.
Antiillafire
Registered User
I can see Coyotes pick him with one of their late 1sts. If not, he won't last long tommorow, probably gone around pick #40 - 45.
MMC
Global Moderator
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
The Rangers really need guys that can skate. Thats our biggest need as an organization. Too many slow guys, so this does help in a big way there. Does he have high offensive upside? I'll defer to the Slovaks that know his game better, but I'd say he's probably most likely a player for the 4th line with 3rd line as a best case scenario. Either way, you take a good 4th line winger in the second round. I had him 76 and we took him 63, so a little higher than I had him. There were other players I would've selected, but not a crazy pick.
tobu
Registered User
Slovak here, on a NHL team he's a 3-4th liner, extremely good forechecker and backskater, huge enthusiasm and energy every shift.
