I think next year he has a shot of making the team out of camp and staying up. He isn't perfect, but he's been getting better and better. This year his defense has also gotten a lot better. Great on the PP like always and has a great shot. Good vision. He was somewhat unlucky this year in the AHL and still often times looked like a great D on the ice. Predicting now that if he does end up in the A for another year that he explodes offensively and is given a lot more time and responsibility. As of now this may be a hot take but think he's most NHL ready d prospect the Jackets have and may currently be better than Jiricek.
I agree, but Mateychuk still has yet to play against men. It's a pretty big step to go from the WHL to the AHL, and an even bigger step to go to the NHL (though certainly possible). It's also an even bigger step to go from a player who hasn't played against men in a whole season to playing 82 games of it, and personally I'd rather see a prospect get that experience and know a little more about what it's going to be like and the impact on their body it'll have. I believe Mateychuk is eligible for the AHL next year, I think he should be given the chance (just like Svozil and Jiracek) to impress out of camp and get at least 9 games with the team, but I also think it would benefit him to play at least 20-40 games in the AHL, if he's still looking like he does in the Dub, then for sure bring him up.
Svozil I think currently at least has the best chance of the 3 at handling NHL level forwards and playing decent defense, not needing to be sheltered and not being a detriment at times.
By no means do I think Svozil has the highest upside or that he's going to hit the highest peak, but I would prefer that more development time be given to all of these guys. I'd be perfectly happy with another year in the A for Svozil too. Just think he's arguably the most NHL ready (coaches love their defensive guys) and therefore has a semi decent chance of making the team.
For me it's hard to make a guess on who of these 3 will be ready or most ready next fall. Jiricek has two pretty obvious issues he needs to continue to work on (strength and skating technique) before taking permanent jump from AHL to NHL but otherwise he still has greater tools and upside than the other two. Also as a RD he plays different position so he won't be having direct competition for lineup spots with those two anyway.
Svozil and Mateychuk both are great at doing a lot of things right on ice in their respective leagues but I'm not convinced they've been so impressive that either one could already be a difference maker on Jackets defense group, and that comment is coming from watching final 10 games of MJ's WHL playoff run and the first two games of the current CLE-SYR series in AHL playoffs.
Imo Svozil might be more ready physically to battle against NHL players so in that sense I agree he's a little further in defensive development. I like how he wants and is able to push players away from the crease and lays heavier shoulder checks than I've ever seen from him. Mateychuk has also gotten stronger but his physicality in practice is more about giving mean but legal crosschecks to the back and cutting in front of opponent's skating lane and wedging them against wall. He was great at those things against WHL's top forwards but as you mentioned it's a lower level league. I'm not sure if he would have much impact in the AHL, let alone NHL. Svozil currently looks like he can deliver and absorb hits without losing balance or taking much time to recover whereas Mateychuk might still occasionally lose his edge on the check and get drifted out of the play momentarily.
I think both needs to improve their skating. As of now agility and endurance are pretty clear weaknesses for Svozil. Sometimes I feel like his attention to detail and overall effort tends to derail the longer his shifts go. I believe that lack of endurance is a big reason why his defensive awareness doesn't always look that great even though in most situations he knows how to play smart defensively. I remember two instances in the last two games where he got beat on the rush because he was positioned little too high in the neutral and due to lack of agility couldn't catch the racing forward, and two other moments where he didn't tie up his guy in the slot quick enough, granting the opponent with a high-danger scoring chance.
Mateychuk isn't a perfect rush defender either. He's been more cautious in NZ plays this year and has left larger gaps which could be an indication that he isn't totally confident about his pivoting and backwards skating ability. Maybe his technique needs to be adjusted in some ways since endurance/motor has never been an issue with him.
I think they're both good at blocking shots with their sticks but not so much with their bodies. I'm not even sure if Svozil has gotten any PK time during these playoffs and I wouldn't surprised at all if that were the case. Mateychuk has played on top units on PK and PP in juniors but that doesn't mean he would have same responsibilities in Cleveland. Mateychuk is very inconsistent at intercepting passes and blocking passing seams, and isn't always very quick cleaning up loose pucks from net front. Idk how often Svozil struggles with those nowadays, but in the past it was also a problem for him.
I could also talk about and compare their imperfections in plays with the puck but since the main topic was defensive readiness I'm leaving that aside for the time being. Bottom line: it is likely better for both Svozil and Mateychuk to spend majority of next season in the AHL, assuming ice times for both can be distributed somewhat appropriately. There would be less pressure, more time to improve their skating, strength and skills, and probably best defensive coach in the organisation (Haviland) to guide them.
