Martinez89
Registered User
- May 20, 2019
- 225
- 575
A Slovak kid born in February 2009, which means he´ll celebrate his 15th birthday in 2 months. Valek was known as one of the most promising Slovak kids at hockey for a longer time but this season he´s taken a significant step forward.
In a Slovak U18 league he´s on the track for the best individual season by a U15 player in a history with an absolutely insane leading against the others. It´s fair to be said this league this year is a bit weaker than it used to be in the past and also he´s playing in a really stacked team and line. But it doesn't change much that the more I watch Valek, the more I like him. He has an excellent understanding of hockey for a player of his age - he´s always in the right place, anticipates the game brilliantly and I like his defensive responsibility also, he´s very good at takeaways for example. So I really like his all-around game and I hope he´ll become a center in the future, he has all the presuppotions for that.
His passing skills are one of the best I've seen for a Slovak prospect of his age for a long time. He also became noticeably bigger over the past year which helps him a lot in a puck protection. His skating is solid for a player for his size although it´s definitely not his best asset.
What still needs to be improved is his finishing and he needs to gain weight, he´s not a very flashy player yet and there is work to be done on his skating also.
Strengths : hockey IQ, passing skills, vision, positioning, stickhandling, defensive play, puck protection, size, competitiveness
Room for improvement : finishing, strength and physical play, skating
Stylistic comparision : Nick Suzuki
Matus Valek at eliteprospects.com
In a Slovak U18 league he´s on the track for the best individual season by a U15 player in a history with an absolutely insane leading against the others. It´s fair to be said this league this year is a bit weaker than it used to be in the past and also he´s playing in a really stacked team and line. But it doesn't change much that the more I watch Valek, the more I like him. He has an excellent understanding of hockey for a player of his age - he´s always in the right place, anticipates the game brilliantly and I like his defensive responsibility also, he´s very good at takeaways for example. So I really like his all-around game and I hope he´ll become a center in the future, he has all the presuppotions for that.
His passing skills are one of the best I've seen for a Slovak prospect of his age for a long time. He also became noticeably bigger over the past year which helps him a lot in a puck protection. His skating is solid for a player for his size although it´s definitely not his best asset.
What still needs to be improved is his finishing and he needs to gain weight, he´s not a very flashy player yet and there is work to be done on his skating also.
Strengths : hockey IQ, passing skills, vision, positioning, stickhandling, defensive play, puck protection, size, competitiveness
Room for improvement : finishing, strength and physical play, skating
Stylistic comparision : Nick Suzuki
Matus Valek at eliteprospects.com
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