2022 Draft Profile:
RD Simon Nemec, HK Nitra Slovakia (STI Ranking #4, McKenzie #4)
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 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.
