Talking about the drafts is irrelevant for the players right now. They're without the international hockey for the entire year (with exception of Mesar, Slafkovsky, Nemec now at WJC). It's nice they play well for their clubs but we don't know their real quality unless they face the best of their class. They're 16yo, 15yo respectively and have very long route prior to draft.
I expect huge influx of 04 players to NA after this season. I can imagine lots of players being picked in CHL draft. This would definitely help them for the NHL draft eventually.
Talking about the drafts is irrelevant for the players right now. They're without the international hockey for the entire year (with exception of Mesar, Slafkovsky, Nemec now at WJC). It's nice they play well for their clubs but we don't know their real quality unless they face the best of their class. They're 16yo, 15yo respectively and have very long route prior to draft.
I expect huge influx of 04 players to NA after this season. I can imagine lots of players being picked in CHL draft. This would definitely help them for the NHL draft eventually.
All the players I quote are way ahead of their age. They are either already better than the best Slovaks aged 18-20 (Elias, Mesar, Nemec, Sykora, Petrovsky) or at the level of the best Swedish and Finnish players of their age (Slafkovsky).
There is more reason to talk about these 2022 Slovak prospects than to talk about 2021 Slovak prospects because they are already better than Alex Geci et al.
This is also the case for the Slovak 2023 prospects which as time goes by, seems to be as interesting as the 2022 promotion.
Dalibor Dvorsky is already the best 2005 player playing in Sweden. Although born at the end of the year Alex Ciernik is at the level of the best Swedishs born in 2004. Sisik and Strbak are at the level of the best Finns born in 2005.
At 15, Ridzon and Molnar are already playing in the Slovakian Extraliga. Zold not yet but in the meantime he is already at the top of the Slovak U20s. All of this is extremely new and extremely striking. Cajkovic at the same age was very far from them. And yet, 4 years ago, he made a lot of talk because he was the only Slovak hope.
Here I am talking about 13 guys. 13 guys born in 2004 and 2005 who are more promising than a 3rd round 2019 at the same age.
Certainly some will crash. But certainly also that other Slovak players will be added to the list.
What's important is to talk about the rebirth of Slovak hockey when those who focus on senior hockey think that Slovakia is no longer a hockey country.
Dvorsky is 15 years old. I really dont know how can anyone talk about "nhl material", when nobody knows if he even someday becomes a pro player. This kind of pressure does nothing good for the kids, even though I agree that as of today, they look very promising.Analyzing a player's future performance and categorically predicting his rank actually doesn't matter much and no one does. What is interesting (to my point of view) is to predict, from all of these players, how many Slovak players will play in NHL in 2030?
It's not crazy to think that there could be 15/20 if you consider that Slovakia is once again able to supply 2 players per year.
The 2022/2023 promos alone are expected to produce 6 Slovak NHL players. Dvorsky, Salfkovsky, Nemec and Mesar already ensure a minimum of 4.
If I consider Dvorsky as best forward on the Swedish tour for the draft 2023, I'm assuming he's a potential top 10, maybe top 5.
Others look like Round 1/2 at worst. In any case, they look like players who are going to play in NHL.
The question that arose a few months ago was whether there was going to be continuity after 2022. To find out, we have to look at the 15-year-old players. It looks like it does and the Slovak 2023 promo might be better.
In any case Dvorsky seems to be even stronger than Slafkovsky et al.
For 2024, no name emerges to date. There may be a drop. But the Czech neighbor, whose level evolutions seem parallel, already announces an extremely promising player (Adam Jecho).
The best 2005 striker playing in Sweden is Slovak.
The best 2006 striker playing in Finland is Czech.
That's all we can say today. And that already means a lot for two nations which are emerging from 15 years of misery and which today produce players who dominate in the two circuits with the highest density of talent.
Contrary to what we think, there are not so many surprises. A player who establishes himself as the best forward of his generation in Sweden at 15 is automatically a top prospect currently. It would take a dramatic tumble for him not to be selected in 30 months.
I'm looking the Slovak U12 team 5 years ago, almost the same names stand out : Slafkovsky, Petrovsky, Mesar, Sykora and Dvorsky, outclassed by one year.
What is interesting is that the best Czechoslovakian talents manage to dominate in the best youth leagues in the world.
You can be skeptical about a player's success, but overall there won't be a curse that will hit all Czechoslovak prospects. There is no doubt that the Slovakian players born in the 2000s will be much stronger than those born in the 1980s and the 1990s. Among them, there will inevitably be some who will be drafted in the 1st round and who will become immense players.
It is by far the best generation to have started to be formed after the break-up of Czechoslovakia, which turned out to be a real breakthrough for Czechoslovakian hockey.
This means that these two countries are starting to materialize the investments made at the beginning of the last decade.
It reminds me of Finland 8 years ago. In 2012 Finland was weaker than Czechia is today. Finland only produced goalies, there were only 4 defenders in NHL with the top 2 being 37 and 38 years old. Among forwards, only Selanne and the Koivu brothers were really good. Again I'm talking about two players who were 42 and 38 years old.
If we trusted the seniors, Finland seemed dead. But if we trusted teenagers, we could already see a better future. It was not possible to say for sure who these players would be. It was possible to say that Finland would be much stronger in 2020.
8 years later, Finland has doubled its NHL player count, players who are bound to be under 27 for the most part and the number of Finnish players drafted each year has stabilized at around 20.
What about Dalibor Dvorsky? Do you think he won't go in 2023?
What do you mean? He's on the list. I didn't make any major changes yet as most players had barely played this season when I last updated the rankingss, and the league which Dvorsky is playing in isn't likely to resume anytime soon. I plan to update the rankings after the WHJC.
As the OP is 1.5 years old now and I don’t think anyone’s actually published a ranked list here since then: how would you rank the players in the 04 and 05 classes today? Who do you see in the NHL draft and who could even be succeeding in the CHL if they came over?
7.Daniel Alexander Jencko
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10.Milan Tadeas Jobek
As for me:
04's:
1.Simon Nemec
2.Juraj Slafkovsky
3.Filip Mesar
4.Alex Ciernik (late 04)
5.Servac Petrovsky
6.Adam Zlnka
7.Rastislav Elias
8.Adam Sykora
9.Patrik Gabriel
10.Alex Sotek
HM's: Peter Repcik, Zigmund Zold (late 04), Samuel Honzek (late 04)
Nemec, Mesar, Petrovsky and Zlnka have already confirmed that they are interested in going to the CHL next season, so we will see. Interest from the CHL is also about Slafkovsky, but if he gets a chance in Finland at the men's level, he will probably stay there. As for the NHL draft, so difficult to estimate, will depend on their D seasons. But the trio of Slafkovsky, Nemec and Mesar should be sure.
05's:
1.Dalibor Dvorsky
2.Ondrej Molnar
3.Jakub Chromiak (late 05)
4.Maxim Strbak
5.Frantisek Ridzon
6.Samuel Sisik
7.Daniel Alexander Jencko
8.Roman Kukumberg
9.Leo Eperjesi
10.Milan Tadeas Jobek
HM's: Viliam Kurila, Adam Cedzo
He is a great puck-moving D who has a very good vision. I've heard comparisons to Dante Fabbro and Tyson BarrieThis is helpful list, thanks for posting.
I keep seeing Nemec's name, and hearing great things, but never seen him play. Would be great to see him in CHL next season.
What sort of player is he? Any comparable NHL player?
Another promising 2004 born defensman Marian Mosko has just won the USHS Prep's championship as the first Slovak in the history. IMHO, he is the second best 2004 born D-man after Simon Nemec.
Is that because there aren’t any NHL prospects in the Slovak 04 D class after Nemec or do you actually think Mosko is good? Can you tell me more about him?Another promising 2004 born defensman Marian Mosko has just won the USHS Prep's championship as the first Slovak in the history. IMHO, he is the second best 2004 born D-man after Simon Nemec.
I have seen Marian playing only few times. But from seen I can tell you that he impressed me. I am not sure how he progressed in one year but hopefully he moved little bit further.Is that because there aren’t any NHL prospects in the Slovak 04 D class after Nemec or do you actually think Mosko is good? Can you tell me more about him?
Is that because there aren’t any NHL prospects in the Slovak 04 D class after Nemec or do you actually think Mosko is good? Can you tell me more about him?