Jan Bednar (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B-) Goalie
Jan is 6’4 goalie who moves well laterally and plays big. On this hard working team he was quite possibly the best player and we feel improved his draft positioning. He did an excellent job of controlling the game and settling the Czech play down when things would appear to be a on the verge of getting out of control. On the penalty kill his lateral movement and rebound control limited their opposition’s power play and rarely lead to second, never mind third scoring chances. Jan plays the puck well and has the ability to catch the other team in line changes that would ultimately result in quick transition for the Czech Republic team.
Stanislav Vrhel (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — A-) Forward
(1) Brain – He is a young responsible two-way center iceman with ability to contain the cycle in the defensive zone while still providing support to his defensemen and line mates. Stanislav reads the opposition very well and has a knack for creating turnovers and transition. On a line rush he changes speeds and manipulates the defenders gaps at a very advanced level and has the ability to use all of his teammates to his advantage. High IQ player.
(2) Vision & Poise – Plays with his head up and his eyes moving. He can make soft touch plays while on the cycle and can find his defensemen going back door. Defensively, his head is on a swivel and he does not rush into situations where he will be exposed.
(3) Feet – Strong explosive skater who has great edges. He does not need to slow down when taking corners at high speeds or when a defender is on his back. Has high end top line speed and agility. The opposition was very aware of his speed in transition and backed off in anticipation of being beaten.
(4) Compete or Effort – He battles in all three zones.
(5) Contact or Physicality – Stanislav finishes all his checks and looks to initiate contact while he is cycling. He plays a hard pounding game.
(6) Release – Rips it. Can shoot while his feet are moving and does not need time to settle the puck down to release a rocket.
(7) One Timer Ability – We did not see any attempts.
(8) Body Language – A high energy upbeat player who set the tone for his line mates.
(9) Special Teams Potential – We feel Stanislav can be a player who plays in every situation in the National League.
(10) Intangibles – He was one of the youngest players in the 5-Nations Tournament and was one of the most impressive.
Vladimir Kremlacek (4 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — C+) Defense
(1) Brain – Processes the game quickly & has excellent anticipation.
(2) Vision & Poise – Vladimir is not an offensive minded defensman, but he has the puck skills and vision to thrive in a quick transition game. He makes hard tape to tape passes and has the vision to find sticks in the offensive zone.
(3) Feet – Moves laterally very well and has high end gap control. Contains the cycle by taking smart angles and is strong enough on his edges to pin larger players.
(4) Compete & Effort – Only Note Extremes
(5) Contact or Physicality – Although he is not a banger, he has the ability to pinch a line rush off early and is strong enough to maintain defensive side positioning in his end. He has a strong stick and wins 50-50 battles.
(6) Release – Shoots the puck well, but does not have a cannon.
(7) One Timer Ability – We did not see any attempts
(8) Body Language – Before face-offs Vladimir was always talking to his D partner or forwards, which was a sign of leadership to us.
(9) Special Teams Potential – We do not view Vladimir as a shooting threat on a power play, but his vision, anticipation and quick smart decision with the puck will make him a second power play option. The same attributes will make him a potential high level penalty killer.
(10) Intangibles – He is 19 months away from being drafted, but he is a player we will be looking for at the U18 World Championships.
Michael Krutil (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
(1) Brain – A smart defensman, who although has the skills to be an offensive minded defenseman, takes care of the defensive side of the game first. He anticipates passes very early and shuts down passing lanes quickly and cleanly.
(2) Vision & Poise – Sees the entire ice well and has the poise while carrying the puck to out wait forecheckers to create passing lanes.
(3) Feet – Strong base and fluid stride. Quick first step in all directions. We did not did not see him get caught flat footed in any zone or situation.
(4) Compete & Effort – Only Note Extremes
(5) Contact or Physicality – Hits much harder than a player who weighs in at 165lbs. He looks to have great hand strength because he seemed to win every stick battle.
(6) Release – Has a bullet and very quick release. Scored high glove on a penalty shot versus Team Sweden that was an absolute cannon. The snap shot was in the net before the goalie even moved.
(7) One Timer Ability – Michael can fire it.
(8) Body Language – Only Note Extremes
(9) Special Teams Potential – Michael’s shot and puck poise make him a power play option while his compete and anticipation make him a long term penalty kill option.
(10) Intangibles – As one of the few right shot defenseman on Team Czech Republic he will get crucial power play time which will only help his development.
Filip Kovar (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
(1) Brain – His body is still catching up to his mind, but it is easy to see that he thinks the game well and will continue to improve.
(2) Vision & Poise – Plays a simple game. Moves the puck quickly and does not get himself into the kind of trouble or bad situations that would drive a coach crazy.
(3) Feet – His feet are still developing, but he has a very good first step and consistent gap control.
(4) Compete & Effort – The opposition did not get second scoring opportunities while he was defending his net.
(5) Contact or Physicality – Hits and contains on the cycle. We do not see his game as a punishing hitter through the neutral zone, but we did see two solid open ice hits along the red line.
(6) Release – He has a hard accurate shot from the blue line. When he did not have a shooting lane Filip moved laterally looking for tips or shot the puck off the end boards looking to create scoring chances or chaos near the net.
(7) One Timer Ability – We did not see any.
(8) Body Language – Carries himself like a leader. He consistently was talking to teammates and giving encouraging pats on the back or shinpads.
(9) Special Teams Potential – Filip has the chance to be a high level penalty killer. He reads the play well and has a very active stick that shuts down shooting and passing lanes very quickly.
(10) Intangibles – Even at 6’3 179lbs Filip looks like he has a lot a maturing to do physically. We think he has the frame to play professionally at closer to 210lbs and his good first step will only get better as he trains and gets physically stronger.
Tomas Chlubna (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C-) Forward
(1) Brain – He thinks the game like a goal scorer and will work hard for those opportunities.
(2) Vision & Poise – Has offensive vision and poise both with the puck or without. Tomas has the ability to lose defenders in the offensive zone and can find streaking line mates while on a line rush.
(3) Feet – He has a quick first step, but will need to continue developing his lower body strength for high end straight line speed. You do not need to be a burner to be successful in the National League, but Tomas plays a style where he needs to be burner to continue generating quality scoring chances.
(4) Compete & Effort – Tomas works his ass off for scoring opportunities.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He protects the puck well and is very strong on the puck. Tomas can attack the net from anywhere in the offensive zone.
(6) Release – He has an NHL type of shot that seems to catch goalies off balance. His shots consistently created rebounds and second scoring chances.
(7) One Timer Ability – Tomas was Team Czech Republic’s shooter on the power play. He hits the net and expects to score.
(8) Body Language – He was Team Czech Republic’s Captain and was definitely the player his teammates looked to when things were not going well. We saw him get frustrated when he missed scoring opportunities and he carried that frustration to the bench, but he never treated a teammate poorly.
(9) Special Teams Potential – His offensive instincts make him a natural power play option.
(10) Intangibles – Tomas was the Captain on a very hard working team and his effort and compete were evident every shift.
Sebastian Malat (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
(1) Brain – Has the mindset of a hard working power forward who takes pride in both ends of the ice. He is responsible in the defensive end and does not cheat to the offensive side of battles.
(2) Vision & Poise – Sebastian plays a simple straight forward game. He creates his opportunities by making the correct decisions with or without the puck and is in attack mode. He can make cute little plays around the net or through the neutral zone, but (again) he makes the right play rather than risk a sloppy turnover.
(3) Feet – He can fly, is very agile and has an extremely strong stride.
(4) Compete & Effort – He is a maximum effort player.
(5) Contact or Physicality – Protects the puck well on the cycle and finishes all checks with authority. He does not shy away from any physical situation.
(6) Release – NHL release right now. A bullet.
(7) One Timer Ability – Sebastian can one time poor passes as well as the perfect ones. A huge plus as he moves towards the professional game.
(8) Body Language – Only Note Extremes
(9) Special Teams Potential – He has penalty killer written all over him. He plays with an attention to detail that killers need and his explosive skating is a true plus.
(10) Intangibles – He does not seem to be as highly touted as other European prospects, but he plays a hard North American styled game. If he was from the United States or Canada he would be on every team’s radar.
Tomas Urban (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C-) Forward
(1) Brain – Offensively Tomas can be very creative. He manipulates gaps, has high level anticipation and sees plays happening very early. Defensively, he is thinking about offense and trying to pick off passes to create transition.
(2) Vision & Poise – He has high levels of both and looks to make plays no matter what the situation is.
(3) Feet – He has quick feet, but will need to get stronger and faster to be an offensive threat in the professional game.
(4) Compete & Effort – For such an offensive minded player, Tomas plays a physical game and will look to finish checks all over the ice. We feel this is a real positive and shows real compete and understanding how to win.
(5) Contact or Physicality – See above. Tomas goes for the kill shot.
(6) Release – Has very smooth hands that allow him to settle poor passes and fire accurate shots very quickly. Scored a goal against Finland on a puck that was off his stick before the defenders or goalie knew what happened.
(7) One Timer Ability – We did not see any.
(8) Body Language – He was involved in the game and enjoyed causing a ruckus after the whistle. We liked it.
(9) Special Teams Potential – He has the mind and puck skills to work both the mid-wall or goal line on the power play. We do not see him as a penalty killer in professional hockey, but his enjoyment of being gritty an grimy may lead him in a killers direction.
(10) Intangibles – Tomas played for The South Florida Hockey Academy for the 2018-19 season before returning to Czech for this season. We wonder if he saw this season as a year in the NAHL or playing U18 and instead chose to go home to play a different styled game? Either way, we would be surprised if Division 1 schools are not looking for his commitment right now.