| Jakub Hujer | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | L | C | 6’3″ | 205 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | 2021 | Praha, CZE | 2004 | 2022-2023: Free Agent 2021-2022: C+ |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, February 9, 2023: Truthfully I expected more from Hujer during the 2022/23 season. I thought he would be an ideal late round selection in 2022, but so far the NHL scouts look like they made the right call. He’s a big body who can protect the puck while cycling and he knows how to use his reach to his advantage so I was hoping for more assertiveness and overall grime to his game this year. But so far this season his overall ice time is down 0:59, his power play time is down 0:58 while his shorthanded time is up 0:37 per game. His face-off percentage has dropped from 43% to 37% and he is still winning 46% of his 50/50 puck battles, but his hard body checks per-game have dropped from 1.12 to 0.82. Maybe he’s playing through an extended injury but if not these numbers show me that Hujer is content being on the perimeter. It’s not all bad as his plus / minus currently sits at -2 while last season he finished -23 so maybe he’s concentrating on his two-way game. In my mind he has a few months left to prove that he wants to play professionally in North America so hopefully he will.
Neutral Zone NHL, July 4, 2022: Why an NHL draft pick, he is a 6’3″ center with a solid skating base that will allow him to carry more weight. He understands body positioning when protecting the puck. He averaged giving over 1.12 hard body checks per game. Why not an NHL draft pick, he won 46% of his puck battles and 48% of his shots hit the net. On 159 total shot attempts 57 of them were blocked with 20 of those blocks coming from outside of the right face-off dot while on the power-play.
QMJHL: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Draft Prospects, December 1, 2021: There is a lot to like about the 6’3″ Czech’s game as he continues to adjust to major junior hockey. Yes it is obvious that he is long and lanky, but we feel Hujer uses his long arms and reach to his advantage on both sides of the puck, not just on the offensive side. In the defensive zone he consistently plays stick on puck while trying to end the cycle, yet is not afraid to use a subtle kidney cross check to change an opponent’s momentum to then keep them contained in the corner. He also shows good leg drive through contact while pinning opponents to the wall or while clearing shooting lanes for his goalie. In offensive transition Hujer has a smooth first touch on both his forehand and back hand. His attacks the middle before dishing wide to his linemates and then continues to the net as a strong middle drive. In the long run we are excited about his skating posture and glide as we feel he can carry an additional 15 pounds of muscle and be an even more effective two-way center in professional hockey. Hujer is a player we will watch closely over the next few months.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images