| Matteo Koci | HC Karlovy Vary U20 | Czech U20 | L | D | 6’0″ | 159 | Karlovy, CZE | 2005 | 2022-2023: C |
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022: Matteo is a 5’11/160 pound defenseman who is going to have to grow and gain strength if his development as an elite player is to continue. He is an average skater in his peer group both forwards and backwards. He is willing to stand up at the blueline to keep pucks in, but he needs to make better reads as he was witnessed making stand up decision and allowing odd man attacks against as he was caught out of position. Knowing when to be aggressive and when to back off will go a long way with keeping him out of trouble.
U18: Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, August 3, 2022: Koci totaled 20:17 in ice time including 3:31 while shorthanded. He did not play on the power play. Defensively he played a very aggressive and abrasive game as he looked to initiate contact in almost every situation. As a penalty killer there were a few times that we feel he could have gone for the puck to attempt a clear, but he never allowed himself to get trapped on the wrong side of the puck and when there a point shot / rebound all he did was lift sticks while clearing bodies. He finished the game -1, with 2 shots, a game high 7 hits, received 1 hard body check, 3 giveaways, 8 takeaways and he won 55% of his 20 puck battles.
U18: Czechis vs Switzerland, July 7, 2022: Koci totaled 18:00 in ice time including 0:07 while on the power play and 1:34 while shorthanded. His transitional passes were off his stick quickly and were accurate. He plays a simple direct no frills game that is built on playing tight gaps and taking away time and space. He finished the game even with 0 points, 0 shots, 2 PIMs for simply over powering an opponent in the neutral zone and knocking him down, 1 shot, team leading 6 hits, received 1 hard body check, had 1 shot blocked, game high 9 giveaways, game high 10 takeaways and he won 80% of his 10 puck battles.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images