| Adam Jiricek | HC Plzen | International | R | D | 6’1″ | 152 | Plzen, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: A- |
Game Rating: B
Comments: Standing at 6’1′ Jiricek has an NHL frame, smooth heel to heel pivoting and an easy flat edge glide that will allow him to maintain his skating ease as he adds mass to 152lbs. During offensive neutral zone transition he consistently looked off the forechecker so he was able to make hard flat tape to tape passes to the middle option. He was key contributor to the both special team’s units as he played a game high 6:43 on the power play and 2:48 while short handed. He earned a primary power play assist on a 5on3 where he and his goal line passing option ran a set play for the goal scorer to run a scissor. He had 3 shots from the point that generated rebounds with one being a PP one-timer that caught the goalie in the left biceps as he was sliding laterally to make the save. He did have 3 other shots that were blocked with 2 coming on snapshots from the strong side point and the other coming on a PP one-timer. On the night he had 5 giveaways. 12 takeaways and he won 71% of his 17 puck battles. There were times during this game when he was a man amongst boys and it was easy to see that as he gains strength and power how he has a chance to be a top pairing right shot defender in the NHL.
| Jakub Fibigr | HC Vitkovice U20 | Czech U20 | L | D | 5’11” | 157 | Unicov, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B-
Comments: Fibigr is an undersized left shot left defenseman who played top pairing 5on5 minutes. He has a deep knee bend with a slight forward leaning skating base that allows him to play on his toes and inside edges looking to accelerate into the play whenever possible. His passes were hard and on time. During offensive transition or opportunities in general he did not need to over handle the puck before making the next play and he handled bouncing pucks cleanly. A prime example of this occurred on his goal where he corralled a bouncing puck along the offensive blueline while he was sliding to his right. On the play he showed the soft first touch to settle the puck while his eyes were up and fired a bullet snap shot high to the glove hand side. He had another shot from the blueline during the first period where he received and fired a rolling puck without needing to settle it down. He finished the game with having one shot blocked, 6 giveaways, 4 takeaways and he won 62% of his 8 puck battles. Heading into the Hlinka Gretzky Cup we had him as a ‘B’ 2024 draft prospect, but with his limited time on the power play it will be difficult to keep him that high as an undersized left shot defender.
| Adam Hlinsky | BK Mlada Boleslav U20 | Czech U20 | L | D | 5’11” | 180 | Praha, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B
Comments: Hlinsky is an undersized smooth skating athletic left shot defender. He has an easy glide, a powerful heel to heel pivot without the need for crossing over and the type of flat edge glide that allows him to set his gap early and to maintain 0pace with very little effort. He was a secondary power play option (0:53 PPTOI) but was a key member to the penalty kill unit (3:12 PK TOI) as his willingness to do the things that help teams win was very evident. Meaning he maintained shooting lanes, intentionally ate pucks and engaged in wall battles to kill valuable time on the clock without getting trapped on the wrong side of the puck. He finished the game -1 after getting stuck on the ice for a 97 second second period shift, had 2 hits, 5 giveaways, 13 takeaways and he won 71% of his 17 puck battles. Hlinsky has the mindset to be an effective impactful two-way defenseman in North America and it will be interesting to see if teams feel he has the size to play his game in the NHL.
| Adam Kral | Bili Tygri Liberec U20 | Czech U20 | R | D | 6’1″ | 174 | Havlickuv Brod, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Rating: LV
Comments: Earned 4:48 of even strength ice time. He was -1 with 1 giveaway, 3 takeaways and won 75% of his 4 puck battles.
| Matej Kubiesa | HC Ocelari Trinec U20 | Czech U20 | R | RW | 5’11” | 171 | Frydek-Mistek, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Rating: B+
Comments: Kubiesa is an undersized right shot right wing who plays the game on his inside edges looking to jump into the rush or engage in physical confrontations. Offensively he played the game with his head up and with urgency as he sprinted to areas and worked to be an impactful teammate when playing off the puck. While cycling he skated in straight lines making hard cuts using his low center of gravity to take away his opponent’s legs and center of balance. He earned a primary assist after winning a loose puck in the corner, making a pass to the weakside point and then sprinting to the net front to take the goalie’s eyes away. It would have been very easy for him to admire his pass, but instead he outworked his defender to establish a valuable net front presence. He also scored on a 5on3 power play where he rolled into the high slot and fired a rocket snap shot up under the cross bar to make the game 4-2 with 3:19 remaining in the third period. As he continues to move up the ladder to play at higher levels puck management will be an area that needs to a focus as he had 2 offensive grey area turnovers, 2 dump-ins that were too easy for the Swedish defenders to wheel the net with and he went offsides on a clean out numbered line rush. He finished the game with 7 giveaways, 2 takeaways and he won 54% of his 13 puck battles.
| Ondrej Kos | Ilves U20 | U20 SM | L | LW | 6’2″ | 170 | Brno, CZE | 2006 | 2023-202 |
Game Rating: C+
Comments: At 6’2″ Kos has an NHL frame, skating base and moves like a pro, but from the start of this game he looked a bit out of sorts. He miss played a few indirect passes and seemed to be in a rush by skating through passing lanes before his linemates even had the chance to move him the puck. He played 21:17 including 4:07 on the power play and 1:41 while shorthanded. He had zero points, was -2, had 1 shot, had 3 shots blocked, 7 giveaways, 5 takeaways and he won 60% of his 15 puck battles. Overall this was a game for Kos to move on from.
| Maxmilian Curran | HC Slavia Praha U20 | Czech U20 | L | C | 6’2″ | 167 | Praha, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B
Comments: Curran is a long light left shot forward with an upright skating posture, shoulder width base and 3/4 length quick strides. He has good straight line speed but we feel as he gains core strength and grows into himself physically his stride will elongate and he will have elite level speed. He played a very direct game offensively and we liked that in 1on1 situations he did not try to get too cute. Instead he chose to keep his feet moving, change his shooting angle or release point and use the defender as a screen. He was a key member to both special team’s units (3:34 PPTOI // 2:27 PK TOI) and we feel as he grows into himself and gains strength he could be an elite level NHL penalty killer. He finished the game 9/13 on face-offs, has 2 hits, received 2 hits, 8 giveaways, 3 takeaways and he won 41% of his 17 puck battles.
| Samuel Drancak | HC Motor Ceske Budejovice | Czech U20 | L | C | 5’11” | 178 | Strakonice, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: LV
Comments: Drancak is an undersized left shot forward who earned 6:25 of ice time including 1:00 while shorthanded. He played primarily center going 2/7 on face-offs with 1 hit, 0 giveaways, 1 takeaway and he won 38% of his 8 puck battles. During other games in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Drancak averaged close to 15 minutes of ice time so this game was a bit of an outlier in terms of time on ice.
| Herman Liv | Orebro HK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | G | 5’11” | 161 | Jonkoping, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Rating: B+
Comments: Liv is an undersized athletic goalie who played with poise and zero panic. He remained in control when moving laterally and did a nice job of staying inside of his posts. Both goals against came through screens on shots from high in the house that beat him high glove. Both goals were well placed shots into the top 6′ of the net, but his height limited his ability to see through the crowd as the shooter rolled into the high slot. On the night he stopped 27 of 29 (93%) and made 8 scoring area saves (100%). Sweden was shorthanded for 10:49 and they gave up one goal while shorthanded.
| Anton Olsson | Mora IK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 5’11” | 192 | Mora, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B
Comments: Olsson is a below average sized left shot defender with an explosive stride and deep knee skating base that allowed him to power his way through Czech opponents. He plays with a combination of pace and strength that made it very difficult for the Czech players to create any sort of momentum or time and space in any zone. He was used as a secondary piece on the power play (0:26 PPTOI), but he was a key to the shorthanded unit as was the highest playing Swedish defender (5:14 PKTOI). As a killer he was more than willing to maintain shooting lanes and block shots. He established his ice early without allowing himself to get tied up and his detailed approach made him the quarterback of the killing unit. Offensively he played a very mature and pro style by understanding that moving the puck quickly and hitting his underneath forward in stride would lead to cleaner zone entries. He finished the night with a game high 9 turnovers and there wasn’t a single one that we thought hurt Team Sweden’s momentum with 6 coming on defensive zone clearing wraps while shorthanded and 2 other coming on indirect passes that lead to Sweden having valuable offensive zone time. On the night he finished with 1 shot, 11 takeaways and he won 61% of his 18 puck battles. Olsson might not have the offensive flare of some of his 2024 draft counter parts, but he plays a game that translates very well to professional hockey in North America.
| Leo Sahlin Wallenius | Vaxjo HC J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 5’11” | 165 | Skovde, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Rating: B+
Comments: Wallenius is an undersized left shot defender who looked very confident while playing the right side. He showed a chest high knees over toes skating posture that allowed him to very explosive in all four directions. He has very good straight line speed and carrying the puck does not slow him down, as was evidence by his full ice dash on Sweden’s second goal where he won a wall battle and showed separational to create a 2on1. On the goal he gave a pass through the defender’s triangle that was perfect for a one-timer. Wallenius was +3 on the night and on each goal his skating ability allowed him to shut down a Czechian offensive opportunity or win a race to a loose puck. One thing to be aware of he did have five shots blocked, but each of the blocks were by defenders standing at the top of the crease so Team Sweden’s offense did not die. He finished the night with 3 giveaways, 3 takeaways and he won 29% of his 7 puck battles. He also had 4 penalty minutes with 2 coming on a post period scrum after a Czechian forward shot the puck after the period had ended and he earned another 2 minutes on what seemed to us to be a hit that was just too hard. we view both as penalties as positives.
| Laban Persson | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell | R | D | 5’11” | 176 | Goteborg, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Rating: B
Comments: Persson is an undersized right shot defender with a bit of an ‘A frame’ skating base and 3/4 length strides. Offensively he was at his best when he kept things simple and moved the puck, directly or indirectly) while the Czech forwards will still in pursuit. He really made his presence felt while killing penalties (4:59 PKTOI) where his anticipation and quick stick placement made him a real asset. He was excellent while killing a 5on3. He finished the game with three hits showing the strength and power to end the cycle quickly. When he made contact Czechia’s forwards seemed to fall down and loose pucks were created. He finished with 4 giveaways, 7 takeaways and he won 64% of his 11 puck battles.
| Lucas Pettersson | Modo | Sweden-2 | R | C | 5’11” | 161 | Ornskoldsvik, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Rating: A
Comments: Pettersson is a slight undersized left shot center with a bowlegged skating posture, quick powerful strides and a very powerful full length cross under that he uses to gain speed. His speed, explosiveness and change in direction gave Czechia’s defenders fits of panic all game. At this point he is still physically quite light, but we love how he confidently and fearlessly he went into contact or the net front to battle. He finished the game with 1 goal that came on a quick stick one-timer during a 2on1 and a secondary assist that showed his game awareness as he scanned the ice while the puck was being wrapped to him so he was able to make a perfect 10′ one-touch backhand pass to his linemate in the right face-off circle. He finished the night 13/24 on face-offs, 7 giveaways, 6 takeaways and he won 50% of his 20 puck battles. Heading into the Hlinka we had him rated as a ‘C+’ 2024 draft prospect, but we see that grade going higher as he has the mindset and skating ability to be a middle six forward in the NHL once he matures physically and gets closer to weighing 180lbs.
| Melvin Fernstrom | Orebro HK J20 | J20 Nationell | R | C | 6’1″ | 163 | Balasta, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B-
Comments: Fernstrom is a highly skilled creative right shot right wing with a slight frame and long galloping stride that will allow him to gain both speed and quickness as he matures and gains strength. He showed a soft first touch and nice hand eye coordination as he was able to get his stick blade on multiple knee to waist height pucks that were within his reach. In the offensive zone he was often times alone in the Czechia’s soft spot in their coverage and this is exactly how he scored on his lone shot of the game. On the play his linemates and an activating defenseman were cycling in the right corner. As this was happening Fernstrom looked over both shoulders to see that both Czechia’s weakside defenseman and weakside winger were hyper focused on the puck so he slid off to the lower 1/4 pie of the weakside face-off circle and hammered home a one-timer. He finished the game with 3 giveaways, 2 takeaways and he won 31% of his 13 puck battles. There is no doubt that he will need to continuing gaining strength and adding power to be an offensive catalyst at higher levels, but there is a lot to like about his ability to read defense’s in zone coverage and find the quiet area.
| Alfons Freij | Vaxjo HC J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 6’1″ | 187 | Solvesborg, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B+
Comments: Freij is a thickly built left shot defender who took shifts on both the right and left sides. He has the kind of strength and passing skills to be skating backwards at full speed with a forechecker in his face and still be able to fire a hard accurate pass to a teammate waiting at the far blueline. He led Team Sweden in total ice time (25:17) by 80 seconds and that included him spending six minutes in the box for a few aggressive crosschecks and a post whistle scrum where he manhandled his opponent throwing him to the ground. His point shots were hard low and generated secondary scoring opportunities and he scored a power play goal on an 8′ one-timer from the top of the umbrella. He finished the game -1 on a shot from high in the slot that originated on a bouncing puck to left of the Swedish net. You can argue that the goalie should have made the save but we would have liked to have seen Freij use his strength and quickness to drive the opposing forward from the shooting lane rather than allowing the Czech forward to plant himself in the goalie’s sight line. He had four shots on net, but also had two shots blocked. One was while he was leading the rush and the other came on a 5on5 point shot that hit Czechia’s low forward in coverage. He had five giveaways, eight takeaways and he won 43% of his 14 puck battles. We currently have him rated as a ‘B’ 2024 draft prospect, but after today we can see him elevating to a higher level of NHL prospect.
| Linus Eriksson | Djurgardens | SHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 163 | Stockholm, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B+
Comments: Eriksson is the undeniable leader / Captain and tone setter for Team Sweden. From the opening face-off he out paced his opponents to win races, finish checks and simply out battle his opponents in all three zones. Although an undersized forward by NHL standards he finished his checks with authority (3 hits) by continuing to stride directly through his opponent’s chest and then beating them into the valuable open ice. He was also on the receiving end of a 4 hard hits, but on each occasion he took the hot to make the right hockey play and then beat his opponent off the wall and into the play. He finished the game with zero points, but he led the game with 6 grade ‘A’ scoring opportunities including a breakaway after pickpocketing a Czech defenseman in the neutral zone and 5 other opportunities that originated by him simply outworking his man for the loose puck and then bringing the puck to the net. He finished the night with 3 giveaways, 13 takeaways and he won 68% of his 19 puck battles. He must be hell to practice against and we mean this as the biggest compliment possible.
| Alexander Zetterberg | Orebro HK J20 | J20 Nationell | R | C | 5’8″ | 159 | Sundsvall, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: A- |
Game Rating: B
Comments: Zetterburg is an undersized right shot center with a combination of speed an quickness that he uses to be a disruptive force on defense and to create space and opportunities on offense. In defensive coverage he maintained a stick’s length from his opponent while constantly being on the net side of the puck. He used his quickness to get his stick on passes and then used his offensive skills to one-touch passes to his defenseman or winger to create transition. Offensively he used his speed to back Czechia’s defenders off the line and then he would break his skating down so he could exploit the defender’s soft gap as he took the valuable middle ice. He was always in total control of the situation as he worked the left mid-wall on the power play (2:56 PPTOI) where his passes were flat, easy to handle and he showed deception to get the penalty killers to move their sticks from the passing lanes he wanted to use. Zetterburg had a power play primary assist after he gave a perfect pass to the top of the umbrella for a one-timer. He did not kill penalties. On the night he finished with 3 shots (all high slot floaters), went 8/20 on face-offs, had 3 shots blocked, 7 giveaways, 7 takeaways and he won 56% of his 18 puck battles.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Average player size by league;
U14 – 5’5” , 127lbs
U15 – 5’7” , 136lbs
U16 – 5’8” , 149lbs
U18 – 5’11” , 168lbs
NCDC – 6’0” , 183lbs (Tier 3)
BCHL – 5’11” , 179lbs (Tier 2)
AJHL – 5’11” , 176lbs (Tier 2)
NAHL – 5’11” , 173lbs (Tier 2)
USHL – 5’11” , 174lbs (Tier 1)
NCAA D3 – 5’10” , 170lbs
NCAA D1 – 6’0” , 190lbs
WHL – 6’0” , 188lbs
OHL – 6’0” , 185lbs
QMJHL – 5’11” , 179lbs
ECHL – 5’11” , 183lbs
AHL – 6’0” , 194lbs
NHL – 6’1.5” , 206lbs
NHL All-Star – 6’1” , 201lbs
Player Size Data compiled by ChatGPT