Slovak 2004 Entry and CHL Draft Review
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Hockey's Future: The Hockey Prospects Resource (Covering the WHL, QMJHL,AHL, O... Page 1 of 6 Custom NHL Hockey Jerseys 04 World Cup Of Hockey In Stock Now Fan Friendly Prices & Great Service Ads by Goooooogle September 27, 2004 Your Navigational Menu Slovak Slovak 2004 Entry and CHL draft » Mess review Written by Tomas Egry on 07/02/2004 2005 Top Prospects Ten Slovak players were picked by eight different teams in this year`s NHL Entry Draft. With the same quantity as last year, this draft class looks little bit Other Notables stronger on quality. With two first round picks it was a good year for Slovaks. 2006 Top Prospects Boris Valabik - 1st round - 10th overall - Atlanta Thrashers Defenseman- 2/14/1986- 6‘7"- 212 lbs- Kitchener Rangers- OHL Other Notables Valabik‘s stock was constantly rising in his draft year and was finally picked at No.10. He was surprisingly picked before other defensemen like A.J.Thelen or 2007 Top Prospects fellow Slovak Andrej Meszaros. Valabik is a safe pick for Thrashers. He is a huge guy with solid mobility. His adaptation to the North American style was Other Notables very quick. After a solid performance at last year‘s U18 world Championship where he played with Andrej Meszaros and won silver medal, he decided to move to OHL. He led the team of Kitchener in penalty minutes and get the description of the meanest guy in this draft. He doesn`t have a lot of offensive skill and mostly play strictly defensive role in his team. Valabik is mostly compared to Zdeno Chara since they have similar size and history. Chara was also drafted mostly because of his enforcer style of play and later developed into Norris Trophy runner-up. The Thrashers hope their similarity will continue and Valabik will develop into more complete player. If not, they will get a big, mobile enforcer who is reliable in his own end, but won`t create anything up front. Andrej Meszaros - 1st round - 23rd overall - Ottawa Senators Defenseman- 10/13/1985- 6‘0"- 198 lbs- Dukla Trencin- Slovak Extraliga Meszaros first drew attention in 2002 when he represented Slovakia at U18 World Championship. Even if he didn`t dominate the tournament like then 16- year-old Alexander Ovechkin, he had a solid performance on a weak team. He continued developing constantly and in 2002-03 season he made his debut in the Slovak Extraliga. He also captained the Slovak team to a silver medal at the U18 World Championship. This season he became the vital member of Trencin men`s team. After a strong performance in playoffs and winning the title he was nominated to the Slovak National team for the World Championship. Getting minimum ice time, it was still a great experience for him to play with players like Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa. Meszaros is mostly known for his offensive skills. He is good skater with smooth stride and solid agility. His passing skills and hard shot from the point make him perfect power play quaterback. In his own zone he provides some solid defensive http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=7073&mode=threaded&order=0 27. 9. 2004 Hockey's Future: The Hockey Prospects Resource (Covering the WHL, QMJHL,AHL, O... Page 2 of 6 reads and great work with his stick when he is able to block tons of shots. He was known for being soft, but this aspect of his game improved pretty well this season. He has an aggressive game along the boards and in front of the net. He also threw some big hits this year in Slovak Extraliga, but aggressiveness still doesn`t come naturally from this heart. Andrej Sekera - 3rd round - 71st overall - Buffalo Sabres Defenseman- 6/8/1986- 6‘0‘‘- 187 lbs- Dukla Trencin- Slovak Juniors Sekera is another product of Dukla Trencin. This season he was a captain of Trencin`s junior team and Slovak U18 team. He also made his debut in Slovak Extraliga. Even if not really big for modern defenseman, he is solidly built and doesn`t shy away of physical contact. He provides balanced offensive and defensive skills. He reads the play pretty well, plays aggressively along the boards and plays a good positional game in his own end. He is very poised with the puck and makes a great first pass out of the zone. His good passing skills give him a role on the power play. He should improve his shot to become excellent quarterback. Sekera is natural leader and motivates his teammates perfectly. He is very comunicative. His physical condition might be a problem because sometimes when he plays a long shift he makes penalties or stupid mistakes. Sekera will probably join Slovak group in CHL next season while he was picked by Owen Sound in the Import Draft. Peter Olvecky - 3rd round - 78th overall - Minnesota Wild Winger- 10/11/1985- 6‘2"- 185 lbs- Dukla Trencin- Slovak Juniors It was a big surprise that Olvecky went so high. He provides a solid combination of size, skills and grittiness. Native of Nove Zamky, he spent the last seasons in Dukla Trencin organization. Last season he played mostly for the junior team but gained some Extraliga experience, too. He is a versatile player, good at both ends although his dominance is in the offensive zone. He works hard along the boards, creates plays and is also able to finish them. He should get little bit stronger and become more aggressive in front of the net. He doesn`t have any major strengths or weaknesses. Olvecky is a long term prospect for Wild, but his work ethic could be a positive factor in his future development. He suits perfectly the Wild philosophy. Olvecky was recently picked by Sudbury in the CHL Import Draft. Roman Tomanek - 4th round - 103rd overall - Phoenix Coyotes Right Wing- 1/28/1986- 6‘1"- 176 lbs- Povazska Bystrica- Division 1 Tomanek is an extremely talented forward, a top skater in this draft class. He has great speed, acceleration and agility. He carries the puck at fast pace along with his great deking ability it makes him strong 1 on 1 player. He is a scoring threat every time he is on ice. Mostly known for his finishing abilities he can also create some nice plays. His great skating allows him to be great forechecker, but adding some pounds would make him even better and more punishing. Tomanek`s dominance is strictly is offense. With the system played in Slovakia he wasn`t really asked to play defensively. Even though he has a ton of offensive skills, Tomanek is still an extremely risky pick. He decided to move to bigger club, Slovan Bratislava. Unfortunately, he wasn`t able to adapt there and started to cheat his hockey duties. Later he decided to move back home to Povazska Bystrica and it took him a long time to get back the reputation he deserves. At the begining of this season it looked like this will be another average year for him and he would have big trouble getting drafted. He spent the season playing for Povazska Bystrica in Division 1 (second men‘s hockey league in Slovakia) putting some http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=7073&mode=threaded&order=0 27. 9. 2004 Hockey's Future: The Hockey Prospects Resource (Covering the WHL, QMJHL,AHL, O... Page 3 of 6 solid numbers with 20 points in 29 games. His situation changed dramatically after his strong performance at U18 Four Nations tournament in February. He continued his great play and dominated highly scouted U18 World Championship winning the goal scoring race. Once he is motivated Tomanek is almost unstopable. He needs to improve his off-ice habits, consistency and defensive play. To make this, he decided to move to the WHL where he was drafted by the Calgary Hitmen. Roman Kukumberg - 4th round - 113th overall - Toronto Maple Leafs Forward- 4/8/1980- 6‘1"- 196 lbs- Dukla Trencin- Slovak Extraliga The only Slovak overage player picked in this year`s draft. Kukumberg was a member of Slovak champion`s elite line. He also represented Slovakia at World Championship. He is a versatile forward who can be used for any game situation. Can play right wing or center and provides solid play at both ends. He is a good combination of size, skill and grit. He works hard along the boards and in front of the net, but can also make some finesse moves. He doesn`t have any major flaws just needs time to develop. Recently signed a new contract with Metalurg Nizhnekamsk of Russian Superleague. Michal Sersen - 5th round - 130th overall - Pittsburgh Penguins Defenseman- 12/28/1985- 6‘1" - 200 lbs- Rimouski- QMJHL Sersen is second Slovak CHLer picked in the 2004 Entry Draft. The expectations were high when Rimouski selected him as No.1 pick in last year Import Draft. Sersen missed World Junior Championship due to injury. The native of Gelnica began his career in near Spisska Nova Ves. At a young age he moved to Bratislava to play for Slovan. He won the midget title twice and in 2003 made his debut in the first team. In the same year he was a member of Slovak U18 National team that won silver medals at the World Championship. Sersen is a solid shot blocker. He carries the puck pretty well and has some offensive instincts. He needs to improve his consistency and defensive reads. Juraj Gracik - 5th round - 142nd overall - Atlanta Thrashers Right Wing- 8/14/1986- 6‘3" - 187 lbs- Topolcany- Division 1 Tall, lanky Gracik is a typical power forward.