Zadina wasn't considered any more of a risk than any of the generic high-scoring CHL wingers who often go high in the Draft. He wasn't a great athlete, he wasn't a dazzling puck-handler though he had some moments, he just scored. On harmless looking plays the puck would find him and he'd score. His shot could beat Junior goalies. He looked great in international games where he was put in a prominent role by Czech coaches. I remember one good poster saying he could not figure out how Zadina did it, but it was a fact he could do it. At least in Junior. When it was the Wings' turn at the Draft, I remember the camera picked out Holland and he just kind of shrugged and smirked as if thinking, "Well, I guess we just have to take our next 40-goal scorer. Thank you all very much." There wasn't a whole lot to be apparently worried about and the initial fan reaction was pretty positive apart from those convinced Hughes should have been the pick.
That positivity changed for me when he showed up at the following training camp and wasn't fit enough to last through a scrimmage. He was bagged. In preseason games he was ludicrously unaware of how vulnerable he was to getting crushed. Eyes only for the puck, but slow, weak and clueless did not make a good impression. I figured he just needed to get serious about training, and he did get stronger, but he never got comfortable enough or frankly brave enough to do the same things in the NHL that he could do in Junior. There were flashes, but that was it.
