Prospect Info: Samuel Honzek (LW/C) Vancouver Giants (Drafted 16th overall 2023)

[The Nemesis]

So it looks like the answer to the first question about his return is ...

He's starting on the wing



The first line is going to be super fun to watch though.

Edit: and for those that wonder, the Langkow is Daymond's kid. He's kind of a goon

 

[Lunatik]

So it looks like the answer to the first question about his return is ...

He's starting on the wing



The first line is going to be super fun to watch though.

Edit: and for those that wonder, the Langkow is Daymond's kid. He's kind of a goon

Thanks again for posting Nemesis. You're awesome.

Also, loved Daymond Langkow

 

[The Nemesis]

Thanks again for posting Nemesis. You're awesome.

Also, loved Daymond Langkow

No problem. Happy to spread the word about Giants prospects as I'm watching.

I might pop back in with thoughts and observations during the game. I will have pictures too but can't post them during the game because hf's media upload setup hates my phone for some reason.

I'm also a closet Daymond Langkow fan. Which is why it's kinda sad his kid didn't inherit the goal-scoring genes (7 career goals in 120 whl games). All he's got going for him is that he can grow a stache like he's 25 and he throws hands ok.

 

[Lunatik]

No problem. Happy to spread the word about Giants prospects as I'm watching.

I might pop back in with thoughts and observations during the game. I will have pictures too but can't post them during the game because hf's media upload setup hates my phone for some reason.

I'm also a closet Daymond Langkow fan. Which is why it's kinda sad his kid didn't inherit the goal-scoring genes (7 career goals in 120 whl games). All he's got going for him is that he can grow a stache like he's 25 and he throws hands ok.

Would appreciate it, thanks homie

 

[The Nemesis]

No points through 1 period as the Giants are down 2-0.

I thought Honzek looked ok all things considered. Tried to drive play but he's definitely got a bit of rust to shake off. He skated well and was just not quite on time to link up on plays or make a move around a defender.

Since I don't want to go to another thread I'll just say I didn't see a lot out of Lipinski. Not terrible but just sort of... there. I dunno if he's trying to defer to Honzek a bit or what.

 

[The Nemesis]

He's playing center on a pp unit to start the 3rd.

 

[The Nemesis]

I didn't provide any updates for the 3rd period last night because the game was pretty much a dud. Giants were shut out 4-0 so no points (obviously) for Honzek and overall he looked much the same as he did in the first two periods. Bursts of assertiveness and ability to control play, but also offsetting ruts and swoons where he just didn't seem tight enough in his execution to do what he wanted.

But he's got his first goal of the season tonight as the team headed down to play Tri-City in the second game of a 3-in-3-nights run over the weekend (they also play tomorrow in Spokane).

It was a nice goal where he was able to turn play up the ice, split the TC defence to break free and then bury the breakaway chance.



He's still playing 1st line wing, but they've shuffled the lines again so it's pretty much a power line with him, Lipinski, and winger Tyler Thorpe (leading the team with 11 goals) all being 6'4.


EDIT: I should also mention he's playing on the point on a 4F/1D powerplay unit. Though its deployment does provide for him to creep up near the half-wall in a sort of soft, fluid umbrella

 

[joescores]

Keep these updates coming- good work mate.

 

[The Nemesis]

2nd goal of the night for Honzek as he banged in the empty netter to seal a 6-3 win.

Again because I'm not going to go search for the separate thread, Lipinski had a goal on a goal-mouth scramble and an assist on the Honzek EN capper.

EDIT: as of a couple hours later they took the goal away from Lipinski and credited it to a different Giants forward who as a result ends up notching his first career WHL hat trick while already being back in the locker room. So just the assist for Lipinski

Definitely seems like Honzek/Lipinski/Thorpe was the right call for a line combo. They can just bully the opposition.

waiting to see if they announce the 3 stars on the video stream. Not every team's video production shows post-game stuff before the feed cuts off. EDIT: They showed the ice briefly but only a Tri-City player came out for their lap as the camera moved to the Giants tunnel and nothing happened. The WHL website game tracker says no stars for Honzek or Lipinski

 

[Iggys Dome]

@The Nemesis who would you say is an NHL comparable to Honzeks style of play?

 

[The Nemesis]

@The Nemesis who would you say is an NHL comparable to Honzeks style of play?

Oh geez, I suck at these sorts of comparisons. I once compared a pair of Shark draftees, Marek Viedensky and William Wrenn to Martin Hanzal and Craig Rivet. And if you're now asking "who the heck are Marek Viedensky and Will Wrenn?" well.... exactly. I also thought the Sharks did better in 2007 to get Nick Petrecki than they did "wasting" their higher 1st on another center with solid but unspectacular scoring ability when they already had Thornton, Marleau, and Pavleski for the foreseeable future and really needed a high-end triggerman to ride with them (that center was Logan Couture, by the way). So point is I'm not a scout, don't play one on TV, and probably can't convincingly fake being one for more than 5 minutes before I'm found out for the charlatan that I am

I did go and look at other places' suggestions for comparables and they all seem like awkward fits. A couple of places said Jamie Benn but I think that would overstate Honzek's offence (he can score but I'm not penciling him in for 40 goals in the NHL right now. I'd say 20-30 is a fair expectation with maybe a couple of mid-30s "everything breaks right and he gets some shooting % luck" seasons) and his physicality (he's big and he's not really afraid of contact but he doesn't play with an aggressive physical edge aside from using his size to get out in front of the net). Craig Button compared him to Brock Nelson which does seem a little more in line with reasonable offensive expectations but I don't watch a ton of Islanders games and I've seen suggestion that Nelson goes in the opposite direction of Benn in that he's a little too physically gunshy.

Rather than picking an NHL comparable I'd say that Honzek is probably a solid 2nd liner with a useful and rounded offensive game, the size and willingness to get into traffic to to make plays or hold off opponents, and a fairly responsible game that's not going to burn you in your own end with excessive gambles and risk. He doesn't have a super high ceiling but this is offset by him probably having a reasonably high floor where even if he doesn't reach his top potential he's still a solid enough 3rd liner with some pop (an old comparison, but maybe think Dainius Zubrus?). He's kind of a funky skater but it seems to work and he's got decent speed and good agility for his size. Does this make him a sexy prospect? Probably not. But I think it makes him a good one who is a pretty safe bet to have some sort of useful NHL career.

 

[Iggys Dome]

Oh geez, I suck at these sorts of comparisons. I once compared a pair of Shark draftees, Marek Viedensky and William Wrenn to Martin Hanzal and Craig Rivet. And if you're now asking "who the heck are Marek Viedensky and Will Wrenn?" well.... exactly. I also thought the Sharks did better in 2007 to get Nick Petrecki than they did "wasting" their higher 1st on another center with solid but unspectacular scoring ability when they already had Thornton, Marleau, and Pavleski for the foreseeable future and really needed a high-end triggerman to ride with them (that center was Logan Couture, by the way). So point is I'm not a scout, don't play one on TV, and probably can't convincingly fake being one for more than 5 minutes before I'm found out for the charlatan that I am

I did go and look at other places' suggestions for comparables and they all seem like awkward fits. A couple of places said Jamie Benn but I think that would overstate Honzek's offence (he can score but I'm not penciling him in for 40 goals in the NHL right now. I'd say 20-30 is a fair expectation with maybe a couple of mid-30s "everything breaks right and he gets some shooting % luck" seasons) and his physicality (he's big and he's not really afraid of contact but he doesn't play with an aggressive physical edge aside from using his size to get out in front of the net). Craig Button compared him to Brock Nelson which does seem a little more in line with reasonable offensive expectations but I don't watch a ton of Islanders games and I've seen suggestion that Nelson goes in the opposite direction of Benn in that he's a little too physically gunshy.

Rather than picking an NHL comparable I'd say that Honzek is probably a solid 2nd liner with a useful and rounded offensive game, the size and willingness to get into traffic to to make plays or hold off opponents, and a fairly responsible game that's not going to burn you in your own end with excessive gambles and risk. He doesn't have a super high ceiling but this is offset by him probably having a reasonably high floor where even if he doesn't reach his top potential he's still a solid enough 3rd liner with some pop (an old comparison, but maybe think Dainius Zubrus?). He's kind of a funky skater but it seems to work and he's got decent speed and good agility for his size. Does this make him a sexy prospect? Probably not. But I think it makes him a good one who is a pretty safe bet to have some sort of useful NHL career.

Awesome, thanks for the in depth response!

 

[The Nemesis]

3 assists tonight in a pretty strong win over Spokane. He's still fighting the puck a little bit and he failed to convert on a couple of breakaways, but he's looking more comfortable each game and seems to have found a good line setup with Lipinski and Thorpe. It's not playing center like I'm sure some hope for, but maybe that comes after he's fully back into the swing of things.

The Giants are now off until Friday when they'll play a home-and-home against Everett with both games being the respective home team's teddy bear toss games (Friday in Everett, Saturday back here in Langley)

 

[Fig]

@The Nemesis you're awesome. These continued updates are highly appreciated.

 

[joescores]

3 assists tonight in a pretty strong win over Spokane. He's still fighting the puck a little bit and he failed to convert on a couple of breakaways, but he's looking more comfortable each game and seems to have found a good line setup with Lipinski and Thorpe. It's not playing center like I'm sure some hope for, but maybe that comes after he's fully back into the swing of things.

The Giants are now off until Friday when they'll play a home-and-home against Everett with both games being the respective home team's teddy bear toss games (Friday in Everett, Saturday back here in Langley)

3 assists???? Nothing to complain about. Keep these updates coming. You are awesome mate.

 

[The Nemesis]

He's got an assist tonight in Everett on a Lipinski goal that ties the game up at 1-1 with 25:34 left in the 2nd period.


....No, that's not a typo on the time.

There was a huge problem with Everett's ice and they went to the intermission at like 11:30 left on the clock in the 1st in order to give the crew time to fix it. So the 2nd and 3rd periods each get something like 5:45 added to make up for that back half of period #1.

 

[The Nemesis]

 

[Lunatik]

yeeaaaah Honzo

 

[deleted user]

Honzek gets his first WJC goal. Congratulations!

 

[deleted user]

Now an assist on their 6th goal by Honzek, I believe, if not registered he certainly was a huge part of the play. Nice Honzo.

 

[Lunatik]

Now an assist on their 6th goal by Honzek, I believe, if not registered he certainly was a huge part of the play. Nice Honzo.

Your f***ed up sleep sked is paying off

 

[deleted user]

Your f***ed up sleep sked is paying off

Yeah it worked out lmao.

 

[deleted user]

Honzek with another goal.

 

[Bert Mckrakken]

Honzek with another goal.

Second game winner too

 

[joescores]

Very good pick by Conny. We are a surprise of the tournament so far. Looks like another great generation after 20 years when we had the likes of Hossa, Demitra, Bondra, Palffy, Gaborik, Chara, Svehla, Hadzus, Stumpel etc... Keep it up Slovakia- some great talents there.