Prospect Info: 2023, 5th round, 147th pick - F Kevin Bicker

[Henkka]

Scout's Analysis: Thoughts on October rankings for 2023 NHL draft

Following Sam Cosentino's first rankings for the 2023 NHL Draft, scout Jason Bukala shares some of his notes and insight on five players from Sam's top 32.

www.sportsnet.ca

German gritty forward.

Kevin Bicker, Mannheim (GER U20): 6-foot-1, 174-pound left

- Bicker is an interesting prospect. He was Germany’s top player at the Hlinka/Gretzky tournament in Red Deer this past summer.

- Bicker has the ability to play fast. He drives to the hard areas and he’s not shy about finding pucks around the crease.

- His element is offence combined with some power.

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[Holden Caufield]

Pure Hakan pick it would seem.

Showed some ‘jump’ on the U18’s stage.

Would be nice if we can get him to the Swedish Junior league next season.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I like this pick from what I can dig up. He seems to be worth a shot.

EP says that he has a below average skill level and skating, but very high compete, very high energy. Potential bottom line guy but it's a long shot.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

This is old news, but Kevin Bicker was in this game for Germany at the Hlinka tournament. #14

 

[norrisnick]

In German, Kevinismus ("Kevinism") is the negative preconception German people have of Germans with trendy, exotic-sounding first names considered to be an indicator of a low social class. The prototypical example is Kevin, which like most such names came to Germany from Anglo-American culture.

Kevinismus - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Right or wrongly, that's all I've got. My name (I'm German) also qualifies for this.

 

[Rolo Tomassi]

Funny. I was driving up North and listening to NHL on Sirius and they were raving about how fast he is.

 

[SantosHalper]

Would be nice if we can get him to the Swedish Junior league next season.

Contract with Löwen Frankfurt until 2026, played this year in Mannheim. Seems unlikely that he go to Sweden, since Löwen probably really wanted the guy.

Very interesting pick though, Reichel without hands?

 

[Perfect Human]

Stoked on this pick. Been keeping an eye on him through EP tagging and trying to watch games online when I can. I saw him play in 5 games online.

He is from the Mannheim system, similar to Seider. He only got 1 game of Men's action this year, but he was over a ppg in junior and dominated in the playoffs.

He has an edge to his game and plays with speed and snarl for sure. He more of a grinder in that way. He can dissapear for stretches, but getting engaged physically brings him back to life.

 

[EHCler]

Good decision to go to Frankfurt, he should get playing there, as squad is not that deep especially with young German players. Lets see how he apodts to playing 3rd / 4th line in the DEL.

 

[heyfolks]

I also like this pick.

 

[pgfan66]

Pure Hakan pick it would seem.

I didn't go to a ton of DNL games this season but I noticed Vladimir Havluj was at 3 of them. So I'd wager he's the one who pushed to draft Bicker.

Re. Bicker:
I probably wouldn't have drafted him myself but I see the upside. He's a high-energy winger, very quick skater with good net drive. Not afraid of going where it hurts. Shows flashes of skill and creativity but, as was pointed out above, disappears at times too. The biggest issue to me is his hockey sense, though. He just struggles to make smart plays and is a pure scorer. If he ever ends up in North America and even the NHL, I'd expect him to do so in a bottom-six energy role.

What's interesting is that he played a lot with Linus Brandl and Brandl was the brain, Bicker the speed of that line. Together, they were great the Hlinka and dominated in the DNL. When they were split up, however, Brandl still elevated whichever linemates he had and continued to produce while Bicker's production dropped and he wasn't really noticeable for long stretches of games. The playoffs were definitely a bright spot to finish the year, as Bicker dominated while Brandl was out with an injury.

 

[ZDH]

Love this pick.

 

[Run the Jewels]

Pure Hakan pick it would seem.

Showed some ‘jump’ on the U18’s stage.

Would be nice if we can get him to the Swedish Junior league next season.

Sounds more like a Draper pick, like back when we drafted Tuomisto and we heard how much Tyler Wright loved him.

 

[SantosHalper]

Bicker played great tournament. 5 games, a goal and 3 assists. Germany managed scores many goals all thanks to Bicker's net front play. i hope Frankfurt's coach starts using Bicker more in that role. Still eligible to play next year. So far it looks like Draper found a good one.

 

[newfy]

Bicker played great tournament. 5 games, a goal and 3 assists. Germany managed scores many goals all thanks to Bicker's net front play. i hope Frankfurt's coach starts using Bicker more in that role. Still eligible to play next year. So far it looks like Draper found a good one.

I watched a couple of their games and he definitely looked solid. Contributed to more goals than he got points for and had a bit of a pest side to him

 

[1878rgw]

i hope Frankfurt's coach starts using Bicker more in that role

Would not expect that, they are 3-10-3 since mid November.

 

[SantosHalper]

Would not expect that, they are 3-10-3 since mid November.

All the bigger reason to make changes, out with old and in with the new.

 

[1878rgw]

Can't see that happen in a league with relegation.