Player Discussion Jakub Zboril

[BruinsNetwork]

For those who watched Providence a lot... did Zboril or Lauzon play on their offside more often?

They kind of switched around the left and right quite a bit, but I’d say it’s pretty even in terms of overall experience.

I like Zboril on the right, actually. He mainly played the left last year and that’s probably why he started coming into his own, but playing the right allowed him to round out his game rather nicely.

When Zboril is on the right, he’s got the puck on his forehand as a left-shot and it makes it much easier for him to curl off the play and jumpstart the breakout. He’s made many, many nice plays to the left-wing from his own zone to spring them or get the puck deep.

 

[shelbysdad]

I know he has a reputation as going for the big hit.....is he willing and able to drop the gloves when necessary?

 

[Gator Mike]

Good stuff this morning from Fluto on Zboril:

Jakub Zboril's chance? Might former first-rounder stick on Bruins defense?

“Real strong. Real strong,” Ferguson said of Zboril, the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. “He’s on a very encouraging development curve, from where he became a real go-to defenseman for us in Providence to where he is now in Brno, playing extensive and important minutes in critical situations.”

The video confirms what Ferguson, the Providence coaches and the development staff saw in person last season. They watched Zboril, with reinforcement from stay-at-home partner Josiah Didier, grow into the team’s strongest defenseman prior to the AHL’s shuttering. Ferguson interprets these as signals that the 23-year-old might no longer be an NHL question mark.

“I would have said I was more hopeful than emphatic,” Ferguson said of prior projections of Zboril as a varsity defenseman. “I’m much closer to emphatic now. Because he made good strides, but we still wanted to see that high level sustained over a few weeks over just a few games. That happened. He was playing at the top of his class in our organization for an extended period. We saw that over months leading up to the pause — that extended view as opposed to games or weekends.”​

 

[PB37]

Crazy to think that potentially half of our starting D next year will be from one draft.

XXXXX -- XXXXX

Zboril -- Carlo

Lauzon -- XXXXX


I wonder how Zboril would mesh with Carlo, a smooth skating, stay at home D. It seems like Zboril worked really well when paired with one last season.

 

[BruinDust]

Crazy to think that potentially half of our starting D next year will be from one draft.

XXXXX -- XXXXX

Zboril -- Carlo

Lauzon -- XXXXX


I wonder how Zboril would mesh with Carlo, a smooth skating, stay at home D. It seems like Zboril worked really well when paired with one last season.

I think it's a better place for him to start compared to McAvoy. What I would want is for a young rookie player to play to his strengths. Zboril can skate well and move the puck as well as defend. I wouldn't want him thinking that in the beginning while he's still getting adjusted he has to be deferral and be that stay-at-home guy with McAvoy. Conversely I wouldn't want to be giving him the toughest match-ups right out of the gate.

 

[Dr Hook]

It was a good article from Fluto except he always has to have something in there that makes you go

This time it was this:

"For now, the Bruins blue line is compromised. Torey Krug is gone. Nobody can replicate his touch on the power play. Zdeno Chara could follow Krug out of Boston. If he returns, in specific five-on-five and shorthanded situations, Chara should still be a fearsome presence next year. It would be unfair for the Bruins to expect Zboril to assume both of their responsibilities."

When was that ever a thing, Fluto? McAvoy and Gryz are the guys they are looking at on the PP. Cassidy said as much. Oh well, still a good read overall even with the Flutoisms.

 

[LouJersey]

I'm not exactly on cloud nine that the guy has had a really good couple of week run at the end of his THIRD AHL season, but here's to hoping.

 

[Dr Hook]

I'm not exactly on cloud nine that the guy has had a really good couple of week run at the end of his THIRD AHL season, but here's to hoping.

Not the highest of endorsements, no, but defensemen are a different breed from forwards, right? It can just take more time with some of these guys. It looks a lot more promising for him than it did this time a year ago.

 

[ODAAT]

I'm not exactly on cloud nine that the guy has had a really good couple of week run at the end of his THIRD AHL season, but here's to hoping.

I have zero viewings of him in Providence and literally only have watched him during a callup. No idea if he`s a young man who simply won`t have what it takes to find full time NHL employment but also I`m a fan who has seen (as I`m positive you have) players, especially D-men who simply take time to develop and when they do become serviceable

One of the larger "issues" with him is his draft position which he had no control of. I became a Zboril fan boy watching him in Halifax (probably why I`m so bent on supporting him) and I`m not ready to throw in the towel on him yet, just as I`m not yet ready to call Seny all but done (not that you suggested that either), just like the draft is simply so unpredictable, there are can`t misses who you never see past draft day then there`s the kids who barely get a moment of attention who, for whatever reason, become more than serviceable

 

[BruinDust]

I'm not exactly on cloud nine that the guy has had a really good couple of week run at the end of his THIRD AHL season, but here's to hoping.

JFJ never did strike me as the type who was hard to impress.

 

[BruinsJoe]

He also said he had a talk with Sweeney

big changes per Sweeney sound like Chara gone

‘I believe I’m better then Lauzon’ is outstanding revelation even if he isn’t

he’s confident

I don’t think I’ve ever read an interview like this from the Bruins brain washing on and off the ice

too funny the Bruins knew so much about what he was doing

love they gave him 1 way and everyone said sign it

He may suck but I went to two of the last 12 games they played and they ran the table and he was like a traffic cop out there directing play

I called Eric on ride home to see if we watched same thing and he agreed

the last guy kicked to curb is a lot different then him - he’s from another area of world and refreshing interview

Better than Lauzon? Hope so cause Lauzon did great last year, big physicall D no fear can fight, mobile good shot, if Zboril is better, great for the Bruins, Lauzon is the next Johnny Rocket Boychuk, Zboril can be compare too? Does anyone can give me a name i dont know a lot about Zboril but on his youtube draft video supposed to be sneaky tough, mobile play a 200 feet game....

 

[BruinsJoe]

Liking what I read and see from Clifton (rhd)

Kevan Miller type game?

he s not that tought Miller he s a beast!

 

[DKH]

Better than Lauzon? Hope so cause Lauzon did great last year, big physicall D no fear can fight, mobile good shot, if Zboril is better, great for the Bruins, Lauzon is the next Johnny Rocket Boychuk, Zboril can be compare too? Does anyone can give me a name i dont know a lot about Zboril but on his youtube draft video supposed to be sneaky tough, mobile play a 200 feet game....

Jakub Zboril's chance? Might former first-rounder stick on Bruins defense?


“Real strong. Real strong,” Ferguson said of Zboril, the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. “He’s on a very encouraging development curve, from where he became a real go-to defenseman for us in Providence to where he is now in Brno, playing extensive and important minutes in critical situations.”
The video confirms what Ferguson, the Providence coaches and the development staff saw in person last season. They watched Zboril, with reinforcement from stay-at-home partner Josiah Didier, grow into the team’s strongest defenseman prior to the AHL’s shuttering. Ferguson interprets these as signals that the 23-year-old might no longer be an NHL question mark.


“Real strong. Real strong,” Ferguson said of Zboril, the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. “He’s on a very encouraging development curve, from where he became a real go-to defenseman for us in Providence to where he is now in Brno, playing extensive and important minutes in critical situations.”
The video confirms what Ferguson, the Providence coaches and the development staff saw in person last season. They watched Zboril, with reinforcement from stay-at-home partner Josiah Didier, grow into the team’s strongest defenseman prior to the AHL’s shuttering. Ferguson interprets these as signals that the 23-year-old might no longer be an NHL question mark.

 

[Don Cherry]

I know he has a reputation as going for the big hit.....is he willing and able to drop the gloves when necessary?

I wonder this as well. That you asked two weeks ago and haven't gotten an answer pretty much tells us his gloves are glued on.

Lauzon, on the other hand, is not afraid. That kid is going to be a good one.

 

[PB37]

I wonder this as well. That you asked two weeks ago and haven't gotten an answer pretty much tells us his gloves are glued on.

Lauzon, on the other hand, is not afraid. That kid is going to be a good one.

All you had to do was use google and you would have gotten your answer.

Zboril has been in 3 fights.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

he s not that tought Miller he s a beast!

Used to be, now he is a question mark, with bad knees and a bum shoulder that throws out every time he fights. It's going to be 2 years since he took and gave contact. This year is probably starting in February and it is going be packed with back to back games. Guy has never played a full year, he is injury prone, he averages 54 games a year.

 

[1dreamof1cup]

Still can't believe they went after this guy when Chabot was on the same team and even paired with him. Our QC scouts should have been fired. Zboril wont be more than a 3rd pair dmen and not a very good one. He's just not good enough in his own end.

 

[UncleRico]

It was a good article from Fluto except he always has to have something in there that makes you go

This time it was this:

"For now, the Bruins blue line is compromised. Torey Krug is gone. Nobody can replicate his touch on the power play. Zdeno Chara could follow Krug out of Boston. If he returns, in specific five-on-five and shorthanded situations, Chara should still be a fearsome presence next year. It would be unfair for the Bruins to expect Zboril to assume both of their responsibilities."

When was that ever a thing, Fluto? McAvoy and Gryz are the guys they are looking at on the PP. Cassidy said as much. Oh well, still a good read overall even with the Flutoisms.

Fluto is the king of giving you little nuggets of his opinion that no one ever asked for lol

 

[Gator Mike]

Still can't believe they went after this guy when Chabot was on the same team and even paired with him. Our QC scouts should have been fired. Zboril wont be more than a 3rd pair dmen and not a very good one. He's just not good enough in his own end.

I mean, it's not like they were alone in thinking Zboril was better than Chabot. As far as I recall, that feeling was pretty universal.

 

[NDiesel]

Still can't believe they went after this guy when Chabot was on the same team and even paired with him. Our QC scouts should have been fired. Zboril wont be more than a 3rd pair dmen and not a very good one. He's just not good enough in his own end.

He was ranked higher by lots of people and scouts

 

[Dr Hook]

I mean, it's not like they were alone in thinking Zboril was better than Chabot. As far as I recall, that feeling was pretty universal.

And the book is not closed on Zboril yet, either. Who knows what might have been had the Bruins been in the spot Ottawa was with their d-corps and had to throw Zboril in there early to sink or swim.

 

[BlackFrancis]

I mean, it's not like they were alone in thinking Zboril was better than Chabot. As far as I recall, that feeling was pretty universal.

Split about evenly, actually.

Spoiler

 

[Number6]

I mean, it's not like they were alone in thinking Zboril was better than Chabot. As far as I recall, that feeling was pretty universal.

Well, it was not that unanimous. Very interesting post from @MattFromFranklin about it:

These were posted in the original thread, but I'll post them here as well. These are the draft rankings from 2015.

When the Bruins were picking 13-15, here were the best players available (average ranking) of all 11 lists:

Mathew Barzal (8.5)
Kyle Connor (11.5)
Nick Merkley (16.1)
Evgeny Svechnikov (16.9)
Travis Konecny (18.0)
Colin White (20.7)
Thomas Chabot (21.7)
Joel Eriksson Ek (22.3)
Jakub Zboril (22.5)
Brock Boeser (23.7)
Jake DeBrusk (25.1)

Senyshyn's highest ranking on any list was...wait for it...39

Now, when factoring in just the lists that many on the main board find to be the most reputable (McKenzie, ISS, McKeen's, FC, THN, THW), here were the best players available at picks 13-15:

Mathew Barzal (8.5)
Kyle Connor (12.3)
Travis Konecny (14.8)
Nick Merkley (16.8)
Colin White (17.2)
Evgeny Svechnikov (17.8)
Jakub Zboril (20.7)
Thomas Chabot (20.8)
Joel Eriksson Ek (21.8)
Brock Boeser (26.0)
Jake DeBrusk (26.8)
Zach Senyshyn (45.0)-Couldn't find McKeen's Ranking

 

[Dr Hook]

Who cares if some scouts thought Chabot was better? Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually see Zboril play for a season in the NHL before passing all the judgment? I don't know, though, maybe it wouldn't. We can't let that get in the way of the anti-Sweeney narratives . . .

 

[1dreamof1cup]

I mean, it's not like they were alone in thinking Zboril was better than Chabot. As far as I recall, that feeling was pretty universal.

Huh.. they were like 3 ranks aparts in the prospect ranking and as far as I can recall, Barzal was universally seen as better than both Debrusk and Senyshyn but they still went with the reaches. Just terrible, we really need someone like Dorion.