AstoriaIceNinja
Registered User
This is a guy I had my eye on last season (I drafted him in the 7th round of my keeper league on a whim), and that attention seems to be merited in the midst of a pretty good first season in the OHL as an 18/19 year old. Didn’t see a thread on him and wanted to start off my posting with a bang, so here it is.
HockeyDB: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=187411
EliteProspects: http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=248808
An overager born December 18, 1996 and in his second year of eligibility, Falkovsky definitely stands out at 6’7” and 224 pounds (that’s 201 cm and 102 kilos, for all you metric-system folks). One source even put him at 6’9”, but this may have included skates and seems largely unrealistic. He was ranked 44th among EU skaters prior to 2015 draft, but wasn’t selected despite 11 points in 22 MHL games for Yunost Minsk.
Currently tied with overager Evan de Haan for Ottawa’s leading scoring d-man; through 50 games, he has 9 goals, 21 assists, and 30 points (for a scoring rate of 0.6 ppg, more on that later). He plays lots of minutes and seems to shut down the opposition effectively; say what you will about the virtues or lack thereof concerning plus/minus as a meaningful stat, Falkovsky’s +15 rating is best on team and 30 better than de Haan (who, again, has as many points this season as Falkovsky does).
Stepan seems to have resolved some of the issues that caused him to be undrafted last year (perhaps uncertainty over his willingness to migrate to North America, but mostly just a lack of information since he played in an under-scouted league/region). He probably got helped as well by Belarus’ participation in the U20 WJC; although the Belarus team was generally overmatched and got relegated as a result, Falkovsky put up two points (one goal and one assist both in one game against their weakest opponent, but it’s hard to be too harsh on him given that his team got crushed and scored very few goals as a whole).
Below I’ve posted some links with summaries or quotations on Falkovsky when it’s short enough to be convenient. Different sources may contradict each other's judgments, of course, so make of that what you will. And yes, I paid particular attention to the good aspects of his game at the expense of highlighting flaws.
Hockey Prospectus Profile (Linked Here)
USA Today (Linked Here)
Ottawa Citizen (Linked Here)
I may try to make some comparables based on statistics later, but this seems like a decent start. Tentatively I think a 3rd or 4th round pick would be the upper limit of any expectation for Falkovsky, but given his advanced age a 5th or 6th rounder could be just as likely. Seems worth a pick or at least a camp invite to me as a project with at least one more year of junior before going to the pros, despite the NHL being infamously risk-averse in the draft for reasons that seemingly defy all statistical analysis.
Would appreciate any further information from anyone else who is interested.
HockeyDB: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=187411
EliteProspects: http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=248808
An overager born December 18, 1996 and in his second year of eligibility, Falkovsky definitely stands out at 6’7” and 224 pounds (that’s 201 cm and 102 kilos, for all you metric-system folks). One source even put him at 6’9”, but this may have included skates and seems largely unrealistic. He was ranked 44th among EU skaters prior to 2015 draft, but wasn’t selected despite 11 points in 22 MHL games for Yunost Minsk.
Currently tied with overager Evan de Haan for Ottawa’s leading scoring d-man; through 50 games, he has 9 goals, 21 assists, and 30 points (for a scoring rate of 0.6 ppg, more on that later). He plays lots of minutes and seems to shut down the opposition effectively; say what you will about the virtues or lack thereof concerning plus/minus as a meaningful stat, Falkovsky’s +15 rating is best on team and 30 better than de Haan (who, again, has as many points this season as Falkovsky does).
Stepan seems to have resolved some of the issues that caused him to be undrafted last year (perhaps uncertainty over his willingness to migrate to North America, but mostly just a lack of information since he played in an under-scouted league/region). He probably got helped as well by Belarus’ participation in the U20 WJC; although the Belarus team was generally overmatched and got relegated as a result, Falkovsky put up two points (one goal and one assist both in one game against their weakest opponent, but it’s hard to be too harsh on him given that his team got crushed and scored very few goals as a whole).
Below I’ve posted some links with summaries or quotations on Falkovsky when it’s short enough to be convenient. Different sources may contradict each other's judgments, of course, so make of that what you will. And yes, I paid particular attention to the good aspects of his game at the expense of highlighting flaws.
Hockey Prospectus Profile (Linked Here)
- Exceptional mobility and agility, has the balance and control to keep pace with most opposing players
- Has a big, booming point shot, but tends to just make the safe play of putting a shot on net (wrist shot resembles a really fast pass)
- Shines in using his stick to dispossess opponents, defensive leader who doesn’t have to rely on his size and strength (this prowess makes him harder to beat)
- Has quick hands, good at handling the puck, no other 67’s players can move the puck out of his own zone like Falkovsky does (strong offensive skill set)
- Arguably best asset is his outlet pass, unique ability to make stretch passes with his backhand
- Excellent positioning and gap control, tens to play low-risk/low-reward game
- Strong physicality, tends to intimidate opponents and force them to make bad decisions
- Has grown leaps and bounds in first OHL season, burgeoning confidence with the puck with every game
- Two way defender whose stock should be boosted by Chara Effect (that is, the often-futile hope that someone will be the next Chara), suggested as high as 2nd/3rd round pick
USA Today (Linked Here)
"The biggest — and we do mean biggest — story out of the OHL this past month has been the play of human condor Stepan Falkovsky (seven goals, 17 points). The Ottawa 67s’ imported defenseman is 6-7, 225 pounds, and has some terrific offensive skills that he started putting to good use in November after an early adjustment period to North America."
"The Belarus native moves stunningly well for such a behemoth, and is hyper aggressive at the offensive end, where he’s constantly pushing the attack and forcing the play at the blue line. He moves down off the point and unleashes rocket wristers from the slot, or he can just blow cannon blasts by netminders from the point. The downside is that he turns 19 later this month and has barely a nodding acquaintance with his own defensive zone. He’s also not a natural killer in terms of using his physical presence around the crease."
Ottawa Citizen (Linked Here)
“Listed at 6-7 and looking more like 6-9, Stepan Falkovsky is the biggest thing on Ottawa ice since Zdeno Chara last patrolled the blue-line for the Ottawa Senators...The door to the 67’s room is a full cinder block too low for the hulking rearguard to walk through, meaning he has to duck noticeably every time. And that’s in bare feet. On skates, he almost has to take a knee...[quote from 67’s coach Jeff Brown]: ‘Problem is, he’s grown maybe four or five inches in the last six months and he’s much taller than when we committed to him. It may take some time for him to get comfortable.’”
I may try to make some comparables based on statistics later, but this seems like a decent start. Tentatively I think a 3rd or 4th round pick would be the upper limit of any expectation for Falkovsky, but given his advanced age a 5th or 6th rounder could be just as likely. Seems worth a pick or at least a camp invite to me as a project with at least one more year of junior before going to the pros, despite the NHL being infamously risk-averse in the draft for reasons that seemingly defy all statistical analysis.
Would appreciate any further information from anyone else who is interested.
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