NHL Combine

[Go Wings]

Dvorak projects at least 3-4 years out. Not sure we have a single LHD under contract for more than 4 years (Chariot), and only Walman has 3 years. Good chance if the wings do draft Dvorak that Chariot is not even on the roster.
Also, Dvorak plays a very different game than other LHD prospects.

We already have Edvinsson, Wallinder and Johnasen plus all the other left shot dmen. This has nothing to do wirh Chariot, Wallman and Maaata. There is no room on the left side for Dvorak.
We need to fix the holes on this team as centet and RD. I would much rather draft Bonk in the 2nd round if he available.

 

[Perfect Human]

We already have Edvinsson, Wallinder and Johnasen plus all the other left shot dmen. This has nothing to do wirh Chariot, Wallman and Maaata. There is no room on the left side for Dvorak.
We need to fix the holes on this team as centet and RD. I would much rather draft Bonk in the 2nd round if he available.

That’s fair. Bonk seems to have a shot at making the show for sure.

I feel like Dvorak plays a very different game from the three LHD you mentioned though. He is stronger in his own zone than any other area of the ice. The current system is focusing on defense first.

 

[ZDH]

Yes, lardass is an animal.

That would 100% be his nickname if he struggled

Been saying it for months now. Kid is a stud.

 

[Go Wings]

That’s fair. Bonk seems to have a shot at making the show for sure.

I feel like Dvorak plays a very different game from the three LHD you mentioned though. He is stronger in his own zone than any other area of the ice. The current system is focusing on defense first.

I havent seen Dvorak play at all. I have only read a small article on him so I cannot really commen on his style of play.
I have thought about that too, Detroit could use their 2 first round picks on Reinbacher and one of Willander/Bonk. That would solve all the problems on the right side of defense.
At the very least drafting one of them would give Detroit a 2nd pairing guy to play behind Seider on the right side.

 

[Frk It]

Good call on Dvorak, just what Detroit needs a Left Shot Defensmen

Was not saying we should draft him, just that he fits the profile of guys we have picked with this current scouting staff more than a lot of these other guys.

 

[Detroit Knights]

As far as all the physically weak vs big guys discussions --

Gretzky a few days ago on TNT said that when he could do 9 pushups, he scored 96 goals. When he could do a lot of pushups at once, he scored 9 goals.

Take that for what you will.

 

[Astyanax]

As far as all the physically weak vs big guys discussions --

Gretzky a few days ago on TNT said that when he could do 9 pushups, he scored 96 goals. When he could do a lot of pushups at once, he scored 9 goals.

Take that for what you will.

Yeah, he also said, the first time he was passed the cup he almost dropped it. Love that guy's humility.

 

[Henkka]

I don’t think that’s necessarily a good strategy. Not everyone has the same body mechanics or athletic potential. Look at Taro Hirose as a prime example. Genius level hockey IQ but unable to put on weight or get stronger and it keeps him out of the league as an every day NHLer.

It doesn't have to be everyone. It has to be one guy here and there. Brayden Point had all the skill, and played the right way... lacked skating. Did fell at draft, skating was physics, possible to improve by development. Jamie Benn was same, Mark Stone was same... these guys did fell at draft because of lack of skating. All did develop to superstars after the draft.

Good skater is already a good skater, there's no big jump. People so much admire what player is now, what are his tools. Scouts mostly do opposite. What's the potential, what can you develop. Buy the rising stock, not the stock which value already is at highest. So you kind of have to find out these high IQ talents or characters, who play the game with the right way, and have multiple of them, and then one day some of them, falled on the low rounds, will find some extra gear through development, and then it's a totally different guy. Huge jump at general level.

The ideology to draft from weak teams is more boom or bust, than safe. I see it at Red Wings drafting. Mazur and Hanas picks have been that. I think Mazur will be the first big lottery win for us. Söderblom too.

Still easier to build physics than skills after the draft age. We have seen at Detroit many examples, like Datsyuk. But do we have any example of a guy who was physically ready, but lacked skill and IQ...? Then this guy did built them after draft.

And this doesn't mean about 1st round picks. All of them already have good physics, those are those safe picks with highest probability to hit. But all guys who fall to low rounds, the USDP with "rich dad's kids" imo falls out from the picture. They want more boom or bust.

 

[Snuggs]

Yeah, good post. You draft the guys with skills at 18/19 and hopefully, they can physically mature out while maintaining things you said (skating, puck-skills, etc.).

 

[Hen Kolland]

As far as all the physically weak vs big guys discussions --

Gretzky a few days ago on TNT said that when he could do 9 pushups, he scored 96 goals. When he could do a lot of pushups at once, he scored 9 goals.

Take that for what you will.

I take it for nothing. He's comparing himself as a kid to his late 30s after his athleticism had declined substantially. He was forced to work harder to be in better shape because he couldn't get by on his God given talents alone at that point. Playing in an era with the worst(?) goaltending ever, with enforcers whose sole job was to protect him, and playing against players who were doing lines and chugging beers in the locker room during intermissions made his life pretty damn easy in the early years as someone who was significantly better than everyone around him.

The game has evolved and it has a requisite athletic profile for all players.

The game will always have a requisite intelligence and skill profile for stars.

The number young star prospects have we heard finish their first few years come out and say "I need to have a big offseason in the gym getting stronger to handle the NHL. You don't realize the speed and strength that is on display in the league until you experience it for the first time. It's a different sport than juniors" is significant.

The NHL athlete today needs to combine the brain and the body. It's not enough to have only one.

 

[Dotter]

Man it seems like a decade ago Defensemen were the wants around the NHL. Now it seems like Center is all the rave. We needed dmen back at the tail end of Lidstrom's career. Now we need top centermen. I remember when you could acquire top Centers for defensman with pedigree.

 

[10robinho10]

Six Slovaks took part at the 2023 NHL Scouting Combine. Plenty of different questions and PC games were included.

 

[Realgud]

Six Slovaks took part at the 2023 NHL Scouting Combine. Plenty of different questions and PC games were included.

Lmao if the translation is correct Honzek said the most interested teams seemed to be Detroit and St Louis. Ogee won't like that

 

[norrisnick]

Lmao if the translation is correct Hzonek said the most interested teams seemed to be Detroit and St Louis. Ogee won't like that

Fixed that for you.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Fixed that for you.

 

[GoBoltz56]

Honzek at 17 would be more than fine.

 

[Astyanax]

I take it for nothing. He's comparing himself as a kid to his late 30s after his athleticism had declined substantially. He was forced to work harder to be in better shape because he couldn't get by on his God given talents alone at that point. Playing in an era with the worst(?) goaltending ever, with enforcers whose sole job was to protect him, and playing against players who were doing lines and chugging beers in the locker room during intermissions made his life pretty damn easy in the early years as someone who was significantly better than everyone around him.

The game has evolved and it has a requisite athletic profile for all players.

The game will always have a requisite intelligence and skill profile for stars.

The number young star prospects have we heard finish their first few years come out and say "I need to have a big offseason in the gym getting stronger to handle the NHL. You don't realize the speed and strength that is on display in the league until you experience it for the first time. It's a different sport than juniors" is significant.

The NHL athlete today needs to combine the brain and the body. It's not enough to have only one.

I was watching it at work. Gretzky was being his usual polite, self assuming Canadian superstar He said the FIRST time, i tried to lift it I almost dropped it. Then the other announcer said something about push-up and again wayne joked he got up to 12!!!!.
P.S. My favorite Gretzky interview in the middle nineties: espn asked him about the play he made with a defenseman on him he bounced/passed the puck off the back off the net to himself to set up a goal. He said, oh yeah we were all doing that in the 80s. The journalist looked it up and it had happened 3x, all by Gretzky. Got to love that man

Doesn’t matter if they aren’t physically developed. A less developed 17 year old is still going to have tells about their dedication to conditioning via the conditioning exercises. That’s arguably more useful than what an individual can do as far as PRs go. And teams of course are going to take into account whether or not a guy is physically mature and adjust expectations or only compare their stats to other physically immature peers.

I think some teams teams routinely fall to do just that!!!