Prospect Info: Round 3, Pick 90: Matej Tomek, G, Topeka (USHL) --> North Dakota (NCHC)

[Appleyard]

You think he starts over Huska? I think Huska would have to fall on his face not to get first crack.

At this point I think it is up in the air and will depend on how they both start their season, but Huska does have better odds. Huska is not in the team over in Germany right now so that is why Tomek is starting... dunno if due to injury or simply as he is going to be in the team whatever so giving other goalies the chance to shine.

 

[Appleyard]

Started again today as his Slovakia u20 team lost 3-0.

He stopped 20/23 as they were outshot 23-15 in a game where they spent a lot of time on the PK.

2/3 goals against were on PK as they took 7 minors and a match penalty for hit from behind.



The good thing is that in the 3 game round robin tournament Tomek was chosen to start against the 2 strongest teams (Czech's & Swiss) while the other goalie Dubny played only vs the weaker Germany. Which shows he is

 

[Chuck Downie]

Hopefully he makes his WJC team and gets a game or two in. Does Huska still have the inside track as the starter?

 

[Appleyard]

Hopefully he makes his WJC team and gets a game or two in. Does Huska still have the inside track as the starter?

Yeh. Huska will almost certainly be starter. Tomek probably gets one game once they are basically out.

 

[FLYguy3911]

I wonder what was said to him at the end of last season that made him go back to UND? It's not like the Flyers don't have connections to the program either. Just a strange situation. Could he be that bad in practice situations that they can't even play him in an out of conference game?

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I wonder what was said to him at the end of last season that made him go back to UND? It's not like the Flyers don't have connections to the program either. Just a strange situation. Could he be that bad in practice situations that they can't even play him in an out of conference game?

They've played Cam Johnson every game so far. Madsen has been a benefactor of a similar situation at Harvard. They've used him heavy there since he grabbed the job last year.

I said it in the other thread but Tomek should have transferred after last year. Johnson's got another year of eligibility left after this one.

 

[deadhead]

Anything keeping Tomek from going pro next year, playing in the EHL until he has his legs under him, and then getting called up to Lehigh?

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I doubt the Flyers would want to even give him a contract right now. The last time he played consistent hockey was in the spring of his draft year & that was in the NAHL.

 

[Hanji]

Anything keeping Tomek from going pro next year, playing in the EHL until he has his legs under him, and then getting called up to Lehigh?

Cam Johnson will likely turn pro after this year (he almost did after last season), so Tomek will be the starter next year. I don't think there's a need to him to turn pro yet.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Two years without game action, at 18 and 19 years old, and becoming a successful pro is pretty much unheard of, but we'll see what happens.

 

[BillDineen]

I agree that the chances of signing him are next to zero. He is basically a non-prospect at this point unfortunately.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Well if the above is true and he does indeed start next year, he could potentially play 3 seasons there as the starter (assuming he got a redshirt year last year). The Flyers would still hold his rights. It's just hard for me to believe this guy went from one of the best goalie prospects in the 2015 draft to non-prospect in a year and a half.

 

[Rebels57]

If this kid actually wanted to carve out a pro career he should have left already. His complacency with the situation makes me feel indifferent towards him at this point.

 

[Hiesenberg]

If this kid actually wanted to carve out a pro career he should have left already. His complacency with the situation makes me feel indifferent towards him at this point.

Interesting point.

I'm not going to pretend to know what a kid is thinking, especially a highly touted athlete just drafted by an NHL team.

But when Stolarz saw the writing on the wall in college, he ****ing bounced.

For a kid to sit around for 2 years waiting for a shot, that is odd.

 

[Rebels57]

Interesting point.

I'm not going to pretend to know what a kid is thinking, especially a highly touted athlete just drafted by an NHL team.

But when Stolarz saw the writing on the wall in college, he ****ing bounced.

For a kid to sit around for 2 years waiting for a shot, that is odd.

Yup. I don't get it. I would never stand for that if I was serious about being a pro.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Yup. I don't get it. I would never stand for that if I was serious about being a pro.

In IIHF article Tomak says he puts a lot of value into education to have a contingency plan if his hockey career ends up in a dumpster.

 

[Tripod]

Already planning his demise.

As a kid playing hockey, "playing" was so important. It doesn't seem as important to him. Too bad. He can get an education somewhere else too.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Still better pick than Goulborne.

 

[bobbyboucher24]

Found this article about UND hockey and recent history as it pertains to their goaltending situation and Tomek. Helps to rationalize the situation he finds himself in

http://undhockey.areavoices.com/?p=104217

 

[Curufinwe]

Found this article about UND hockey and recent history as it pertains to their goaltending situation and Tomek. Helps to rationalize the situation he finds himself in

http://undhockey.areavoices.com/?p=104217

Good find.

 

[Random Forest]

From what highlights I had seen of him, I was pretty excited by the Tomek pick. Seemed like he had a lot of raw talent and athleticism, almost like a Marc-Andre Fleury type of goaltender. I can see why he might be the type of goalie that coaches wish to develop slowly. That said, it is obviously disheartening that he hasn't yet seen a game, but I don't think it's cause to write him off yet.

We saw with Madsen that goalies can have funny development curves, seemingly not doing anything positive then taking lurches forward, so the fact that he isn't playing doesn't change too much. Ultimately, with mid-round goalie prospects, the long road is all that matters, so I'm not concerned.

At 19 years old, Alex Lyon was only getting his first season of starts in the USHL. Didn't even matriculate to college until 21. That link is good context for understanding his current situation. I'd rather him be getting starts elsewhere, but if he's the starter at UND next year moving forward, he'll have plenty of time to develop his game.

It also may be best for him to have some time before turning pro. The Flyers are so stacked with goalie prospects right now, they're going to need to stagger these arrivals in order for them all to be properly evaluated. Between Stolarz, Lyon, Hart, Sandstrom, Tomek, and even Madsen, the pipeline is going to be flowing for some time.

2017-18:
NHL: Stolarz (backup)
AHL: Lyon (starter)
Juniors: Hart
College: Tomek, Madsen
Sweden: Sandstrom

Then by 2018-19, they should be ready to make a decision on Stolarz and Lyon. And Sandstrom will probably be looking to come to NA by this point, so those two will be getting pushed by Hart and Sandstrom. It's probably better for Tomek to take as long as possible in his pre-pro development.

 

[Curufinwe]

Today is actually Lyon's 24th birthday. He's pretty old for a prospect.

With the benefit of hindsight I wish he took a guy like Nicholas Roy instead of Tomek, but he still has years left to prove it wasn't a wasted pick.

 

[Random Forest]

Today is actually Lyon's 24th birthday. He's pretty old for a prospect.

With the benefit of hindsight I wish he took a guy like Nicholas Roy instead of Tomek, but he still has years left to prove it wasn't a wasted pick.

Yeah, Roy looks to be a really promising player. He's been compared to Couturier, and I still think that's apt. Like Couts, I'm not sure how dynamic a scorer Roy can be at the NHL, but certainly a player worth watching.

They could possibly have taken Roy with the Tomek pick and still taken Tomek with the Dove-McFalls spot, but who knows if Tomek would have been available. The run on goalies (that the Flyer started with Sandstrom) meant they probably had to act quickly if they were really sold on Tomek.

 

[Curufinwe]

I was higher on Tomek than Sandstrom coming out of the draft because Felix missed a bunch of time in his rookie season, but then Tomek had the hip injury before the 15-16 season and Sandstrom was great a a SHL rookie, so it just shows how quickly an injury/illness can change things.

 

[Tripod]

Reading that about Tomek, it does put it in perspective.

But I still wish he was getting some game time.