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Double Media cause rookies

Some New Czech Bois Apply for the Draft

With the a reddit draft always come a much larger than average draft class. Myself being part of a reddit draft I got to experience what it is like to be a new player during one of these. However, I don't think anything I've experienced can be like what the active new players are going through right now. When I was drafted we had about 85 players waiting their turn for their name to be called. Stars in their eyes as GMs walked up to the podium and made their selection, we all sat in the stadium eagerly awaiting our turns. While the SMJHL draft is a bit of a crapshoot and every experienced member knows that the SHL draft is where you really get see what the GMs think of you, it's a still really awesome to see where you go on the draft board. Normally I would try to give an idea of where I think the young Czech players are going to be taken in the draft, but at this point it could be anywhere from the 1st round to the 20th round! So with that in mind, I figured I'd give all of you an introduction to our new Czech friends and let you all decide for yourself. We've had what is almost certainly a record number of players from Czechia apply for the SMJHL draft this season. We’ve invited each of them to the training facility in Prague to have a final chance to make the world juniors team, but also so we have a chance to evaluate them. Here's an inside look at what we learned!

(G) Jakub Hasek - @"Jakub" - Player Page
In the past Czechoslovakia really struggled to produce top end talent at the goaltender position. Recently we’ve seen the team acquire the recently retired Johnny Yuma who held it down until the current netminder Chris Partridge came to Czechoslovakia from Canada. With Petr Vrana joining the team in S43 the current goaltending is set. The goaltending of the future could use a little shoring up though. With the retirement of Johnny Yuma there would only be two goalies in the system and neither eligible for the world juniors beyond this season. Jakub Hasek represents the future of Czech goaltending.

In an interview Jakub Hasek told us he takes inspiration from SHLer Jakub Trocheck who currently plays for the Czechoslovakian IIHF team that Hasek hopes to play for some day. When evaluating Hasek we noticed a few great things, one of them being that Hasek is fast. Really fast. Some goalies rely on technique and positioning to make their saves and when they get caught out of position they have no chance. Hasek on the other hand plays his heart out and when caught out of position still will make the save more often than not. Another great thing we noticed is that Hasek just doesn’t give up rebounds. Every save either results in a stoppage in play or a deflection into the corner. Teams are going to be hard pressed to score garbage goals on him, the rebounds just aren’t going to be there. All in all Hasek is a really solid goalie prospect for us and we’re really excited to see what he can do in the SMJHL and on the world junior team the following season. We believe he has the talent to make it to the IIHF squad, it’s just about putting the work in practice and refining the technical parts of his game.





© Michael Scarn - @Trautner - Player Page
Michael Scarn comes to us having played only a single game of hockey. Little does the rest of the IIHF know what game that was. A little backstory… Before deciding to play hockey professional hockey Michael Scarn was a secret agent. Not just any secret agent, he was the best in the business. After successfully completing several missions including saving an NFL Pro Bowl game, an MLB All Star game, and an NBA All Star game Scarn was given a mission by the President: save the NHL All Star game from none other than Goldenface himself. After both killing Goldenface and winning the NHL All Star game himself (this being the only game he played), Scarn decided to retire from being a secret agent and taken up hockey. Now Scarn has to work his up through the ranks of junior hockey before he can make it big, but having single-handedly won the NHL All Star game already I don’t think that’ll be a tall order him.

Scarn comes to the SHL with the goal of becoming a top center in the league. At this point he may be starting his career on the wing due to his lack of ability in faceoffs, but he’s already made a personal commitment to me improve his skill in the faceoff dot and I take Scarn at his word. Beyond that I’d say Scarn is already well on his way to being a premiere sniper in this league so it’s no surprise to me that he was able to score the game winning goal at the NHL All Star game. His strong points are obviously his scoring ability and his knack for getting into a good scoring position on the ice. If I really had to give him something to work on it’d be his strength. It’s not especially important when you have as much finesse as Scarn does, but it’ll help him hold on to the puck in case one of Goldenface’s old goons tries to avenge their ex-boss’s death at the hands of Scarn. At this point we expect Scarn to be a key part of our WJC squad immediately and of the IIHF squad in the very near future. You can always use more centers.





© Blaže Zukal - @SanjuNana - Player Page
Speaking of needing centers, Zukal is our 2nd and final center so far of the S46 draft class. Recruited by none other than @”Ace” to the SHL we were extremely hopeful when we heard that he had declared for the SMJHL draft. From the tape were able to watch on Zukal he’s a very raw talent with speed to spare and a deadly shot. Unfortunately he has failed to report to the pre-WJC training camp thus far. We’ll be keeping an eye for him and calling his agent to see if there are any new developments, but as of right now the prospect of him being a part of the Czechoslovakian IIHF squad looks grim. If he’s able to make it to Prague for the end of the camp things may turn around. We’ll have to wait and see.





(D) Andrej Doskočil - @Citizen of Adraa - Player Page
Andrej Doskočil is probably one of the most exciting players of this draft to me. He’s the first of three Czech defensemen who declared for the SMJHL draft this season so far, but what makes me so excited for him is the way he plays the game. It’s not too often anymore that we an SHL level prospect that likes to play the body over playing positioning game against opposing players. An interesting part of his background, it’s been found that although he was born in the Czech Republic, Doskočil in fact has ancestry from Slovakia like Dionyz Vyskoc does! The two have already hit it off in the locker room (Vyskoc being a senior member of the IIHF squad was helping coaches @”luketd” and @”39alaska39” coach the skates).

At this point I don’t think we can ever expect Doskočil to be an elite shooter, but the other parts of his game make up for that in spades. He’s an extremely hard hitting and defensively sound defensive defenseman. He makes a great first pass on the breakout and protects the puck like a seasoned veteran already. With the top 4 of the IIHF team shored up for the foreseeable future the team needs top notch penalty killers to round out the bottom pair which will be vacant after this season. If Doskočil can get some good experience in the WJC this season and next season he may find his way onto the IIHF squad very soon! Though he’ll be fighting with Vzrala and Vent for the bottom pair :zoomeyes:.





(D) Bernik Vzrala - @Off - Player Page
Vzrala is another great defensive prospect. From the city of Kladno reportedly came from a family where sport was not common place, but his parents encouraged him all the way through his amateur career. Getting his first set gear at an early age, he was immediately one of the top players among his from who he played with on the ponds and rivers of the Czech Republic. As he got older his training regime became more refined and he was spended days in the gym with a personal trainer and practicing with an actual team. He spent the later seasons of his amateur career captaining his local team. While he’s on the ice he’s the most calming presence a team can ask for. He plays a great two way game that starts with a controlled breakout in the defensive zone. His coaches love the way he controls the play and acts almost as an extra coach on the team. Now that his amateur career is coming to a close he’s declared for the SMJHL draft in the hopes of hollowing in the footsteps of his hockey hero, Jaromir Jagr.

When it comes to his game, Vzrala does three things extremely well. He controls the puck, he skates like the wind and he plays probably the best positional game of any prospect in the upcoming draft. Looking at his ceiling he’ll likely never be a great goal scorer, but he’ll able to skate the puck to the center line and dump it in or make a good first pass. Something that really stands out is how physically mature he is. The guy is a weight lifting machine, he’s in gym every day with a personal trainer. I have no doubt that he’ll be strongest player on his team, you can bet that he’ll never get beat in the corners or in front of the net. He’ll be battling for the bottom pair spot in a season with Doskočil and Vent.





(RW) Johan Jordan - @jjordan373 - Player Page
In Jordan we come upon our first Czech winger in this draft. Johan Jordan is a player in the mold if Nicklas Backstrom. Based on the tape we’ve seen of him he can play as many as 25 minutes a night and make passes that most other players wouldn’t even think to try. That makes it incredibly difficult for me to say that he has failed to report to the WJC training camp. Without a word from his agent, we’re hoping he’s working with his own personal trainer, but it’s difficult to be optimistic without so much as a text back when we call.





(RW) Petr Mikulak - @efiug - Player Page
We don’t know a lot about Petr Mikulak’s background, but he was willing to chat with us for a minute after one of the skates. He told us a little bit about his life so far. He was born in Brno of the Czech Republic, the second largest city in the country. Growing up he played with his older brother who always pushed him to be a better player. After trying out every position in the game, including goalie he settled on playing the right wing. That’s all we were able to get out of him, but looking at his stats in his amateur career it’s no wonder he wants to take his game to the next level. For 6 consecutive seasons he has led his team in goals by at least 5 goals. This past season he potted over 35 goals in 20 games. Now he’s declared for the SMJHL draft and he’s looking to put his shot to the test.

Through and through Mikulak is a sniper. His shot is by far the best part of his game, but he’s got a dangerous knack for passing when the goalie least expects it though and his skating is already far better than average. Although he could do to work on his defensive game, at this point he’s been holding on to the puck so much while on the ice there hasn’t been a need for him to work on his defense. When it comes to making the big club, the team absolutely needs offense. If he can keep putting pucks in the net he’ll be a top WJC player for as long as he stays in juniors and should be able to make the big club as soon as he wants to.





(D) David Vent - @ImShiny - Player Page
Coming to us from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The third and final defenseman of the Czech S46 draft class so far. Growing up he played for a team called the Prague Marble Sponges and was the co-captain of the team for three seasons. Now he’s looking for something better and brighter than the amateur leagues in Prague. Most wouldn’t know this, but we had a chance to talk with the coach of his team, it turns out that La Veranda in Prague is one of his favorite places to go after a game with his buddies. We’ll be watching his development closely as he plays less than 15 minutes from the headquarters of the Czechoslovakian Ice Hockey Federation.

David Vent is definitely a jack of all trades, being a player that can play great defense, take the shot himself or a great pass, makes big hits and is even willing to throw down if the other team takes a cheap shot at one of his teammates. At this point he’s a player in the mold of a future captain if you ask me. He’s been working on his hitting a lot lately, but I think we can really expect him to be a great pass first defenseman who battles hard in front of the net and players great defensively. If he continues developing he could be a lock for the IIHF team next season. As for now, his sights should be set on getting a letter on the WJC team next season. He has the pedigree for it.





(LW) Filip Jedlicka - @gluckman - Player Page
Like Petr Mikulak, Jedlicka is a pure sniper. It seems like every minute of practice time is spent on shooting for him, but with that comes a totally unrivaled shot among the rest of the S46 draft class. The tape on him is really exciting to see. Sadly he hasn’t reported to the WJC training camp. As of right now with the troubles he has on defense he would be a power play specialist, but he would probably get a goal a game just being on the power play. We’ll keep everyone posted on his status.

Edit: In an extremely exciting new development Filip Jedlicka has just flown in to the airport in Prague and called the office of @Blastmeaway himself using a pay phone stating that his plane was delayed and his phone dead, meaning there was no way for Jedlicka to contact the team! On the upside Jedlicka is still eligible to join the world junior team so he has been placed in the lineup! He just took the ice by himself for the first time, but some of his teammates decided to stay after the designated skate time to watch him practice and chat it up with him beforehand. Here's what some teammates had to say about Jedlicka: "Honestly the dude looks like Ovechkin out there. The guy can just lineup at the top of the circle and rip one timers." "I'm just excited he showed up. I was worried about him cause I played with him on the U16 team 3 seasons ago and I knew he wanted to be here." "The dude loves to shoot. You can see he's excited to be here and he fits right in with the rest of the team." The team is clearly happy to have him there, and so are the two heads of the federation.

Cal Juice
Tomas Zadina
Brady McIntyre

Pictures too big heckin rip

Cal Juice
Tomas Zadina
Brady McIntyre

ELITE

PROFILE || UPDATE || RAGE.  




Luke Thomason || LW || Manhattan Rage || 2143 Max TPE
Born: 1/10/98
Height: 6'0
Weight 185 Lbs
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Regular season
SMJHL/SHL Stats
S42 | Van | GP: 50| G: 4| A: 8|P: 12|+/-: -10|MP: 457|
S43 | Van | GP: 50| G: 16| A: 19|P: 35|+/-: 3|MP: 951|
S44 | Van | GP: 50| G: 22| A: 31|P: 53|+/-: 9|MP: 1033|
S45 | SFP | GP: 50| G: 18| A: 19|P: 37|+/-: -5|MP: 1041|
S46 | MAN | GP: 50| G: 19| A: 24|P: 43|+/-: -3|MP: 1156|
S47 | MAN | GP: 50| G: 16| A: 28|P: 44|+/-: -15|MP: 1184|
S48 | MAN | GP: 50| G: 16| A: 24|P: 40|+/-: -13|MP: 1137|
S49 | MAN | GP: 50| G: 21| A: 28|P: 49| +/-: 13|MP: 1099
S50 | MAN | GP: 50| G: 21| A: 23|P: 44| +/-: 10|MP: 1157
S51 | MAN | GP: 50| G: 17| A: 22|P: 39| +/-: 5|MP: 1232
S52 | MAN | GP: 50| G: 24| A: 29|P: 54| +/-: 17|MP: 1193
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Playoffs
S42 Playoffs | Van| GP: 11 | G: 1| A: 2 |P:3|+/-: +3| MP: 101
S43 Playoffs | Van| GP: 10 | G: 4| A: 1 |P:5|+/-: -3| MP: 206
S44 Playoffs | Van| GP: 14 | G: 7| A:6  |P:13|+/-:-1 | MP:228
S46 Playoffs | MAN| GP: 12 | G: 3 | A:2  |P:5|+/-:-14 | MP:289
S47 Playoffs | MAN| GP: 5 | G: 3 | A:4  |P:7|+/-:2 | MP:119
S49 Playoffs | MAN| GP: 11| G: 6| A: 11|P:16|+/-: 5| MP:248
S50 Playoffs | MAN| GP: 6| G: 5| A: 5|P:10|+/-: 7| MP:137
S51 Playoffs | MAN| GP: 12| G: 7| A: 9|P:16|+/-: 4| MP:293
S52 Playoffs | MAN| GP: 19| G: 9| A: 13|P:22|+/-: 0| MP:438

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Transactions/Awards
S43 Named Assistant Captain for VAN Whalers
Drafted 3rd OA by San Fransisco Pride
S43 4 Star Cup Champion  
S44 Zach Miller Award for Most Dedicated
S44 nominee for the Damien Littleton award for most dedicated
S45 WJC Gold Medalist
S45 SHL Rookie All-Star Team
S46 Named Captain for Czechoslovakia
S45 Winner of the Damien Littleton award for most dedicated
S46 Nominee for Damien Littleton award for most dedicated
S49 Bronze Medal for Czechia
S52 Nominee for Anton Razov Trophy
S52 SHL 3rd Team


Arnost Holub || Vancouver Whalers GM/ Manhattan Rage Co-GM
S44 | W:27 | L:18 | OTL: 5 | P:59 | 3rd in League 
S45 | W:29 | L:17 | OTL: 4 | P:62 | 4th in League 
S46 | W:23 | L:21 | OTL: 6 | P:52 | 8th in League 
S47 | W:30 | L:17 | OTL: 3 | P:63 | 3rd in League 
S48 | W:28 | L:16 | OTL: 6 | P:62 | 4th in League 
Total | W:137 | L: 89 | OTL: 24 

Manhattan Rage  
S49 | W:33 | L:15 | OTL: 2 | P:68 | 3rd in League  
S50 | W:26 | L:20 | OTL: 4 | P:56 | 8th in League  
S51 | W:26 | L:18 | OTL: 6 | P:56 | 5th in League 
S52 | W:28 | L:21 | OTL: 1 | P:57 | 6th in League 
Totals | W:113 | L:74 | OTL: 13 
S49 Lance Uppercut Award
S51 Lance Uppercut Award Nomination
S52 Lance Uppercut Award Nomination

Playoffs
Vancouver Whalers
S44 | W: 7 | L: 7 | CF Round Exit
S45 | W: 6 | L: 6 | CF Round Exit
S46 | W: 1 | L: 4 | 1st Round Exit
S47 | W: 6 | L: 4 | CF Round Exit
S48 | W: 12 | L: 7 | 4 Star Cup Champions
Total| W: 32 | L: 28 | 4 Star Cup Champions

Manhattan Rage
S49 | W: 6 | L: 5 | CF Round Exit
S50 | W: 2 | L: 4 | Wildcard Exit
S51 | W: 5 | L: 7 | CF Exit
S52 | W: 12 | L: 7 | Challenge Cup Champions
Total | W: 25 | L:23 | 1 Challenge Cup

Michael Scarn looking good

Käri Bärköv || LW || Calgary Dragons || RETIRED  
Age: 18
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175 lbs
Number: 93
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Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175 lbs
>Number: 93
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Regular Season Statistics:
S10 VAN: GP: 40 G: 29 A: 25 P: 54 +/-: 21 H: 77 PIM: 42
S11 CHI:   GP: 40 G: 16 A: 14 P: 30 +/-: -39 H: 66 PIM: 10
S12 CGY: GP: 50 G: 5 A: 6 P: 11 +/-: -16 H: 57 PIM: 2
S13 CGY: GP: 50 G: 8 A: 13 P: 21 +/-: 20 H: 34 PIM: 24  
S14 CGY: GP: 50 G: 13 A: 13 P: 26 +/-: 5 H: 73 PIM: 32
S15 CGY: GP: 50 G: 10 A: 31 P: 41 +/-: 5 H: 128 PIM: 54
S16 CGY: GP: 50 G: 19 A: 15 P: 34 +/-: 0 H: 97 PIM: 16
S17 CGY: GP: 50 G: 23 A: 25 P: 48 +/-: +6 H: 136 PIM: 17
S18 CGY: GP: 50 G: 14 A: 21 P: 35  +/-: -11 H: 130 PIM: 32
S19 CGY: GP: 50 G: 16 A: 17 P: 33 +/-: +4 H: 143 PIM: 47
S20 CGY: GP: 50 G: 20 A: 26  P: 46 +/-: +14 H: 113 PIM: 32
S21 CGY: GP: 50 G: 12 A: 19 P: 31 +/-: 4 H: 146 PIM: 76
S22 CGY/EDM: GP: 51 G: 10 A: 12 P: 22 +/-: -7 H: 102
PIM: 43

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Playoff Statistics:
S10 VAN: GP: 12 G: 6 A: 9 P: 15 +/-: 6 H: 28 PIM: 25 FO: 50.00%
S11 CHI:  GP: 6 G: 5 A: 4 P: 9 +/-: 2 H: 12 PIM: 2
S12 CGY: GP: 4 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2 +/-: 3 H: 4 PIM: 0  
S13 CGY: GP: 11 G: 2 A: 1 P: 3 +/-: 4 H: 6 PIM: 4  
S14 CGY: GP: 6 G: 1 A: 1 P: 2 +/-: -3 H: 13 PIM: 10
S15 CGY: GP: 14 G: 2 A: 3 P: 5 +/-: -1 H: 28 PIM: 12
S16 CGY: GP: 11 G: 7 A: 7 P: 14 +/-: 5 H: 29 PIM: 2
S17 CGY: GP: 6 : G: 3 A: 3 P: 6 =/-: +0 H: 26
PIM: 0
S18 CGY: GP: 4 G: 3 A: 0 P: 3 +/-: -1 H: 10 PIM: 0
S19 CGY: GP: 7 G: 2 A: 1 P: 3 +/- 0 H: 16 PIM: 8
S22 CGY: GP: 12 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2 +/-: 6 H:19 PIM: 12
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IHF Statistics:
WJC Finland Season 10: GP: 14 G: 5 A: 2 P: 7 +/-: -13 H: 17 PIM: 4
WJC Finland Season 11: GP:9 G: 5 A: 6 P: 11 +/-: -5 PIM: 2
IHF Finland (career totals): GP: 35 G: 13 A: 19 P: 32 +/-: +4 H: 64  PIM: 8
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[pbl]Transactions:
Signed with Vancouver Whalers for 2 Million
Named Assistant Captain of the Vancouver Whalers
Drafted 22nd overall by the Calgary Dragons in the S11 SHL Entry Draft
Signed 3 year 11 million ELC with Calgary Dragons
Named Assistant Captain of the Chicago Hitmen
Named CO-GM of the Vancouver Whalers
Named CO-GM of the Calgary Dragons
Named Head GM of the Calgary Dragons
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Awards:
S10 NWJHL Championship
S10 IHF WJ Bronze Medal
Season 11 Michael Haan trophy winner for most dedicated player
Season 13 IHF Silver Medal
Season 13 JJ Krever award for best GM (shared with Kain Webb)
Season 13 IHF Silver Medal
Season 14 JJ Krever runner up
Season 14 IHF Silver Medal
Season 15 Aidan Richan winner
Season 17 First All-Star Team
Season 17 Aidan Richan winner
Season 18 IHF Bronze Medal
Season 18 Damian Littleton Nominee

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Parker Smeb || RD || Chicago Syndicate || 1473 TPE
SMJHL Regular Season Statistics:
S45 COL: GP: 50 G: 14 A: 13 P: 27 +/-: 9 H: 68 SB: 5
S46 COL:  GP: 40 G: 22 A: 19 P: 41 +/-: 2 H: 127 SB: 3
SMJHL Play-Off Statistics:
S45 COL: GP: 16 G: 6 A: 4 P: 10 +/-: 8 H: 13 SB: 0
S46 COL: GP: 7 G: 2 A: 0 P: 2  +/-: 1 H: 20 SB: 3
SHL Regular Season Statistics:
S47 CHI: GP: 50 G: 10 A: 18 P: 28 +/-: -12 H: 138 SB: 11
S48 CHI: 50 G: 8 A: 9 P: 17 +/-: -19 H: 119 SB: 8  
S49 CHI: GP: 50 G: 14 A: 20 P: 34 +/-: 5 H: 77 SB: 15
SHL Play-Off Statistics
S47 CHI: GP: 9 G: 1 A: 3 P: 4 +/-: -3 H: 9 SB: 0
International Statistics:
S45 WJ WOR GP: 21 G: 4 A: 5 P: 9 +/-: -1 H: 51 SB: 3
S46 WJ WOR GP: 30 G: 11 A: 7 P: 18 +/-: -5 H: 62 SB: 4
S47 JPN GP: 12 G: 5 A: 2 P: 7 +/-: -4 H: 34 SB: 4
S48 JPN GP: 12 G: 4 A: 3 P: 7 +/-: -9 H: 50 SB: 4
S49 JPN GP: 12 G: 4 A: 1 P: 5 +/-:+2 H: 37 SB: 4
CAREER: GP: 87 G: 28 A: 18 P: 46 +/-: -17 H: 234 SB: 19




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"“HA HA! THIS GAME WILL NEVER END! I POSSESS THE SOUL OF EVERY GOALIE ON TEAM B!! CREW 4 LIFE!! SIGN WITH EDMONTON FOR THE CUP!!!” cackled Belial as he placed a Fedora on his head."
SMJHL Commisioner S17-S26
Calgary Dragons GM S14-S23

Michael Scarn looking good

Yo wtf O4L you're alive!!!

Cal Juice
Tomas Zadina
Brady McIntyre

This is too cool

            Bernik Vrzala ┃ #15 ┃ Defenseman ┃ 948 TPE
                  Drafted #39 Overall - Calgary Dragons S46
                             S50 Challenge Cup Champion


                 Czech Republic WJC S44 Gold Medal Winner
                 Czech Republic WJC S46 Gold Medal Winner
               Czech Republic IIHF S49 Bronze Medal Winner
                                       Retired - Czechia ┃ #93
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17 GP 1G 1A 10PIM 14HIT 8SB - S44 WJC
19 GP 0G 5A 12PIM 15HIT 13SB - S45 WJC
30 GP 2G 21A 38PIM 61HIT 34SB - S46 WJC

18 GP 2G 7A 14PIM 22HIT 22SB - S47 WJC

Player Page
Player Updates

In an exciting turn of events Filip Jedlicka has reported to the Czechoslovakian World Junior team, read more in his section above!

Cal Juice
Tomas Zadina
Brady McIntyre