Create Account

Slovak Dman turned Austrian, the Luka Kovacsova story. [Draft media 2x]
#1
(This post was last modified: 06-15-2021, 04:10 PM by Slav1cThor.)

Luka Kovacsova is considered one of the biggest prospects of Slovak hockey. Although he is only 17 years old, he has star potential for the NHL.

Luka was born in the small country of slovakia, the fourth son of his parents and sixteenth grandchild . His two older brothers, Timo, and Frank, were born when the family still lived in the village of Bratislava. His father Stanislav was a hard working blacksmith that built hand crafted battle axes and tomahawks until 1980 when he retired, and mainly dealt with managing inventory. His mother, Fran Kovacsova competed for Slovakia in the Summer Olympics held in New York ran in the 100 metres and the 4 x 100 metres relay, where she anchored Slovakia to the goal medal (as a 20-year-old)  Fran also won relay medals at the  Hunger Games charity Olympics, Summer college games and at two world summer challenge races.

But Kovacsova's journey is only at the beginning. A first step to leave his mark could be a hugh draft pick in the the S60 SMJHL draft

The young Slovak hockey player grew up in Banska Bystrica. Kovacsova was a hyperactive child – leading his parents to make a big decision.

“It’s a funny story. I was a very wild kid and one day my parents brought me to the doctors because of that. They recommended them to let me play sports. So I started playing ice hockey. I was only four years old,”  Kovacsova said.

During his youth age there was a big problem with hockey development in Slovakia. Talented young ice hockey players didn’t have a chance to improve their talent if they didn’t have money for equipment. “Yeah, I knew about this. But I am so thankful to my parents. They made it possible for me to play hockey,” he said.

As a 16-year-old he got a chance to practise with the men's league in Slovakia, and got an invite to play on their world juniors team. The development staff has seen promise in the young defenseman from the start.

“It was great experience for me. I met older players who gave me a lot of advice for my future career. I benefit from it every day,” said Luka.

Soon after, Lukas family moved home to Austria for a chance to play international In the world renowned SHL,and it seems he is right as his first season overseas looks very promising. He plays for a bantam team in the Austrian Leagues version of the OHL and has great numbers. In 32 games he scored 8 goals and got 32 assists. “I am doing well, but it could always be better. It´s only my first season in Austria, but I think I am getting into the Austrian style of hockey. Hopefully, it will carry on during the whole season.

He has hoped his brilliant start of the season caught the eye of Austrian national team and the Junior SHL teams before its up coming draft.  “It would be great to be on a team with great locker room chemistry and good leadership team. One thing I know is that I will do all my best to show him my ability to be part of the future junior team. I think I can contribute alot with my playmaking and skating and still hold my own stopping the other teams best players. "

Slovak Great Artem Stastny knew that Luka Kovacsova was too good to fail. It was when he was younger starting to play hockey, and the Hall of Fame defenseman was a senior adviser for the young national team in the country, They had the 10th longest losing streak in international play currently, and it was time to take a chance on the younger and invite him into a camp, it was going to take miracle for Luka to be able to help turn the team around that late. But Stastny and his Slovak greats colleagues were intrigued by Luka, so they brought him in just in case.

That interview only reinforced Stastnys outlook.

“When you meet certain kids, you see the ‘it’ factor right away,” Stastny says. “And certainly he has it.”

The Slovaka invited Kovacson and after 4 days his trajectory has gone nowhere but up. He jumped straight into an Bantam playoff roster after two seasons of training in internal play, won the rookie trophy the next year and has now hoped to emerged as one of the league’s top defensemen at age 18 in his next hockey league.

Along the way, Stastny hasn’t been the only defensive legend to spin his head around to watch the quick ascent.

“There’s no panic in his game at all,” says Timo Lubinov, arguably the greatest defenseman of all time in international play for the Austrians. “His ability to read plays and make plays — and then you add the skating on top of that — makes him so dangerous on offense.”

Those words will mean something to Luka who has said that Timo, the longtime Austrian captain and seven-time defenseman of the year winner, was one of his defensive influences growing up. His other influences also may have served as foreshadowing for what he’s become.Kovacsova did a fifth-grade project on Finland great Rasmus Rantonen and has said he studied active veterans Mike Smith, Arik Sundstrom Stastny And and Timo Lubinov,  all top defensemen of all time in their international play and the true winners in their work ethic.

Now, after a childhood of looking up to star defensemen, Kovacsova is one of them. Hes hoping to Play for a team with legitimate SHL championship aspirations in the future , the Slovak/Austrian blueliner has thrust himself into the top defenseman conversation, even after he gets drafted and starts day 1 in juniors.

“I think he’s going to be one of the guys up for all of the big Trophies for many many years to come,” says Hall of Famer Artem Stastny, who spent his career winning many award,  both in his professional leagues and in international play and is the all-time points leader among defensemen. “Really don’t have anything even close to bad to say about him.”

Luka wont go straight to the SHL after his draft, instead looking to play two years of junior hockey wherever he gets drafted into to help lead them to a championship and lead them where they need to transform from just a regular junior team to a dynasty kind of team.

That is going to set up his remarkable pro debut in S62, which will jumped out to both Stasnty and Timo,  Two days after his Bantam career ended, Kovacsova scored in an international playoff game, ripping a shot into the Canadian net and pumping his fist in excitement.

“He looked like he had played a few years in the SHL,” Timo says. “He didn’t look out of place at all. That’s very impressive, especially stepping in in the playoffs when the intensity is higher, there’s a lot more on the line and a mistake can be so major.”

Adds Stastny: “Guys will sign at the end of the year, come in at the end of the year in the playoffs, and if he’s a defenseman, you’re just hoping he’s steady, he does his job defensively, he makes the outlet pass, he’s strong in all areas in terms of how he competes. This guy did all that and more: just taking charge, whether it be rushing with the puck or making things happen offensively and being very responsible defensively.”

Luka has only grown since. Stastny says he could still see him being erratic with his play occasionally last season. But with another year under his belt, Kovacsovas  defensive game is better and he’s improved at managing games, Stastny believes.

He also fits well into the SMJHL style of play. Some teams will work to keep possession of the puck, leading to long stretches and frequent scoring opportunities in the opponent’s zone. Others play a more aggressive looking to score all the time style of hockey, I believe he can play both and be successful with both.

“He’s a player they can rely on because of his puck prowess and his ability to manufacture plays and push the offense,” says Stastny,  who won a MVP Trophy, Defenseman Trophy and Slovak Cup in an 18-year career spent with multiple teams in the old time league that has seen hundreds of all time greats step on their ice. “When you have the puck all the time, you don’t have to play defense. It grinds on the other team and it wears the other team out.

“I can see that in how they play the game and certainly how he handles the puck, carries the puck, jumps into the attack, supports the play.”

Luka’s emergence has been noticed by his contemporaries as well. Smith who has won the Slovak Cups twice and a Defenseman coming from North America originally said in January that he kept an eye on Luka during an early-season Bantam game. He used it as an opportunity to learn, even if Luka is almost a decade his junior.

“His offense is off the charts,” the american defenseman said at the time. “He knows how to shoot the puck. He knows how to even skate way better than me. So I automatically can’t do some of that stuff right off the bat.”

Adds a player from Finland, and  a two-time MVP, winner when he was with the Slovak league: “He’s very mobile with the puck and without the puck, and he’s good at making reads. His team as a whole, the clientele they have on the team is very creative people. They take what is given out there and they create stuff for themselves. They make good reads for each other, and I think that fits his style of play real well.”

Stastny, whose Hall of Fame career ended many many years ago says he’s seen defensemen become better skaters since leaving the league. Timo who also retired after his 5th Slovak cup agrees, adding how blueliners also have to move the puck well.

Luka certainly fits the mold.

“I think his hockey sense is elite and (so is) his ability to manufacture puck movement under duress and under pressure,” Stastny says. “I think that kind of separates the good defensemen from the great: being able to handle the pressure and handle the target on your back and being able to then excel and succeed under more significant pressure.”

It’s something Stastny’s seen since that pre-draft interview: “He’s a great kid — a sponge and loves the game,” he says. “You can see the passion for the game in the way he carries himself.”

In Timos mind, the best thing Luka can do going forward is to stay in good shape. Teams — especially ones looking to make deep playoff runs — need their top defensemen to carry heavy workloads, and Timo likes that Kovacsova averages more than 24 minutes of ice time, in bantam in year 2,  up more than three minutes from his rookie season.

“If you look at the minutes he’s able to eat — and seemingly it looks like he’s not getting tired — you’re able to rely on players like that,” Timo says.

Adds Smith: “He’s a lot of fun to watch, too.”

Both defensive greats believe Luka will remain in the top defenseman Trophy conversation every year. And with a late push to into the upcoming draft,  he could take home a first round grade and a big pay day.

“He’s exciting to watch whenever he gets the puck,” smith says. “Every time he grabs the puck, fans have to be excited about something good happening.”

But first, there’s a bigger test. SHL players have said from the beginning of the season that winning the league Cup is their goal. To do that, Luka will need to solidify himself as a top defenseman in the junior league. Smith says.

“You need a stud back there, and he’s definitely one of them.

On a cold, wet November night in Slovakias second-largest city, the fans at one end of the great underground championing arena don’t sit after the anthem. A hearty minority among the 9,000 in attendance, they stand for the entire game, chanting and singing. This phenomenon isn’t unique to the home team. It plays out everywhere in the Slovak Hockey League, and usually the beat of a kettledrum echoes in rhythm around the arena.

As a soundtrack, it doesn’t really raise the entertainment value but it offers a handy metaphor for the life and times of Lukas Kovacsova, a 17-year-old defenceman who has heard people in the game singing his praises and tried to tune out a steady drumbeat of hype in advance of the S60 world junior tournament and the SHL Draft.

In the dressing room, Luka is happy enough with the win and, as is typical, unimpressed with his performance. “I know that shot isn’t going in,” he says, speaking a little above a whisper, like he’s a rookie who must know his place in the room. “The rest of the game, it’s just one goal. You play the situation you are in. You don’t look at offence first. [My game] was maybe okay. I’ll watch tape with my coach tomorrow and know better.”

Likewise, the phenom’s teammates enthuse almost without reservation. Slovak top pairing linemate passes over the physical aspects of the game and points to Lukas vision and instincts as the assets that set him apart from other prospects. “In a dozen pro seasons, I never played with or against a defenceman who has anything close to his ability to read the play out there and his sense of time and space,” says Pivoto a bratislava native who spent a decade in the Finnish league and Swiss leagues before heading to Slovakia years ago. “I’m not talking about young defencemen. I’m talking any defenceman. His skating is off the charts. So are his skills. But there’s some stuff that you can’t teach or work on and are can be hard to describe but you know it when you see it.

“And really, it’s hard to put into words how hard it is to break into this league for a kid barely 17-years-old like Kovacsova was last season. And there were times he made it look easy

Of course, on that last point, it went well beyond the ease with which Luka stepped into the Slovak lineup. Even at 17, he was no ordinary middle-of-the-roster player. Nightly he produced the stuff of highlight reels. His outrageous undressing of veteran defencemen with all time great dangles left opponents and scouts scratching their heads. Did he really just do that? And exactly how did he do that? Kovacsova's emergence over the course of last season moved him to the head of the pack of 2000-birthdays. He’s poised to be the first true millennial superstar, at least as far as birth certificates go.

Conventional wisdom holds that, as the SHL scout at the underground stadium suggests, comparable prospects would be guys like Stasnty and Lubinov, both second-overall picks who would have had their names called first rounds in their own respective drafts,, and Yeah, there are rumbles that Sasha Romanov,  a Russian right winger with the Olympic team from Russia,  might be 1A and could overtake Luka for Slovak league, unless Luka heads over to the SMJHL. That, though, seems to be the contrarian’s take or perhaps the belief that, in today’s SHL, when facing a choice between an elite SMJHL and an equally elite Slovak league the tie always go to the more developed SMJHL.

No doubt the teamss will be leaning a lot more heavily on Luka at the prospect tournament this month, just as it did as they don't currently have alot of information on Luka and will want to watch him play and interview him.“It will be an amazing experience but this tournament has been a goal for me that I thought about during the summer,” luka says, but then catches himself. “Of course, Slovak bantams and the SMJHL is the main thing right now… my focus. But you always think of the chance to play for your country.”

Luka Kovacsovas backstory is a piece with many prospects — there are only so many templates and almost no one stands as unique. He grew up the younger of two brothers near Bratislava, a town of I a country smaller than the whole state of Ohio. He was on skates at the age of two. A stick was as likely to be in his hand as a hockey stick in those early days, in 11-a-side outdoor game with a ball in place of a puck, reigned among kids.

Not that Luka Kovacsova became the special project of the Slovak hockey-industrial machine. Anything but. “I always loved the game and I followed my brothers and the rest of the family to the arena,” he says. “The game always made me happy. I didn’t think about playing pro hockey. I played to be with my friends, just to win games.

Luka can’t point to one season when he broke through, not one stage where he went from just a player to the dominant player in a youth league. “When we moved to Austria and joined their bantam programs, there were always players around me who had lots of talent, very good players who were very hard to play against,” he says. “I just worked on my game and played.”

Properly humble, but Luka understates the case. Says Viktor Dracula, the captain of Austrias pro squad and the  local kid’s favourite player growing up: “We had heard about this young player at the academy, like you always do. That was Kovacsova Until you see him you don’t know, but everyone was talking about this special talent.”

Yet when talking about the move, his father said he actually saw it as a no-lose proposition. “I didn’t know if he would be able to do it,” he says. “You can never know. If he couldn’t play with the team, he wouldn’t be hurt by it. He would be able to go back and play with players his age. There would be no risk, no damage.”

There wasn’t a lot of mystery about Kovacsova ability to stick with the big club. “At that first practice, we hear, ‘Yeah, this is that kid they were talking about and he’s skating with us,’” Dracula says. “After just a couple drills in practice, 10, 15 minutes, we’re thinking, ‘Yeah, this is something special.’ There really wasn’t any question about his ability to skate with us. All that was out there was, ‘How good can he really be?’ Every practice, every game, there was a moment when you looked and said, ‘Did he just do that? He’s how old?’”
He is just so creative. He’s developing his game without the puck in his own end but with the puck he’s so dynamic."

Dracula also suggests that Dahlin’s confidence has grown in his second season with the international bantam club. “Luka knows the players around him and on the other teams,” he says. “He has a great understanding of the game but now it’s also the understanding of a league. I could play with a long time and never have a linemate like Kovacsova again… a young man who can do almost anything but is still learning the game. Sometimes I have to remind him, enjoy all of this. Be a kid. Get out of the gym and go to school — he’d spend his whole day here. He is so focused on playing well and being the best player he can, I have to remind him: Have fun.”

Of course, many of those listening to the timpani have not yet seen Luka in person. Maybe some saw him at the under-20s in Finland last year, but really they couldn’t get much more than a glimpse. At barely 16-and-a-half, Luka was the youngest player in the tournament and with a an assist from the blue line from the point against novascotia he became the first player born in the 2000s to score a goal at the world bantam tournament. Still, the Slovaks team’s coaching staff gave Kovacsova second pairing ice time though a few in the SMJHL couting community thought the team ticked up every time he came over the boards in a desperate push to score late in the game.

SCOUTING REPORT
Luka Kovacsova
6'3 190 RHD
Slovakian born/Austrian national team

Scout #1

Luka is a litle lanky in terms of bulk, but has impressed with outstanding skating ability.  He is quick in both directions.  He has very good speed, and acceleration. However, it is in his agility and edge work where he really shines. Kovacsova has excellent lateral mobility and can cover a ton of ice. His pivots are crisp and clean, allowing him to cover 360 degrees of ice. He can pinch deep, or join the rush, and also get back defensively in the SMJHL. While be may not be able to take quite as many chances at higher levels of hockey, his skating skill should continue to be a big advantage in his game. Luka, also has very good core strength and balance, making him tough to knock off the puck.

Kovacsova can be an offensive force, but his shot needs some work, more of a playmaker in the rush. He has a decent wrist shot, as well as a decent slap shot. A bit more strength on his frame could up passing and shooting lanes. He understands how to get his shot through traffic, as well as how to keep it low and on net. This helps his teammates to set up screens, capitalize on rebounds, and make deflections. He also has excellent stickhandling abilities and can rush the puck from end to end. He can also join the rush as a trailer, picking good opportunities to add offense from the back end, very intelligent player. He shows high hockey IQ and makes smart plays both with and without the puck. Add in strong passing skills and excellent vision; and Makar is a threat to generate a scoring chance nearly every time he touches the puck.


Kovacsova is strong positionally, and effective in gap control. He takes away opponents time and space, and angles them well to the outside. He also has a quick stick, allowing him to poke check opponents and to create turnovers. Once he has the puck, he transitions it quickly out of his zone and starts the attack. Luka isn’t the most physical defenceman though. He could stand to add some muscle to his frame, in order to compete against the bigger, stronger players he will face at higher levels.

Scout #2

Kovacsova is an outstanding skater. He looks like he is floating above the ice. He has very good speed and acceleration in both directions. Hughes has a textbook stride, and the ability to change directions on a dime. He uses the outstanding speed to join the rush or to pinch in at the line. Luka is rarely caught deep as he can still get back into position defensively thanks to that speed. His agility and footwork allow him to beat defenders one-on-one as well as to walk the line and make quick moves to open up passing and shooting lanes. He also has a low centre of gravity which helps his balance and makes him strong on the puck.

There have been many times he has shown he has excellent vision and playmaking ability, as well as the hockey sense to almost always make the right play. He seems to think the game and anticipate plays better than others out there on the ice. With his skating and stickhandling ability, Luka is not afraid to skate the puck out of his zone or lead the rush. He can also make a long pass to start the transition game and start an odd-man rush. He has the passing ability and the hockey IQ to quarterback the play from the point. Luka has the poise to make plays under pressure.

He just has a good arsenal of shots. His wrist shot is strong and accurate, and features a quick release. He uses it often when trailing the play on the rush, or when pressured by shot blockers. He also has a hard and accurate slap shot
Lukas defensive game is based on his anticipation and ability to quickly transition the puck out of his own zone. The size is a liability as he sometimes can be outmuscled in his own end. He needs to be quick on the puck on dump-ins, as well as using a good stick check to steal pucks from attackers. He will continue to need work in his own end, perfecting his positioning, and reading the play in order to maximize his potential. He could also add some muscle to his frame.

Kovacsova can be an elite offensive and puck-moving defenceman at the next level. He should quarterback the power play and lead the rush. The defensive game is a question mark, and how much he can improve in the next couple of years will determine if he is a first pairing defenceman at even strength or more of a second pairing player. Kovacsova will likely head into Juniors ready to rack up the assist if he's brought to a team with strong forward play for his rookie season, as he is probably not going to be SHL ready this coming season.

Scout #3

The key to the young Luka Kovacsovas game begins with his outstanding skating. He has very good speed and outstanding acceleration in both directions. His skating is sublime and at times he seems to be floating above the ice. He has outstanding pivots, agility, and edge work. This allows him to cover all areas of the ice, and transition quickly from offence to defence. Luka is strong on the puck, but should get even stronger, and continue to improve his balance as he adds muscle.

Kovacsova is an elite offensive defenceman, who has been playing above his age group for quite some time, both at the international and club level in Bantam style of play.  Lukas passing ability is outstanding, with extremely good vision and the ability to thread the needle through the smallest openings. He can start the rush, make the long breakaway pass, and quarterback the power-play. He also has an outstanding slap shot and one-timer. Kovacsova  moves the puck out of the zone quickly. He utilizes his skating and strong first pass to start the transition game.

Kovacsova creativity and hockey sense are off the charts. He makes plays that other defenders would not even dream of trying. His strong skating allows him to walk the line, and to open up passing and shooting lanes. Couple this with the stickhandling to elude defenders one-on-one and the skating to beat them as well, and he is one of the most dynamic offensive defencemen in years.

Kovacsova is also very effective defensively, utilizing his strong positioning as well as the good stick-checking ability to shut down forwards on the rush. He keeps them to the outside and has good gap control. He is not the most physical player, though that may come with more time, and added weight. Kovacsova is willing to use his body to fight in the corners and to knock an attacker off the puck, but he does not throw a lot of big hits. In this way he keeps himself in position, and is ready for the next play.  When a defensive zone turnover is created, he moves the puck up the ice and transitions quickly to offense.

Kovacsova is quite simply the best draft defence prospect we have seen in a decade. Terms like “generational talent” are thrown around often but in Lukas case it is very much deserved. The sky is the limit as far as his potential goes. Now in terms of a style (not talent) comparison, he has the offensive game and is very strong in his own end, I think he should be in the SMJHL and a big-time contributor next season.


Coaches comments and comparisons:

Even on the most difficult nights early this bantam season, Luka often took ownership of his mistakes.

Austrian coaching is more like 'OK, well, this is a situation, how would you solve it? With your set of skills, how would you solve it?' And have a dialogue and that goes all the way up to the pro level in SHL. That’s a good way to describe the Slovakian born defensemen. That obviously translates to the SMJHL well because they are making good decisions, sound decisions, smart decisions, on the ice. They are joining the rush. The risk/reward and everything else is something that they can get taught at an early age.”

“I’m not shocked at all, I don’t think any of us were shocked when he left the Slovak league and went straight to Austrian bantam and played great. I don’t think any of us were shocked, we were watching and we were really pumped,” said Kovacson former HC.  “We didn’t really expect anything less, he’s an unbelievable player and a generational talent.”

Player interview

Slovak born Austrian transfered stud defenseman Luka Kovacsova sat down on video chat with Nathan Jakub of SuperAustria.

Luka said that, as he was finishing up his Bantam career, he tried not to think about “the next step” when he’d turn pro. He admitted it was tough, though, seeing what the pros were doing. He added, “I don’t think I could have had more of a storybook start to my career than playing for one of my teams in the upcoming draft.”


Some highlights from the interview, though, include a little insight into what his journey was like. For instance, he talked about how fun it would be getting drafted by a couple of teams in juniors he has talked with and had in mind. However, he added, “I don’t look mind on it where I end up because its not more of an individual thing, it's about completing a team to win a cup.” Lukas being hyper-focused on team success over individual success is very much a theme for him.

According to Luka, he was “just trying to get in a little work after practice" and fine tune some skills before his first juniors season,  Needless to say, he thanks his parents for that teaching and points out it was instilled in him to “never take anything for granted.”
How will you adjust to the longer season compared to the shorter one in bantams?

"Even in only a few months, there are so many games in that time period, that's a full season. So you just have to prepare yourself mentally for that. Good thing we had a little bit of a break in the middle of the season to rest, but obviously it's a different schedule. You play more games, it's more physical, but you just have to prepare for it."

"The more physical the game gets and the more physical of a toll it takes on your body, the more mental it gets. You're just going to need to grind it out and use all the mental power that you have to stay with it. But it's a long season, so it's nice to also have some off days to refocus every once in a while."

Do you think playing in 2 separate leagues in 2 countries will make you stronger going forward ?

"For sure. Coming into the year, I was just a lot more comfortable. It's always nice to know the guys, and just being able to come in and not have everything be new and to know what the pro lifestyle is--as far as showing up to the rink and stuff like that. It should definitely be  nice to understand the schedule on a daily basis rather than coming in this year not knowing anything."


How do you want to keep improving?

"Coming back each summer and training whatever weakness I have earlier in the year, I just want to get back to playing consistent and being reliable all over the ice. I wanted to get back up to the minutes I felt confident playing. At the end of the day, you have to roll with it. But I think for me it's just about trying to remain consistent."

"The biggest thing I think i have realized is that we've got a really good team and that we can maybe do something special," said Luka about his previous teams in international play and bantam the, and it gave us the confidence to know coming in next year that we've got a really good squad, so I think keep confidence up would be a good thing as well. "

How have your parents helped you get to where you are at this stage of your career?

"I don't even know where to start with that question. So many ways. Every kid is the same. They wake up early in the morning, they drove me to the rink growing up. I mean without my parents I wouldn't be where I am today. You know, having a father with the story he has,, and my mother's world class speed, they have both greatly helped me in more ways than one.. That's just the short answer.

How do you handle any outside noise about expectations and other media chatter?

"I just don't listen. I don't really read or watch anything. I kind of just keep it out of my brain. That stuff is obviously an outside factor that doesn't need to weigh on anyone's shoulders. I know a lot of guys like to look at that stuff, but I'm just the kind of guy who sticks to it and doesn't listen to the media."

“But i’m here, aren’t I?” Luka said. “That’s the only thing I’m worried about right now. I’m not in charge of what other people are saying. I’m not worried about that stuff. Right now, I’m just worried about working hard here and being the best player I can be, helping these guys be at their best.”

"He can play all night because he's got that stamina and he's got that skating ability now," his former international coaches have said said. "The game is easy for him and it's going to get easier." "He was so in charge with the puck all the time"

"The things he can do with the puck in tight spaces and under pressure at the blue line, I think he's probably the best in the age group for a D-man with the stuff he can pull off," "He's got a skillset that is above and beyond everybody I've played with."

When it comes to staying in juniors

I will chose to stay just because of developing more, trying to be an all-around 'D', always making the right plays," Kovacaova said. "In Austria when you're a young player, you can go really high and really low. That's something I really wanted to figure out."

"I feel like I have even more of an offensive game this year than I had last year, and I play safer at times too," Luka said. "I want feel really good about my all-around game before jumping into pros" 

And that's our story from us here at SuperAustria sports channel on Luka Kovacsova, We wish the absolute best for Luka and his family going forward, and hope to see him continue to compete for us internationally and win us more gold at every level possible. Luka Kovacsova has announced he will be choosing to view the draft from home with his friends and family along with his dogs, as they await to see what team will be calling his name tomorrow afternoon, I know the Slovak Dman is hoping for a chance with Newfoundland or Anaheim, but is grateful for any opportunity he can get to showcase his skills and talents.


6,038 words 32,899 characters.
Reply
#2

hell yeah Luka Kovacsova

[Image: sIjpJeQ.png]





Reply




Users browsing this thread:
1 Guest(s)




Navigation

 

Extra Menu

 

About us

The Simulation Hockey League is a free online forums based sim league where you create your own fantasy hockey player. Join today and create your player, become a GM, get drafted, sign contracts, make trades and compete against hundreds of players from around the world.