Jaškin and Musil lead list of Czech draft hopefuls

This weekend, the NHL stages its annual Entry Draft. It is the time when the top hockey prospects 18 years of age or older from around the world hold their collective breaths and find out who, if anybody, will hold their NHL rights.

Dmitrij Jaškin. Photo: hokej.cz.

Czechs have had some success in the draft before, most notably 1992 and 1999, when Roman Hamrlík and Patrik Štefan were taken first overall, respectively, by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Atlanta Thrashers. In 2011, when the Edmonton Oilers make their first selection, it won't be a Czech name, barring a miracle. However, there are two Czech players, Dmitrij Jaškin and David Musil, that are expected to be taken in the first two rounds, which would be an improvement over recent years. Jaškin is a right winger who currently plays for Slavia Praha in the Czech Extraliga and Musil is a defenceman who currently plays for the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants. Both players have taken interesting paths to get to this point in their careers, which is explored in greater detail here.

David Musil. Photo: Gerry Kahrmann, theprovince.com.

The NHL divides its draft-eligible prospects into skaters and goaltenders, and further into players on North American clubs and those playing in Europe, with Musil and Jaškin easily leading all Czechs on those lists. In 2010, only five Czechs were drafted and none of them played domestically. This was a particularly embarrassing total for a country that, at one time, was one of the top producers of top hockey players in the world. As recently as 2001, 31 Czechs were drafted, with 21 of them coming from domestic clubs. This downward trend is examined here.

While the 2011 crop of Czechs won't approach 2001 numbers, it is reasonably safe to say there won't be another shutout of domestic players, as many forecasters have predicted that Jaškin will be taken late in the first round. Daniel Přibyl of Sparta Praha, who was taken by Cherepovets in last month's KHL draft, is pegged to go somewhere in the middle rounds, with Mladá Boleslav's Tomáš Hyka being seen as a possible late-round pick.

Below are the European-based, draft-eligible Czechs, according to their rankings. Of the listed players, only Jaškin and Plzeň's Jakub Jeřábek played full-time in the Extraliga in 2010-11.


  5. Dmitrij Jaškin       right wing   Slavia Praha
 46. Daniel Přibyl        centre       Sparta Praha
 47. Tomáš Hyka           right wing   Mladá Boleslav
 56. Štěpán Jeník         defence      Slavia Praha
 57. Lukáš Sedlák         centre       České Budějovice
 77. Jakub Jeřábek        defence      Plzeň
 79. Lukáš Králík         centre       Olomouc
 86. Tomáš Pavelka        defence      Vítkovice
 88. Václav Tomek         right wing   Slavia Praha
 95. Petr Holík           centre       Zlín
 96. Adam Řehák           right wing   Vítkovice
100. Michael Švihálek     left wing    České Budějovice
101. Dušan Žovinec        defence      Sparta Praha
125. Vojtěch Zadražil     defence      Jihlava
129. Tomáš Rousek         útočník      České Budějovice

Of the Czech players in North America, Musil is currently projected to be taken somewhere in the second round. Matěj Stránský could also be a mid-round pick, while Dominik Uher and Bohumil Jank could be taken late.


 38. David Musil         defence       Vancouver (WHL)
136. Matěj Stránský      right wing    Saskatoon (WHL)
162. Dominik Uher        centre        Spokane (WHL)
181. Bohumil Jank        defence       Victoriaville (QMJHL)

The International Scouting Services ranks goaltenders separately. Among European goalkeepers, Jarolsav Pavelka is ranked third, and has an outside chance at being drafted. He played last season at the starší dorost level, and was impressive at the Five Nations Tournament in his hometown of Hradec Králové. In Dresden at the U18 World Championships, Pavelka backed up Matěj Machovský, who is ranked 10th among eligible netminders in North America.

Ranked Czech goaltenders in Europe:

 3. Jaroslav Pavelka      Hradec Králové
10. Marek Mazanec         Plzeň

Ranked Czech goaltenders in North America:

11. Matěj Machovský      Brampton (OHL)
13. David Honzík         Victoriaville (QMJHL)
15. Tadeáš Galanský      Saginaw (OHL)

Rankings were compiled by International Scouting Services, and were acquired via hockeysfuture.com, nhl.com, and hokej.cz.

Wild finish to Jr Extraliga quarterfinals

After the weekend's events, the eight remaining teams in the Junior Extraliga have been reduced to four. Sparta Praha, Slavia Praha, and Energie Karlovy Vary all completed sweeps of their best-of-three quarterfinal series on Saturday. Meanwhile, Orli Znojmo beat out PSG Zlín in a series where the road team won each game, despite the efforts of Zlín star Petr Holík, who gave Bill Mosienko's hat-trick record a challenge.

After needing overtime to beat Oceláři Třinec in game 1, Slavia was completely dominant at home in game 2, winning easily 9-3. The Slavia junior team possesses an impressive group of 17-year-old players on its roster, many of whom will be seen at next month's U18 World Championships, and the most impressive of them all is Dmitrij Jaškin. Despite his age, he truly looked like a man among boys on the ice at Eden Arena on Saturday. Tomáš Hertl and Pavel Klhůfek both notched 4 points. For Třinec, 17-year-old defenceman Filip Pavlík is their most noticeable player, quarterbacking the power-play, killing penalties, and seemingly always on the ice.

At the north end of the city, in Holešovice, Sparta needed overtime to eliminate Benzina Litvínov 2-1. Litvínov actually led a fast-paced game 1-0 until Daniel Přibyl tied the score with 4:07 left in regulation time. In the first minute of overtime, Tomáš Rubeš finished off a goalmouth scramble by shovelling in the loose puck. Přibyl and Rubeš assisted on each other's goals, and the 18 year olds are both candidates to play in next year's World Junior Championships.

In the surprise of the first round, seventh-ranked Karlovy Vary finished off a two-game sweep of second-ranked Vítkovice Steel on Saturday. Vítkovice had a 2-0 lead on home ice and was 20 minutes away from extending the series, but they were outscored 4-1 in the third period and lost 4-3. Michal Vachovec scored the winning goal with 5:34 remaining, to go along with 2 assists.

Wild scramble in front of the Znojmo (red) goal. Photo: Petr
Sagner, Zlín Press, hokej.zlin.cz.

In the most interesting series of the Junior Extraliga quarterfinals, Zlín won the opening game in Znojmo and went home with a chance to wrap up the series. With game 2 tied 2-2 with 8 minutes remaining in regulation time, Znojmo scored 3 times in 4:29 to seemingly wrap up the game. At that point, Petr Holík took matters into his own hand and produced a natural hat trick on one shift, 51 seconds to be exact, and tied the score to send it to overtime. However, in overtime, Znojmo's Martin Plánek scored his second of the game to force a third and decisive game on Sunday.

On Sunday, Znojmo scored twice in the second and held that lead until late in the third, when Holík scored for Zlín with 2:11 left in regulation time. In the dying seconds, there was a wild goalmouth scramble in which Holík and Jakub Šlahař both took whacks at the puck and it eventually ended up in the net, a fraction of a second after the expiration of time. Ondřej Kacetl kept the puck out of the net long enough to preserve the victory for Znojmo, and send them into the semifinals.

The semifinals begin Tuesday, with Sparta at Karlovy Vary and Slavia at Znojmo. Both series return to Prague on Thursday and then Friday, if necessary. Times are yet to be announced.

Action-packed Saturday in Czech hockey

For hockey fans in the Czech Republic, Saturday is a busy day. In particular, for the cities of Prague and Ostrava, which each host two big games.

Of Prague's two Extraliga clubs, one is long gone and the other is waiting to begin its semifinal series on Monday. However, the Junior Extraliga counterparts of those clubs are at home on Saturday, hosting big playoff games.

Zlín goaltender Libor Kašík kicks away a shot in Znojmo
Thursday in Junior Extraliga playoff action. Photo: hcorli.cz.

At 16:00, Slavia Praha hosts Oceláři Třinec at Zimní stadion Eden, and they can advance to the semifinals with a win Saturday or on Sunday. The series opened Thursday in Třinec, where Slavia won 4-3 in overtime, with Michal Barák scoring the winning goal with 24 seconds to play in the period. The biggest surprise was the presence of Dmitrij Jaškin in Slavia's lineup, after he had played game 7 in Liberec for Slavia's pro team the night before. He scored a goal and added 2 assists. Presumably, Jaškin will be in the lineup again at home Saturday, before re-joining the pro club in Třinec on Monday, so hockey fans in Prague who want a chance to see the possible first-round NHL draft pick in action for free should head to Eden.

At 19:00, Sparta Praha hosts Benzina Litvínov at Tesla Arena. Top-ranked Sparta can also earn a spot in the semifinals with a win, thanks to a 4-1 road victory on Thursday. Like Slavia, Sparta's lineup was bolstered by the presence of a pro. David Tůma, who played in the World Junior Championships in Buffalo, NY, played in the game, though he recorded no points. Sparta was led by 2 goals from Daniel Přibyl, both assisted by Tomáš Rubeš.

For real hockey junkies in Prague, there are a variety of public transportation options that could take a fan from Kubánské náměstí to Výstaviště (tram stops for the respective arenas) in 35 to 40 minutes. Check jizdnirady.idnes.cz/praha/spojeni for details.

Slavia and Sparta weren't the only junior clubs that received reinforcements from the big league. Dalibor Řežniček and Petr Holík, both WJC participants and regulars in the professional Extraliga, skated for PSG Zlín's junior squad and contributed to their 3-1 victory in Znojmo. Řežniček assisted on a goal by Holík in the last minute of the first period. The addition of these two players greatly improves fourth-ranked Zlín's chances, and makes them a serious contender for the junior national championship. Saturday's game gets underway at 12:30.

Game 1 action between Karlovy Vary (white) and Vítkovice (blue)
in the Junior Extraliga quarterfinals. Photo: Jan Čech, Karlovarský
deník, hokejkv.cz.

Ostrava's ČEZ Arena will be the site of two playoff games on Saturday. At 13:00, the junior Vítkovice Steel club will host Energie Karlovy Vary. Unlike the other three teams that are hosting Junior Extraliga quarterfinal games on Saturday, Vítkovice dropped its first game, so it will be looking to even the series on home ice. Martin Rohan led Karlovy Vary with 2 goals.

Hockey fans in Ostrava don't have to worry about transportation. Later on Saturday, ČEZ Arena will host the main event, as the professional Extraliga's semifinals get underway. Vítkovice hosts Eaton Pardubice at 17:00. The game can be viewed live online at www.ct24.cz/sport or tv.hokej.cz, but the television broadcast on ČT4 Sport will be tape-delayed until 19:30, following the AC Sparta Praha-FC Zbrojovka Brno football match. Game 2 will be televised live on Sunday at 18:10.

Week of international hockey in Europe begins Tuesday

There are a few times each season when European leagues take a week off so that players are free to represent their countries at various international events. Tuesday is the beginning of one of those week-long periods.

A total of five Czech national teams will take part at various events in various countries, the most prominent being the men's national team, who will take part in the LG Hockey Games in Stockholm, Sweden. This is the third of four Euro Hockey Tour events of the season. Currently, the Czech Republic sits in fourth place of the four-team circuit with 5 points. Russia leads with 15, followed by Sweden with 9 and Finland with 7. The tour will conclude with the Czech Hockey Games in Brno, April 21 to 24.

Jakub Jeřábek (left) battles for position with Canada's Quinton
Howden at the 2011 World Junior Championships. Photo: Rick
Stewart, Getty Images North America.

A player of note who will make his debut for the Czech men's national team is defenceman Jakub Jeřábek of Plzeň 1929. Jeřábek was the captain and best player for the Czech U20 team at the recent World Junior Championships in Buffalo, NY, and he will now get a chance at the senior level.

"(Sunday) night, manager Martin Loukota called and told me the basic information. I was taken aback. The coaches told me before that I might go to the Swedish games as an alternate, but I wasn't counting on it," said Jeřábek, upon receiving the news. "It's not only a thrill for me but also for my whole family. My parents are happy. The weekend will be a very tight fit for TV. On the phone I got a lot of text messages from friends and acquaintances."

The 23-man roster includes 12 players in the KHL, 10 in the Czech Extraliga, and 1 from Swedish Elite League.

Goaltenders: Jakub Štěpánek (St. Petersburg, KHL), Alexandr Salák (Färjestad, Sweden).

Defencemen: Petr Čáslava (CSKA Moscow, KHL), Tomáš Mojžíš (Dynamo Minsk, KHL), Ondřej Němec (Cherepovets, KHL), Martin Škoula (Omsk, KHL), Lukáš Krajíček, Martin Lojek (both Oceláři Třinec), Jakub Nakládal (Eaton Pardubice), Jakub Jeřábek (Plzeň 1929).

Forwards: Roman Červenka, Petr Vampola (both Omsk, KHL), Jan Marek (Atlant Mytishchi, KHL), Tomáš Rolinek (Magnitogorsk, KHL), Lukáš Kašpar, Jiří Novotný (both Astana, KHL), Petr Průcha (St. Petersburg, KHL), Petr Koukal (Eaton Pardubice), Ivan Rachůnek (PSG Zlín), Milan Gulaš (Mountfield České Budějovice), David Květoň, Martin Adamský (both Oceláři Třinec), Peter Jánský (Benzina Litvínov).

Coaches: Alois Hadamczik, Josef Paleček.
General Manager: Slavomír Lener
Team Manager: Martin Loukota 
Physician: Dr. Zdeněk Ziegelbauer 
Physiotherapist: Petr Janků
Video Coach: Jan Procházka
Masseur: Petr Ondráček 
Custodian: Zdeněk Šmíd
Media Manager: Jan Černý

Five games will be played at the Globe in Stockholm, while one will be played in Mytischchi, Russia. The games in Stockholm can all be seen in the Czech Republic on ČT4 Sport. Elsewhere, they can be seen online at http://www.ct24.cz/sport/. Here is the tournament schedule (all times are Central European, UTC +1):

Thursday, February 10:
19:30 Czech Republic - Swedem (Stockholm, ČT4 Sport)
20:00 Russia - Finland (Mytishchi)

Saturday, Feburary 12:
12:00 Czech Republic - Finland (Stockholm, ČT4 Sport)
16:00 Sweden - Russia (Stockholm, ČT4 Sport)

Sunday, Feburary 13:
12:00 Czech Republic - Russia (Stockholm, ČT4 Sport)
16:00 Sweden - Finland (Stockholm, ČT4 Sport)

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic will send a U19 team to compete in a five-team tournament in Mannheim, Germany. This will be the first assembly of a team of Czech-based players who hope to compete at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Calgary and Edmonton, AB. The team is being coached by national U20 coach Miroslav Přerost and includes one returning player from last year's World Junior squad, forward Petr Holík of PSG Zlín, the leading junior-age scorer in the Extraliga. The team would also surely include Dmitrij Jaškin of Slavia Praha if he weren't already competing for the U18 team.


The tournament also includes Finland, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. It will be played in a round-robin format which begins Tuesday and concludes Saturday.  


The aforementioned U18 team also plays in a five-team, round-robin tournament. This one runs Wednesday through Sunday and takes place at ČEZ Stadion in Hradec Králové. Two games will be held at the arena in Nový Bydžov. The Czech Republic will compete against Finland, the USA, Sweden, and Russia. Friday's game against the USA, which begins at 18:00 Central European Time (noon Eastern Time), will be televised by ČT4 Sport and will be available on the internet at http://www.ct24.cz/sport/. The rosters of all five teams will be likely similar to when they compete at the IIHF World U18 Championships in Crimmitschau and Dresden, Germany, April 14 to 24.


The U17 team will play in a four-team tournament in Moscow from Tuesday to Thursday. The same team will also compete in the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Liberec, February 12 to 19. Finally, the U16 team will play three games in Vierumäki, Finland from Friday to Sunday.