NHL Draft 2022 – Juraj Slafkovský, Šimon Nemec and Filip Mešár among the elite Šport.sk – ŠPORT.sk

They are very high and are gradually rising even higher. Overseas expert and journalist from The Athletic Scott Wheeler has published his new preddraft ladder top 64 players. There are three hockey players from below in the Tatras.

The draft unit is probably clear in every single ranking published so far, and this is not the case in this case either. She is the Canadian center Shane Wright. Wheeler immediately placed his compatriot and also the middle striker Matthew Savoi behind him.

ŠIMON NEMEC

At number three we will stop and notice, HK Nitra defender Šimon Nemec is on it.

“It simply came to my notice then. When evaluating players from all angles, I kept coming back to him. The more I watched him, the harder it was to get into his game, as I do with others, ” began his evaluation of the Slovak defender.

Subsequently, he highlighted his game maturity and ability to solve all game situations, thus earning a stable place in the men’s team of Nitra or the Slovak national team. He can base attacks, make a surprising pass, he is good in both offensive and defensive activities.

“I think he has a very good chance of becoming the best defender from Slovakia since the time of Zdena Chára and a real hockey player number two for the NHL for a long time,” concluded his evaluation of Wheeler.

JURAJ SLAFKOVSKÝ

The second Slovak hockey player, Juraj Slafkovský, took eighth place in the ranking. “He is one of the most fascinating draft players because he has a great combination of size and skill required by scouts and coaches.”

He may have missed a higher place in the ranking also because he has not yet been able to fully assert himself in the male Finnish League. So far, he alternates the highest competition with the junior. He collected three assists in men in twelve duels and 17 points in junior matches in nine matches (6 + 11).

“With his weight of over a hundred kilograms, you expect him to play power hockey. But Slafkovský also offers something atypical. He is a huge arm for his size and often pulls the puck across his legs to his body to cross the defenders. He also has a vigorous smooth step, which makes him a surprisingly dangerous player. With a puck on a hockey stick, he looks confident and confident, ” evaluated his performances by an overseas expert.

FILIP MEŠÁR

According to Scott Wheeler, a third Slovak hockey player should also be selected in the 1st round. He placed HK Poprad forward Filip Mešár in 24th place. “I’m a big fan of his game. He is a first-class skater or close to him, which is variable in attack and has a versatile deceptive shot, ” said Wheeler and also revealed what he fears about the Slovak young man.

“I’m afraid he doesn’t have the offensive size or size to turn his tempting package into a top NHL player. But this is a challenge that many will face. “ he also said towards his physical parameters. The massacre is 178 centimeters and 78 kilos.

Several Slovaks did not get into the best 64, but we can find several of them in the “worth mentioning” category: Rastislav Eliaš, Jakub Kopecký, Alex Šotek.

SHIFT IN THE RANKING

Scott Wheeler has published several charts this year. The first was still at the beginning of March, in which he divided the players into: a draft unit (Shane Wright), favorites for the TOP 3, contenders for the TOP 5 and TOP 10. Both the German and Slafkovský got into the last category.

In the second ranking, which he published in mid-September, Nemec was in fourth place, Slafkovský in eighth and Mešár in 30th place. Both players from the Slovak extra league have improved in less than two months, and we must also mention the fact that they are playing our highest competition, which does not have the best name in the world.

However, the season is still in its infancy and an important event in the form of the World Championships for players under 20 is just waiting for us. On it, all our representatives can show that they may also deserve a better position in the draft. The total unit is already 99 percent clear, but the Slovak hockey player can easily be chosen from the 2nd place.

SLAFKOV’S OR GERMAN?

In recent weeks, several experts have published their rankings, and it is interesting to follow the placements of Juraj Slafkovsky and Šimon Nemc in particular. While some, like Scott Wheeler, see the German a little lower among the best and Slafkovsky, others give them the opposite order and guess that Slafkovsky will be drafted sooner.

Preddraft rankings of experts and specialized websites: