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Sandman · 04-28-2024, 03:27 AM

Draft Thoughts (Son Of Satan Edition):

I've been avoiding doing a profile of 6'7",190lb C Miroslav Satan Jr, partly because I wanted to see how he would look in the U-18 Tournament, and also because most who have watched him play say that he probably won't get drafted. Satan Jr. played mainly for HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia's U20 league this season, and posted 30 points in 26 games, which was good enough for 28th overall in scoring, and 17th in ppg. It's important to note that Slovakia's main Junior league is a decidedly weaker league than those in other countries. How is his U-18 tournament going? Well, Slovakia lost 9-0 to team USA in the opener, and then were upset by Latvia, 5-3, with Satan playing 11:06 and 9:37 respectively, picking up no points and a -1. That's not necessarily an indictment of Satan as the coaches have been heavily leaning on the team's top players, and giving them the lion's share of the ice-time. It isn't really a good sign though....

First thing I noticed about Satan besides his enormity, is that he has excellent speed for a player his size, even getting his jersey flappin' behind him as he flew up the ice. Though his stride looks slightly awkward, he's seemingly light on his feet, with surprising acceleration and top-speed. He can cover a lot of real estate in a short time. His reach is enormous, and it allows him to protect the puck well. Satan is huge, but doesn't seem to use his size at all, instead relying on his stick and positioning to be disruptive. From reports, he can advance the puck well in transition by carrying, but has the passing skills to push the pace through the neutral zone, and out of the defensive zone. He will go to the net to park himself in front in order to set up a screen and make himself a threat, but I don't see any quality IQ or vision. He looks to have a good one-timer for the Slovak league, but his wrister is weak, and his release is slow. Watching him against the Americans, he showed good positioning on the backcheck, looking to take away the middle, and positions himself deep to be able to support his goalie and his defensemen down low. He is said to be defensively responsible, but seemed to coast a lot, and did a little too much puck-watching.

Satan was drafted in Round #16 of the 2023 USHL Draft, at 242nd overall, by the Chicago Steel- so I hope we can get a good look at him over here in North America. People have been saying that his 2024 NHL draft stock depends alot on his performance in the U-18's, and if so- he's off to a very bad start, as he had no impact on the game against the Americans in the slightest, and was largely invisible despite his size. Don't get me wrong, not many other players on Team Slovakia moved the needle either, but I would say that based on talent and ability, he shouldn't be drafted. Based on size and name recognition however, I could see an NHL team taking a flier on him in the later rounds. Sorry, Satan fans...

04-28-2024, 03:27 AM	#2431
Sandman Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Calgary Exp:	Draft Thoughts (Son Of Satan Edition): I've been avoiding doing a profile of 6'7",190lb C Miroslav Satan Jr, partly because I wanted to see how he would look in the U-18 Tournament, and also because most who have watched him play say that he probably won't get drafted. Satan Jr. played mainly for HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia's U20 league this season, and posted 30 points in 26 games, which was good enough for 28th overall in scoring, and 17th in ppg. It's important to note that Slovakia's main Junior league is a decidedly weaker league than those in other countries. How is his U-18 tournament going? Well, Slovakia lost 9-0 to team USA in the opener, and then were upset by Latvia, 5-3, with Satan playing 11:06 and 9:37 respectively, picking up no points and a -1. That's not necessarily an indictment of Satan as the coaches have been heavily leaning on the team's top players, and giving them the lion's share of the ice-time. It isn't really a good sign though.... First thing I noticed about Satan besides his enormity, is that he has excellent speed for a player his size, even getting his jersey flappin' behind him as he flew up the ice. Though his stride looks slightly awkward, he's seemingly light on his feet, with surprising acceleration and top-speed. He can cover a lot of real estate in a short time. His reach is enormous, and it allows him to protect the puck well. Satan is huge, but doesn't seem to use his size at all, instead relying on his stick and positioning to be disruptive. From reports, he can advance the puck well in transition by carrying, but has the passing skills to push the pace through the neutral zone, and out of the defensive zone. He will go to the net to park himself in front in order to set up a screen and make himself a threat, but I don't see any quality IQ or vision. He looks to have a good one-timer for the Slovak league, but his wrister is weak, and his release is slow. Watching him against the Americans, he showed good positioning on the backcheck, looking to take away the middle, and positions himself deep to be able to support his goalie and his defensemen down low. He is said to be defensively responsible, but seemed to coast a lot, and did a little too much puck-watching. Satan was drafted in Round #16 of the 2023 USHL Draft, at 242nd overall, by the Chicago Steel- so I hope we can get a good look at him over here in North America. People have been saying that his 2024 NHL draft stock depends alot on his performance in the U-18's, and if so- he's off to a very bad start, as he had no impact on the game against the Americans in the slightest, and was largely invisible despite his size. Don't get me wrong, not many other players on Team Slovakia moved the needle either, but I would say that based on talent and ability, he shouldn't be drafted. Based on size and name recognition however, I could see an NHL team taking a flier on him in the later rounds. Sorry, Satan fans...