Draft Thoughts (American Edition, Vol.14):
LW Nicolas Sykora (6'0", 174lbs)
Omaha Lancers (USHL): 17gp/ 6g/ 1a/ 7pts, -8, 0 PIM
Sioux City Musketeers (USHL): 18gp/ 8g/ 9a/ 17pts, +4, 4 PIM.
Winger Nicolas Sykora, the son of former NHLer Petr Sykora, must have felt like a kid on Christmas morning when he was traded from the last-place (and lowest-scoring) team in the USHL, the Omaha Lancers, to the Sioux City Musketeers- a team that currently occupies the 7th-spot in league standings, but has the 4th-best goals-for. He responded by going from .41 ppg with Omaha, to .94 ppg with Sioux City, possibly rescuing his draft stock. Before the season began, Central Scouting saw fit to award him the grade of "C", denoting a possible 4th, or 5th-round pick, and I doubt that grade has changed- even with his new lease on life, numbers-wise. Sykora is an offensive-minded winger with sharp awareness and keen anticipation, but he's a bit one-dimensional- although he's trying to improve.
Sykora's best tool is his deep arsenal of shots- including a superb curl-and-drag wrister, a laser of a one-timer, and a hard, heavy, and often pinpoint accurate wrister. Built-in to his shot is a wicked release that he can get off in heavy traffic, or at full-flight, and he expertly uses defenders as screens. The puck simply explodes off of his stick, and he can pick corners with it. He goes to the net for second-chance opportunities, and has the timing and hand-eye coordination to get tips. Sykora is a volume-shooter and his off-puck intelligence is a huge facilitator for his exploits; he locates space to move around in high-danger areas, and slips in-and-out of the slot to get in position to shoot. Playmaking is more of a secondary weapon, but he exhibits good spatial awareness and solid hockey sense to find his teammates in open space with fine-touch passing skill, showing the ability to connect over and under his opponents' sticks.
Unfortunately, Sykora is a rather average skater with deficient acceleration, and it pervades many areas of his game. He doesn't hold on to the puck for very long, relying on quick touches and by moving the puck up the ice with give-and-goes- he does most of his skating off the puck. He defers to his teammates to carry through transition most of the time, and doesn't often lead the rush- his entries consist mostly of dump-ins. Sykora will get involved physically, but not very often- he's doesn't get his hands dirty enough in puck battles, and seems content to let his linemates do most of the digging and other dirty work. In his own zone, he seems to have improved over last season, but his effort and engagement have peaks and valleys; he shows a somewhat responsible defensive dimension with solid positioning and anticipation, but he could be far more disruptive. He employs a fairly good stick to pressure opponents and clog lanes, and when it's time for the breakout, he positions himself well to be an option for a pass. Overall, he needs to improve his intensity and his workrate in all areas. Sykora has committed to Quinnipiac for 2026-27, and I think he'll be selected in the 3rd, or 4th-round of the 2025 Draft.
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