LHD Jakub Fibigr is a first-year import from Czechia playing for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL, but unlike most Europeans coming across the pond, he didn't struggle very much to produce- piling up 12 points in his first 13 games. The 6'0",172lb rearguard was originally paired with the team's mainstay on the blueline, Chas Sharpe, but has played most of the year on an effective pairing with the rugged Parker Von Richter. Fibgr is still a young man of 17, with a July 22nd birthday, but gets tons of ice-time in all situations, and is a solid two-way defender. After a Hlinka Gretzky Cup appearance where was a stand-out for team Czechia with 2 points in 5 games, he finished the 2023-24 regular season in Mississauga with 7 goals and 43 points in 61 games, and is currently one of the team's top performers in the playoffs, with 4 assists in 5 games.
Fibigr is highly aggressive, and effective at both ends of the ice. He's quite active, and frequently activates to attack the middle, never standing still. He always seems to be looking for gaps in coverage to slide in to, with or without the puck, and he likes to sneak in on the weak side to surprise goalies. While he's not a burner, he possesses excellent four-way mobility with smooth transitions, and uses his edges well, rarely skating in a straight line. His lateral agility gives him elusiveness, and he can match footwork with attackers when moving backwards. His speed gives him the ability to rapidly recover from his aggressive pinches down low. Fibigr can either join or lead the rush, navigating through all three zones, after completing a clean exit- he's very effective in transition, and can make a high percentage of smart, accurate breakout passes. On the PP, he quarterbacks the play from the blueline, walking the line and staying active to open lanes. He's an effective passer and reads the ice well, though he doesn't do anything dynamic, relying instead on safe, simple plays. His point shot isn't very threatening, as it lacks power and accuracy- he's much more effective when shooting from the slot after exploding off the boards on the powerplay. He shows confidence in handling the puck, and exerts good control and protection. His off-puck play is a plus, as he's always looking to get open and be playable. Fibigr is reliable in his own end, and has top-notch defensive awareness and positioning- he always seems to be on the right side of the puck. He racks up stops against the rush using his anticipation, speed, and an active, well-timed stick. He exhibits solid timing and gap-control, and eliminates entries.
While Fibigr is solid in all three zones, he's not much of a play-driver, and relies on utilizing his teammates- he's not elite in any skill, or situation. There's a risk/reward factor in his offensive aggression, and he can sometimes be caught down low with the puck going the other way, and there's always a chance of turnovers occuring. His decision-making has been called into question, and he's not a very physical player. In the defensive zone, he is prone to lapses in focus that can lead to him losing his man, and he's not very intimidating to go up against in front of the net. Fibigr is not a high-end offensive creator with his safe and simple approach, and he may not have the highest ceiling- but he does still have some skill, and a solid two-way game. Craig Button has him ranked 25th, but I think he'll have to wait until the third round.
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End of the day this is an entertainment business, and I want Iginla here for entertainment. Every scouting service is saying after celebrini, the prospects seem pretty interchangeable. Cmon flames, bring Tij home
I think it simply means that teams have to do better researching, interviewing US born players, and more proactive in giving them money and term in the RFA process.
I think it's mostly the bolded part. Really hard to turn down life-altering money but the longer you wait into the RFA years the less the money is life-altering (and thus easier to turn down).
LHD Jakub Fibigr is a first-year import from Czechia playing for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL, but unlike most Europeans coming across the pond, he didn't struggle very much to produce- piling up 12 points in his first 13 games. The 6'0",172lb rearguard was originally paired with the team's mainstay on the blueline, Chas Sharpe, but has played most of the year on an effective pairing with the rugged Parker Von Richter. Fibgr is still a young man of 17, with a July 22nd birthday, but gets tons of ice-time in all situations, and is a solid two-way defender. After a Hlinka Gretzky Cup appearance where was a stand-out for team Czechia with 2 points in 5 games, he finished the 2023-24 regular season in Mississauga with 7 goals and 43 points in 61 games, and is currently one of the team's top performers in the playoffs, with 4 assists in 5 games.
Fibigr is highly aggressive, and effective at both ends of the ice. He's quite active, and frequently activates to attack the middle, never standing still. He always seems to be looking for gaps in coverage to slide in to, with or without the puck, and he likes to sneak in on the weak side to surprise goalies. While he's not a burner, he possesses excellent four-way mobility with smooth transitions, and uses his edges well, rarely skating in a straight line. His lateral agility gives him elusiveness, and he can match footwork with attackers when moving backwards. His speed gives him the ability to rapidly recover from his aggressive pinches down low. Fibigr can either join or lead the rush, navigating through all three zones, after completing a clean exit- he's very effective in transition, and can make a high percentage of smart, accurate breakout passes. On the PP, he quarterbacks the play from the blueline, walking the line and staying active to open lanes. He's an effective passer and reads the ice well, though he doesn't do anything dynamic, relying instead on safe, simple plays. His point shot isn't very threatening, as it lacks power and accuracy- he's much more effective when shooting from the slot after exploding off the boards on the powerplay. He shows confidence in handling the puck, and exerts good control and protection. His off-puck play is a plus, as he's always looking to get open and be playable. Fibigr is reliable in his own end, and has top-notch defensive awareness and positioning- he always seems to be on the right side of the puck. He racks up stops against the rush using his anticipation, speed, and an active, well-timed stick. He exhibits solid timing and gap-control, and eliminates entries.
While Fibigr is solid in all three zones, he's not much of a play-driver, and relies on utilizing his teammates- he's not elite in any skill, or situation. There's a risk/reward factor in his offensive aggression, and he can sometimes be caught down low with the puck going the other way, and there's always a chance of turnovers occuring. His decision-making has been called into question, and he's not a very physical player. In the defensive zone, he is prone to lapses in focus that can lead to him losing his man, and he's not very intimidating to go up against in front of the net. Fibigr is not a high-end offensive creator with his safe and simple approach, and he may not have the highest ceiling- but he does still have some skill, and a solid two-way game. Craig Button has him ranked 25th, but I think he'll have to wait until the third round.
Sandman, as always thanks for the write ups. Apologies if you have already covered this or you’re already planning on doing so, but do you have your draft ranking?
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Lindholm and Catton are missing the U18 due to injuries. Hip for Catton, potentially back for Lindholm. Back injuries scare me and might make me second guess picking him if he was available. Helenius has 1g2a in his first game of the worlds.
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I have PTSD from Flames drafting Hitmen with their first round pick….
Happened once, 25 years ago. The team was on a shoestring budget, scouting was minimal, and the draft was at the Saddledome, so they were grasping at straws to try to please the fans.
None of those things are true this time around.
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Happened once, 25 years ago. The team was on a shoestring budget, scouting was minimal, and the draft was at the Saddledome, so they were grasping at straws to try to please the fans.
None of those things are true this time around.
And Button was just hired but not allowed to participate in round one.
Lindholm and Catton are missing the U18 due to injuries. Hip for Catton, potentially back for Lindholm. Back injuries scare me and might make me second guess picking him if he was available. Helenius has 1g2a in his first game of the worlds.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Lindstrom slide, mainly due to injuries. I have read some scouting reports that highlight some question marks with him as well. One of them is that he dominates junior because of his size, and that may not help as much at the professional level where the scales aren't tipped as much in his favour. The other is that he isn't much of a puck distributor, and in the NHL, you usually want your top center to be a puck distributor. I have also heard that he is kind of predictable.
I don't know how qualified the people were who made those claims, but it still gives me some pause. Then again, I remember some people saying the same thing about Getzlaf regarding is size in junior, and that worked out.
My bold prediction is that Lindstrom is drafted outside of the top 5 and after Catton, and maybe even after Iginla.
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Sandman, as always thanks for the write ups. Apologies if you have already covered this or you’re already planning on doing so, but do you have your draft ranking?
Thanks for your interest! I’ve been itching to do an updated draft ranking, so I’ll be getting that up soon.
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I wouldn't be surprised to see Lindstrom slide, mainly due to injuries. I have read some scouting reports that highlight some question marks with him as well. One of them is that he dominates junior because of his size, and that may not help as much at the professional level where the scales aren't tipped as much in his favour. The other is that he isn't much of a puck distributor, and in the NHL, you usually want your top center to be a puck distributor. I have also heard that he is kind of predictable.
I don't know how qualified the people were who made those claims, but it still gives me some pause. Then again, I remember some people saying the same thing about Getzlaf regarding is size in junior, and that worked out.
My bold prediction is that Lindstrom is drafted outside of the top 5 and after Catton, and maybe even after Iginla.
With this back injury revelation, I agree- he could slip out of the top-10. As a Lindstrom fan myself, I’ve become nervous about taking him top-10 as well.
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