Like we’ve done in the past, we’re profiling top prospects who may hear their names called Friday in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. But this year, something new — we’re featuring special guest analysis from former Minnesota Wild scout Mark Seidel, who currently serves as the president of North American Central Scouting.
Pavel Zacha (C)
Height: 6’3 Weight: 210 Shoots: Left
Team: Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Country: Czech Republic
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 8 among North American skaters
What kind of player is he?
The numbers really tell the story. Zacha’s a big kid (as listed above), that has equal penchants for scoring (34 points in 37 games this year) and the rough stuff (56 PIM, and two suspensions). As far as playing experience goes, his is pretty diverse; in ’13-14, Zacha played for Liberec in the Czech Extraliga -- working under the tutelage of longtime NHLer Petr Nedved -- and this year, he jumped the pond to play Canadian junior hockey in Sarnia.
Seidel says:
“Zacha’s an interesting prospect -- a Czech-born player that possesses a lot of North American traits. He willingly and routinely initiated contact in his rookie OHL campaign but occasionally crossed the line, which resulted in a couple of significant suspensions. Despite that, he showed a team-first mentality the Sting loved. Zacha’s biggest strengths are his skating and ability to beat defenders one-on-one; he has a skill set that’s hard to handle and will become an offensive force as he develops. Like most offensive stars, Zacha still needs to work on his defensive game, but the heady Czech will add that to his repertoire for whichever team selects him.”
NHL comparable: Eric Staal/David Backes
For more 2015 NHL Draft profiles, click here.