Gustav Lindstrom
Prague General Manager Peter Ott looked to Sweden to select the first defenseman in 10 picks when he called the name of Gustav Lindstrom. The 6-2 teen-ager from Ostervala will learn the basics with the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL as he prepares for his EURO career as a prospect without attributes. There is not a lot of flash in his game but there is a lot of chill. Ott gets a defenseman who will go about his job in a calm, cool and collected way.
Alexis Vanier
Alexis Vanier knows how goalie Tanner Jaillet felt when teams kept passing him over in the first round. Jaillet was ranked 5th in the Draft Guide but had to wait for pick 17 to get a team (Paris). Vanier, a solid defense prospect from Canada, had an even longer wait. He was ranked 13th overall and was finally taken this morning by Lisbon H.C. with the 32nd pick in the draft. He’s 6-4, 218, so he has great size and he projects to be a No. 3 or 4 defenseman for most of his career. Skating is his downfall and that could have kept teams from taking him late in the first round. But he’s tough to play against and will get a team 10 to 15 goals in his prime. He and Seth Jones are the only young defensemen in the Lisbon organization.
Tomas Hyka
Edinburgh Capitals General Manager John Charles has now drafted a couple of players who should make his young star goalie feel more at home. Jan Kovar is about to enter his fifth season with the Caps and his career save percentage is better than 90 percent. But he was the only Czech player in the whole organization. No one to speak Czech with. But that changed in the first round of the draft when Charles selected Dominik Kubalik, a left wing from Plzen, and this morning Charles added another Czech winger in Tomas Hyka from Mlada Boleslav. Hyka is an interesting pick because he has already played 10 games with the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL. If he gets Websim attributes in April, 2019, or later, they won’t count because the EURO League already has its Tomas Hyka. The new Websim player would be retired by the commissioner. On the ice, Hyka will prove to be a good skater and stickhandler who is smart about when to think offense and when to think defense. He should develop into a solid second- or third-liner, with early bets saying he will be teamed with Andreas Athanasiou and Jimmy Vesey at some point in Edinburgh’s future.
