panoo

Bill Meltzer | NHL.com correspondent
Jun 12, 2007, 10:50 AM EDT

In the world of NHL scouting and drafting, there is a lot of talk about projecting prospects’ talent “floor” and “ceiling” in the world’s top hockey league. When it comes to multi-talented right winger Jakub Voracek or the Halifax Mooseheads, most prospects can only dream that the ceiling of their potential can rival the floor of Voracek’s.

Offering an intriguing package of size, skill, playmaking ability and determination, Voracek is destined to be a top-five pick in the 2007 Entry Draft. The 17-year-old is coming off a banner debut Quebec League season in which he not only lived to lofty pre-season expectations, he exceeded them in many regards.

“He’s such a pleasure to coach," Mooseheads head coach Cam Russell, a former NHL defenseman, said. "He comes to the rink everyday with a big smile on his face and, really, there’s not a lot of coaching involved with a guy like him. He’s a complete player. Besides being skilled, he does all the little things well.”

Born in Slany, Czech Republic, Voracek rocketed through the junior developmental system of HC Kladno, one of Europe’s most illustrious programs. Among others, Jaromir Jagr, Patrik Elias and Tomas Kaberle got their start in the Kladno system.

By the age of 15, Voracek was already a star on Kladno’s Under-18 squad, dominating opponents that were up to three years older. Voracek averaged more than an assist per game (39 helpers in 30 games) for Kladno’s Under-18 team in 2004-05. Meanwhile, scouts got their first glimpse of the player in international competition as he played on the top line of the Czech Republic’s national Under-16 squad.

Promoted quickly to the national Under-17 team, Voracek was the youngest player competing at the 2005 Four Nations Under-17 Tournament. His dominant performance earned him rave reviews from scouts. A natural center, he could switch to wing with equal effectiveness.

By now it was clear that the 16-year-old Voracek was ready for the top junior level of Czech hockey. A shoo-in for a roster spot on Kladno’s Under-20 team, the player didn’t disappoint. During the 2005-06 regular season, he scored 21 goals and added 38 assists for 49 points in 46 matches. The 6-foot-1 youngster even got into a game for Kladno’s senior team in the Czech Extraliga.

In the U20 playoffs, he elevated his game even further, scoring seven times and assisting on four goals for a sensational 11 points in just six games. Weeks later, at the 2006 World Under-18 Championships, Voracek dazzled North American and European scouts alike by posting six points (three goals, three asssists) against many of the world’s top prospects eligible for last year’s Entry Draft.

“That tournament opened some eyes,” says an Eastern Conference NHL scout. “He was an under-ager (not yet draft eligible), but he showed more patience with the puck than a lot of kids we were scouting for the (2006) draft.”

On June 28, 2006, the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads drafted Voracek first overall in the CHL import draft. That left Voracek to make a crucial decision: go to North America and attempt to accelerate the pursuit of his dream of playing in the NHL or stay in the Czech Republic and try to work his way into Kladno’s Extraliga lineup.

The advantage of the first option: increased ice time and earlier exposure to the smaller rinks and more physical style of North American hockey. The advantage of the latter: the chance to play sooner against highly skilled adults. But even for the most talented prospects in Europe, it typically takes a couple seasons to earn regular ice time at the elite league level. There is a huge step up in competition from the U20 leagues to the elites.

Voracek made the same decision that a large percentage of top Czech and Slovak prospects do: He chose junior hockey in Canada.

Adjustments on, off ice

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