by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Elite Prospects.
The 2023 NHL Draft will be here before you know it, and Draft 412 will preview some of the prospects who will be probable first round picks. Draft 412 will go over the strengths and weaknesses of each prospect and where they should land in the NHL Draft.
Name- Samuel Honzek
Pos- C/LW
Team- Vancouver Giants
HT/WT- 6’4” 185 lbs.
Born- 11/12/2004
Home – Trencin, SVK
Samuel Honzek is a 6’4” forward who can play both the center and left wing. Honzek, despite missing 18 games due to injury, still averaged 1.31 points per game, putting up 56 points in 43 games in the WHL.
Honzek has a huge reach and is a good forechecker who does a good job of putting pressure on opponent defensemen. He’s efficient in traffic and has the uncanny ability for a big guy to make things happen in tight spaces.
Though he may not be the prettiest skater, Honzek has decent speed and gets the job done. He has an NHL-ready wrist shot with above average accuracy and does a good job of shielding off defenders to find the soft spots in the zone. He prefers playing down low or behind the net and is quick to jump on rebounds. And he doesn’t shy away from contact and will take a hit to make a play.
On the downside, Honzek can get lazy and make you scratch your head at times with his defensive play. He needs to improve his defensive consistency and has moments in games where you cannot find him on film. He has the frame to add 15-20 lbs. of muscle and can use a few years in the minors to develop.
Once Honzek is ready for the league, Draft 412 sees a nice comparison to Pittsburgh’s own J.T. Miller as his ceiling. Honzek is listed as a C/LW, but Draft 412 sees him as a top-6 winger.
Final Analysis
Honzek is a player who scouts see growing into his body and possibly becoming a top-6 force. He has the tools to become a complete player in the NHL.
Round 1/2- #30 on Draft 412 big board.
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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2020-21 Trencin Dukla Slova 5 0 0 0 0
2021-22 Trencin Dukla Slova 49 10 4 14 8 4 0 0 0 0
2022-23 Vancouver Giants WHL 43 23 33 56 16 4 1 3 4 0
2022-23 Slovakia U-20 National Te Intl Statistics Unavailable