NHL Prospect Profile: Jack Kopacka

Get to Know Jack Kopacka

Date of Birth: March 5, 1998 (18)
Place of Birth: Lapeer, MI
Ht: 6’2” Wt: 179 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Left Wing
Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Statistics

What Scouts See
Tyler Parchem, Elite Prospects
Kopacka is a hard working forward with decent size. He contributes offensively and battles hard down low. He went through improvements all season long and established himself as a good top 6 forward in the OHL and a bonafide NHL draft prospect. Next year should be a coming out party for him in the Soo. He will need continue to improve his physicality, which is something that will be a cornerstone of his game.

David Burstyn, Mckeen’s Hockey
Started the season with confidence but has since lost a little of his mojo and has been shuffled to the bottom two lines. The rookie winger is still adjusting to the pace of the league after a highly successful 2014-15 campaign with the Compuware U18 program. Kopacka possesses good size at 6-f2 and 190 pounds, however needs to assert himself more physically and drive scoring lanes. He does compete but needs to sacrifice his body more in order to get the most out of his game. His skating and puck skills are both refined, yet he has been playing conservatively in recent games – trying not to make a mistake. He also needs to get stronger along the boards as he tends to lose a majority of his battles. His stock has softened a little, yet he still has excellent value as a prospect.

What BSN Avalanche sees
In a lot of ways Jack Kopacka is just the “lite” version of his teammate Boris Katchouk. Kopacka is a feisty player with high compete level and a simple, aggressive game. Kopacka is a big, lanky prospect and while he’s effective throwing his weight around at this level, he needs to fill out his frame to be a physical impact player at the next level. Kopacka plays a real simple north-south game that is effective, even if it lacks creativity and flash. Kopacka is good on the boards and down low, playing an effective cycle game and thriving in loose puck situations below the hash marks.
The biggest issues with Kopacka are certainly with his ceiling. While he’s got a good shot that he’s willing to unleash from all over the zone, he’s not much of a stickhandler or playmaker, so his possession often results in a lot of “one-and-done” offensive opportunities. The tall, lanky Kopacka isn’t a great skater, which limits him here and at the next level since his lack of top puck skills make it difficult for him to beat defensemen one-on-one unless he gets a step on them to the outside. Kopacka’s got a one track mind and a real nose for the net and while that’s attractive at times, it sometimes leads him to turn the puck over by shooting from extremely percentage spots even when there are teammates open and higher percentage plays to be made.

NHL Potential
Kopacka probably lacks the offensive tools to play a real scoring role in the NHL and probably tops out as a 3rd line winger.

Expected Draft Position
Jack Kopacka is ranked relatively consistently by scouts as a likely third round pick, and given his strong finish to the season it’s likely he comes off the board there.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization
For many years the Avalanche have struggled to develop depth and bottom six players from the NHL draft. While the team’s pipeline need is still high-quality forwards and it’s risky to pass up on higher upside players for safer, future bottom sixers, in early rounds, drafting someone like Kopacka in the middle of a draft and getting a suitable bottom six forward would suit the Avs better than missing on another player like Nick Magyar or Troy Bourke. Kopacka would add much needed defensive talent to a system practically devoid of winger depth.