NHL Draft Prospect Profile: David Kase

Get to Know David Kase

Date of Birth: 1/28/1997
Place of Birth: Kadan, CZE
Ht: 5’11” Wt: 170 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Center/Left Wing
Team: Pirati Chomutov (Czech 2)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Corey Pronman:

He’s a quick, shifty skater who can lead a rush and is elusive in tight spaces. He’s a great playmaker, who can dictate the play on the man advantage with his skill and vision. He also shows the willingness and hockey IQ to be an effective defensive player; as he gains strength, that aspect of his game should improve even more. He hasn’t really produced gaudy numbers, but on a scouting level, I think he’s looked fantastic at times and has the ability to be a potential home run for the team that lands him.

Draft Buzz Hockey:

Well ahead of older brother Ondrej in development at the same age, David Kase is a wrecking ball of skill who shows both utility and fireworks offensively. A first round pick of the Armada in the Q, Kase was the clear leader of the CZE U17 team in Nova Scotia. On display was an impact player game to game who showed a routine ability to beat opponent’s one on one and finish high skill plays off.

At the U18, he clearly was reeled in a bit as a result of the bigger, faster players, but still managed to score some big goals and display heart all over the ice. As a fast, though chippy skater, he can stand to improve his agility and overall fluidity of stride. Very light on his skates this past season, natural growth in size and keeping a high compete level should be enough to keep him ahead of the curve as the stakes get raised

Highlights

Kase scores at 10:38 of this video

NHL Potential

Kase’s offensive upside, diminutive stature, and lack of polished defensive game means he’s likely a top-6-or-bust kind of player. Either he breaks through, showcases his prodigious offensive talents, and sticks in a team’s primary scoring role, or he doesn’t and likely becomes a European league player for the majority of his career.

Expected Draft Position

Kase, like most smaller players who are likely to get paid for their offense, is entirely at the mercy of the team picking. Rankings have him all over the place with Pronman putting him 30th overall and Future Considerations rankings him 107th. The only other top 100 list he made was Craig Button’s, where he placed 69th.

Because of the wild variance in draft rankings, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team take a chance on Kase as high as the second round or for teams to wait until his upside becomes too good to pass up in the fourth round and beyond.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

This is entirely dependent on where the Avalanche were to select Kase. Anytime before their 4th round pick and I think the Avalanche would be doing themselves a disservice. Starting with the 101st pick overall in the fourth round, the upside of Kase begins to mitigate the limitations his size may play.

As an organization already well-stocked in small stature-high upside players, Kase immediately becomes a poor fit but if the rounds continue on and Kase is somehow still there in the 6th round (this feels laughable to even suggest), how can the Avalanche, or any other organization, possibly pass up on that kind of potential?

Come draft day, though, I simply don’t see Kase and the Avalanche as being likely dance partners.