NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Simon Stransky

Get to Know Simon Stransky

Date of Birth: 12/21/1997
Place of Birth: Ostrava, CZE
Ht: 5’11” Wt: 185 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Left Wing
Team (League): Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Last Word on Sports:

The strength of Simon Stransky’s game is his playmaking ability. He is a very good stick handler, protecting the puck from opponents and able to make nifty moves to avoid defenders. He can speed up the play, or slow it down depending on the circumstances, giving his linemates the opportunity to get open before hitting them with a tape-to-tape pass for a scoring chance. Stransky has very good vision and hockey sense, and seems to see the play develop. He also has a decent wrist shot and a good release, often using his shot from the half boards. His slap shot also shows some power, and very good accuracy. Stransky is a bit of a perimeter player though, he needs to get stronger and go to the dirty areas of the ice more often going forward. He can also improve his ability to battle on the boards, and be stronger on the puck.

The Draft Analyst:

Stransky is a mature, shifty playmaker whose pass-first mentality masks his underrated shot and goal scoring capabilities. He started off red hot with Prince Albert to earn a spot on the Czech Republic’s junior team, only to return for a good — not great — second half with the Raiders. Nevertheless, he’s a puck hound who can stubbornly control the disc in order to wait for options to appear. Stransky is a pure passer and excellent stickhandler, using a variety of tricks to deceive opponents into making the improper choice.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Stransky reminds me of so many other good players to come out of the Czech Republic over the years. He’s a great stick handler who uses his excellent hands to create space and time for himself and teammates alike. He’s a playmaker first and foremost and uses his above-average vision to make it work for him. That’s not to say he doesn’t have goal-scoring ability of his own because there’s plenty in his shot, as well.

Like basically every player in their draft year, Stransky could stand to bulk up quite a bit more as he doesn’t in battles along the wall and as  future wing that’s where he’s going to be making or breaking his success. He’s also not a great skater and I worry that while it’s not an issue now, it could become one in pro hockey as he struggles to keep up with the game.

Highlights

NHL Potential

If he reaches his potential, he’s easily a complementary top six winger who can create for others. He has plenty of talent to get him to the NHL but how much he works to develop his defensive game will decide how long he sticks around.

Expected Draft Position

There’s quite a bit of variance to Stransky’s rankings as he could go in the second round or tumble into the fourth. I expect someone to stop him in the middle in round three.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

He’d be a very good fit in my opinion, even though he’s not 6-feet tall. He’s a crafty, skilled offensive player and while he has plenty of room to improve defensively, the Avalanche do not have many skill forwards in the system. Stransky in the third round would be a very good fit.