Pats draft another czech

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Its all on greg harder's blog. Kids name is Dominik Volek, a '94 goal scoring forward. I assume having him reporting wont be an issue.

Kind of surprised we got a forward. Not only with the offseason Bell situatiion, but as it is, we have an excess of kids up front.

I guess I wont care if hes good.

[patsdude114]

it doesnt surprise me at all that we selected a euro forward... we dont have much skill upfront after Weal & he needs someone to play with. If Mitchell doesnt come back we really dont have a forward who can play top line minutes after Weal, Schiedl showed some flashes & im sure he will be given every chance to play LW to Weal (altho this new euro is a LW as well so maybe Schiedl or the euro can play RW)

Our defense could be in a world of trouble even worse then last year, especially if Davidson & Bidlevskii go pro (to the AHL as both can play there & both have clubs interested) who knows what is going to happen with Bell just yet he wasnt even drafted to me that shows that he is in alot of trouble with this.... he was rated to be in mid 2nd round to not even drafted threw away his whole hockey career (Bell had a harder shot then every AHLer at the AHL All-star game)

If Davidson, Bidlevskii & Bell are all NOT on the team this coming season that means our most experienced Dman will be Blidstrand, if for some reason all 4 of those guys are on the team this year it could be a pretty solid top 4 (not amazing but still solid) if those 4 are on the team with the young guys who will be making a push for the team i cant see Bortsmyer being on this team the guy just cant skate & he isnt even physical so really WHAT DOES HE BRING TO THE ICE???

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Just want to say Im not trying to come across as a dick here, but Id like to clarify a couple things.

First off...Im not sure why you still seem to think Art is going pro. His contract with Bridgeport was a tryout, which many players always do after their club's season ends. Swifty's Doyle went to three different tryout and still didnt get signed...same with Kruise Reddick and multiple others. Sometimes these tryouts are merely a case of filling quotas. Davidson and Mitchell are 50/50....maybe even more likely to return to the pats...but I can pretty much guarentee Bidlevskii stays in Regina next year barring a trade.

Secondly, if Lang n' pals wanted a player to go with Weal(who is gone after this year), why would they make it a 17 year old euro that still has to adjust to the league? Perhaps its just a case of taking the best player available...but regardless a couple players are going to lose their spots from last year.

As for Borstmayer, we will see what he does next year. Dude hasnt had it easy, and this will be his first full season. His skating and size combo is what makes him one of the more interesting players to watch this year along with Burroughs.

[patsdude114]

Well also 1st off i never once said Bidlevskii is a forsure to go pro i know it was just a amateur tryout which dont usually result in much but the option is still there & the interest. Mitchell & Davidson are both 50/50 i know im just saying as what COULD happen & as for Bell no 1 seems to know much about his status but judging by NOT getting drafted it doesnt look to promising for him.

As for Bortsmayer i knew from the 1st day i saw the kid play that he was never going to be anything special, for his size he should have a mean streak to him & play a physical style of game. Which he does not therefore makes him completely useless cuz he doesnt have much skill to do anything else.

As for the euro forward selection, it does make perfect sense to select a euro forward who has a chance to make a impact with 1 of the most skilled players in the WHL being Weal. The Pats wont even have Weal for the full season unless by some miracle the Pats are in a fight for 4th in the Conference (which i highly doubt) if this euro can be anything like Sven Bartschi who didnt do a heck of alot offensively back in swiss as a 16yr old but put up 85pts in the WHL & ended up being a 1st round pick... im not putting that kind of expectation on this new euro but it has been a long time since the Pats have lucked out with a scoring euro (Kalus was the last, & who else before that???)

I strongly feel that Lang went out to get a forward as we are not strong there to begin with after Weal. It thins out very fast.

As for my Pro predictions involving Pats....

Mitchell i feel that he isnt ready for the AHL as he hasnt accomplished much in junior, he just finally found abit of a offensive game in the 2nd half of the season while playing with Weal. I strongly feely that Mitchell would benefit ALOT from another season of junior.

Davidson with the Oilers not having to sign him until before next seasons draft this could benefit the Pats hugely, if hes not signed he comes back to junior. Davidson has had 2 strong seasons in the WHL, he has 1 of the best sticks in the Eastern Conference. I think he is back just cuz of the signing thing with the Oilers, which also i think he will be dealt at trade deadline (unless the Pats have a soild chance at the playoffs)

Bidlevskii i do feel that he will be back in junior as the tryout that he had last season was just that a tryout there is a small window that he could be in pro next season but i highly doubt it. He will be a HUGE part of our D this coming season also i must add i love seeing him on the PK while he battles infront of the net a very strong Dman

[west coast]

i think that the Pats just went with the best available player in the Euro draft.They havent had much luck with Euros lately.I kinda liked Gustufsson but he was small and the Pats are way too small at forward.The dice has to start rolling in the Pats favour....and the recent draft pick with turn out to be a gem.I am hoping that the Pats make a right choice with their coaches this season.It would be nice to see Mitchell,Davidson, and Bidlevski return as well.I think that Bell is going to have a monster season as he will be determined to get his life back in order and prove that he is one of the most elite dman in the WHL when he is on his game.I see a lot of positives coming together this season for the Pats hockey club.Tyler Borstmayer has improved every year and this hopefully is the year that he gains some muscle and who knows maybe something clicks with him this summer and he develops a mean streak.The off season is so full of hopes and dreams with all teams tied at the top of the standings.

[patsdude114]

I think that Bell is going to have a monster season as he will be determined to get his life back in order and prove that he is one of the most elite dman in the WHL when he is on his game.

God i hope you are right, not only for the Pats but for Bell as well. It definately won be easy for Bell with always having that in the back of his mind. A guy like Heatley could give Bell some words of advice after dealing with this himself. Everybody knows Bell did wrong including himself especially at such a young age. He like everybody else deserves a 2nd chance & to make the best of it.

Just curious has there been anything told about what is happening with that case & to Bell? He was a minor during the accident, & reports from what i have heard was that his gf wasnt wearing a seat belt it doesnt make it right thats not what im getting at just that if a seat belt had been wore the chances of her surviving would of been alot greater.




I see a lot of positives coming together this season for the Pats hockey club.

I really hope your right about this, I personally see a few bright spots well maybe not bright spots but things im excited to see in how they perform. Really looking forward to see Hewitt as the starter, i really feel he out performed Ketlo in the 2nd half of the year. Burroughs I am very excited to see im sure he will get every chance in the world to show what he is truely worth this season.

Also cant wait to see Weal finally getting a chance to play in the playoffs just it wont be on the Pats, interested to see what kind of return Lang will get for Weal. I know it wont be anything like Eakin or Schenn, but for the guy who is leading the WHL in points the past 2 seasons combined would have to be worth a nice package in itself. Also would love to see Weal make the World Juniors he could be Kozun & still have a major role on the offensive side of things.



Tyler Borstmayer has improved every year and this hopefully is the year that he gains some muscle and who knows maybe something clicks with him this summer and he develops a mean streak.The off season is so full of hopes and dreams with all teams tied at the top of the standings.

As much as id love to see that happen i really dont think it is possible, a player either has it in them or they dont plain & simple. It would be nice if he improved his skating & puck control so he doesnt make the fans cringe everytime he touches the puck.


Back back on topic here......

Cant wait to see this euro sounds like he has some skills, he played on the U17 team so im sure he must have some solid skills to play at that level.

[patsdude114]

Looking up some stuff on Dominik Volek online & as impressive as his point/game was on HC Sparta Praha U18 is i really liked his playoff stats in 6GP he has 5G2A hoping he likes to perform when the stakes r bigger


http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=100478

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HY9sIF_73E (abit of a soft goal but looks like he can skate. Also looks like he will be getting a new number as well as #19 is taken already)


Here is a interesting read..... He is the son of former NHLer David Volek

http://dansallows.com/interview-dominik-volek/


1 of the questions in the article.... looks like he will be coming to play in the WHL


Have you considered playing junior hockey in North America, or are you wanting to continue to develop your skills at home in the Czech Republic?

Dominik: I would love to have the opportunity to play in North America, just to show what I can do, and have a great season before heading into the NHL Draft.