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07-27-2005, 08:10 PM
5. Tomas Kudelka, D
Birthdate: 10 March, 1987
Team: Zlin
Height: 6'2
Weight: 183
Shoots: L

A smooth skater, Tomas Kudelka takes advantage of his above-average speed and agility. He is fast backwards and has solid lateral movement to go along with his good balance. He is an offensive-minded rearguard and is poised when moving the puck. Kudelka uses his reach effectively and is adept at distributing pucks smartly. He is still prone to the odd bad decision with the puck though. Kudelka is positionally sound and doesn't tend to make mistakes in this aspect. He doesn't hesitate to fire his solid shot, which is quite accurate, but needs to be harder.

On the downside, Kudelka could play with a bigger mean streak and show his nasty edge much more. At 6'2, 183 lbs. he possesses a solid frame, but doesn’t use it to his advantage often. Once he develops his aggressiveness enough, then he can possibly think of a career in North America. Going to play in WHL for Lethbridge would help him in this aspect but he is more likely to stay in Zlin, where he could get a chance to play in Extraleague.

Kudelka didn't have a great season, injury slowed him down and he didn't show such a progress as other Czech players like Hanzal, Pavelec, Kalus or even Pospisil. Kudelka's performance is almost at the same level as he was last year, yet overall he is a good package of skill, smarts and offensive upside. Going to WHL might upgrade Kudelka’s play, this route is still possible, it all depends on the draft. Kudelka has the potential go in the first three rounds.

6. Tomas Pospisil, F

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