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'Lucky' Krajicek a mainstay on Panthers blue line
Written by: EM Brown on 12/09/2005 
Projected to start the season with the AHL's Rochester Americans due to a crowded Panthers blue line, Krajicek earned a slot on Florida's opening night roster when Eric Cairns and Alexander Karpovtsev went down with injuries.
"It was a surprise for me that they let me play and they let me play so much right from the start," Krajicek said. "I was kind of lucky. There were two guys that were injured. I guess you have to have a little bit of luck in life."
Ranked highly going into his draft in 2001, the native of Prostejov, Czech Republic received a stellar scouting report. Aside from concerns over his 6’1, 183-pound frame, scouts commended all areas of Krajicek's game, from his stickhandling and passing skills to his hockey sense and strong work ethic.
It was more than enough to convince the Panthers to send a pair of second-round picks to with the New Jersey Devils and select Krajicek 24th overall out of the OHL.
During the 2004-05 lockout, Krajicek completed his third AHL season, posting two goals and 22 assists in 78 games with the cellar-dwelling San Antonio Rampage.
Florida's Joel Kwiatkowski, who began the season as Krajicek's defensive partner and was also a teammate of his in San Antonio, says the experience only helped speed the 22-year-old's development.
"I thought he played a lot last year and we weren't successful as a team, but we got a lot of ice time, He's shown a lot more confidence," Kwiatkowski said. "He's obviously a young, skilled defenseman. It's actually a pretty easy to play with him. He just does his job, it's nothing flashy."
Despite playing a predominantly defensive style, Krajicek has managed to chip in on offense as well. In 30 games, he has registered a pair of goals -- both coming on the power play -- and nine assists. In November, he posted a four-game assist streak.
The all-around solid play has not only led to an increase in ice time, but earned him job security as one of Florida's top-four defensemen.
Still, Krajicek has remained focused on goals set forth by Panthers head coach Jacques Martin to "get better defensively and help out the forwards with offense."
"It's a learning experience for him every day, especially in the defensive zone," Kwiatkowski said. "With the new rules it's even harder now. You've got to have good sticks and get smarter. I'm sure he's only going to get better."
Olesz returns
Rookie Rostislav Olesz returned to the Panthers lineup on Nov. 26 after missing 15 games with a sprained MCL. The 20-year-old registered a goal in his first game back, a 7-4 loss to Atlanta, and has since logged between 15 and 17 minutes of ice time."After [coming back from the injury], I'm glad I am getting more ice time, helping the team," Olesz said. "For me, it doesn't matter what I play. But I'm happy that I can help the team on the penalty kill."
Johner a cat (again)
Florida re-acquired the rights to Dustin Johner as part of a three-player deal which sent winger Kristian Huselius to Calgary on Dec. 2. The Panthers assigned the forward to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.In his first game with the Everblades on Dec. 3, Johner picked up two assists, just 12 hours after flying in from Las Vegas.
"We're just fortunate that Florida sees a lot of potential in a kid like Johner," Everblades head coach Gerry Fleming told the Naples News. "I think if he comes down here and plays the way he's capable of playing, he may be up in Rochester, but for now he's on his way here."
Johner tallied a pair of goals, two assists and eight penalty minutes in eight games with the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers. The 22-year-old also appeared in five games with Omaha of the AHL.
The Panthers selected Johner with their sixth-round pick of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He signed with Calgary as a free agent in 2004.
Copyright 2005 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.
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