Lukas Kaspar
Profile Contributed By: HF Staff
History
Lukas Kaspar was playing for HC Chemopetrol Litvinov (Czech) when he was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2004 entry draft. He was a steady member of the third or fourth offensive unit in the Czech league, and finished out the 2003-04 season with 6 points in 37 games. A player blessed with a wealth of international experience, Kaspar participated in both the 2003 Under-18 WJC and the 2004 Under-20 WJC.
2004-05: Kaspar played his first season of American hockey with the Ottawa 67’s (OHL). He played much of the season on a line with fellow Czech and friend Jakub Petruzalek, compiling a total 51 points (21 goals and 30 assists) in 59 games. He was fifth among all rookies for scoring during the regular season. Kaspar also participated in the World Junior Championships, where he had a game-winning goal against Team USA. He excelled in the OHL postseason, with a league leading (among rookies) 6 goals and 14 assists in 21 games. The 67’s won the OHL Championship and advanced to the Memorial Cup, where Kaspar scored a goal and added 3 assists in 4 games.
2005-06: The young Czech played his rookie season with the Cleveland Barons (AHL), seeing time on the top two lines for Cleveland, and on the third and fourth lines at others. While he had a 15-game stretch with only 1 goal and 1 assist during the months of January and February, Kaspar compiled a total 36 points (14 goals and 22 assists) in 76 games.
Talent Analysis
Kaspar posesses a good sized frame, which he knows how to use to his advantage. He is a solid skater for a player of his size with a decent burst of speed. He handles the puck extremely well and is blessed with a strong nose for the net. A talented sniper, Kapsar also delivers crisp passes, but once on a scoring chance he prefers shooting to passing. He isn't afraid of the rough stuff and fights along the boards and in front of the net a lot. Kaspar drives to the net fearlessly and is solid in one-on-one situations. Kaspar will sometimes try to do to much, which limits some of his offensive production, and therefore needs to keep his game simple.
Future
A forward blessed with considerable size and skill, Kaspar has the tools to be a second line scoring forward in the NHL, but he first needs to prove that he can score with some consistency as a pro. If he can’t put up significant numbers at the AHL level, the likelihood that he will do it in the NHL decreases, and Kaspar may level out as a third or fourth line NHL’er.
Stats
Stats Coming Soon...
Profile Last Updated: April, 17th 2008
