Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of www.theahl.com
- Name: Jakub Petruzalek
- Position: C
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 5-10
- Weight: 176 lbs
- Birthdate: 1985-04-24
- Eligible for Draft: 2003
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Most, Czech Republic
- Acquired: Traded from Rangers, November 2006
- Playing In: Pro
Jakub Petruzalek
Prospect Grade: 5.5 D (About Prospect Grades)
History
9th round, 266th overall, 2004 Entry Draft by Rangers. Petruzalek was the second player the Rangers took from Litvinov in the draft.
The OHL Ottawa 67’s selected Petruzalek with the 26th overall pick in the CHL Import Draft.
The Rangers were encouraged when, in 2004-05, Petruzalek put up good offensive numbers (63 points in 59 games), and was able to achieve a plus/minus of +10 while playing for the Ottawa 67s of the OHL.
2005-06: After a poor showing at the Rangers' training camp, Petruzalek returned to Europe to play in the Czech League, where he was not very productive (2 points in 19 games, plus/minus-6). In January 2006, Petruzalek returned to North America to play at least a portion of his overage season with the Barrie Colts of the OHL. In 24 regular season games, he had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) with a plus/minus of +6.
2006-07: The Rangers signed Petruzalek this season via their AHL Hartford Wolf Pack affiliate, but he only appeared in six games for the ‘Pack (and seven for the ECHL Charlotte Checkers) before eventually being traded to the Hurricanes Nov. 21. With Albany he received more playing opportunity and had 10 goals and 86 assists in 54 games. The rookie had four points in the River Rats brief five game postseason run.
Leslie Treff, Glen Jackson contributed to this profile
Talent Analysis
Petruzalek is a clear late-round gamble, but he adds a legitimate scorer with loads of skill to the system. Unfortunately, his downside matches his upside.
Petruzalek impresses with his swift skating skills. He displays a fluid stride and above-average agility. He accelerates well, but could use more balance, as he gets knocked off the puck regularly. His soft hands contribute to the offensive talent, a smooth, poised puckhandler who sees the ice quite well. He unleashes a quick wrist shot with a fast release, but could work on the hardness of his slap shot. A creative passer, Petruzalek likes the finesse style of play, when he can make fast smart passes to his linemates. Tight traffic battles cause him problems because of his severe size deficiency. On the downside, he is just 5'9” and 167 pounds. He can get outmuscled by the bigger opponents and this factor will always be working against a possible North American career. Petruzalek isn't a total liability when it comes down to fulfilling his defensive duties, but he has to further improve on his defensive awareness and could block the opposing passing lanes more effectively.
Future
Petruzalek is a long shot, he has the upside of a second line scoring forward.
Stats
Stats Coming Soon...
Profile Last Updated: March, 23rd 2008
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