Player's Profile
- Name: Jan Zapletal
- Position: D
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 6-3
- Weight: 187 lbs
- Birthdate: 1986-08-21
- Eligible for Draft: 2004
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Brno, Czech Rep.
- Acquired: 6th round, 188th overall, 2004 Entry Draft by Tampa
- Playing In: Europe
Jan Zapletal
Prospect Grade: 5.0 C (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: Phil Laugher
History
The Tampa Bay Lightning took a real gamble on defenseman Jan Zapletal, who played defense for the first full season of his career in his draft year, for Vsetin Jr of the Czech Junior League. In the following offseason, Zapletal was taken in the second round of the CHL Import Draft by Regina of the WHL.
Talent Analysis
At 6'2, 185 lbs. one of the strongest assets of Zapletal is his above-average size. He skates remarkably well for a big man, with a smooth stride and has a good agility and first-step quickness to go along with solid balance. He is reliable in his own end as he doesn't suffer from glaring positional breakdowns and stays with his man. Zapletal sees the ice quite well and once he has his defensive duties done, he sometimes takes advantage of the chance to join the rush.
Zapletal possesses decent puckhandling skills, but needs to keep his game simple in order to avoid mistakes when rushing the puck. He unleashes slap shots with an adequate accuracy, but could use a harder blast. He is a solid passer who needs to further develop his work on the offensive blue line, though. Bulking up and using his frame to a bigger extent is another thing to work on for Zapletal, who isn't a feared physical presence at this point. A bit of an enigma, Zapletal slid down a bit with some of his poor showings late in the season.
Future
Zapletal has the upside of a seventh NHL defenseman, but is really far from a sure thing. He clearly needs more seasoning in getting used to playing the defensive role and learn all the ropes before he can think of a possible NHL career. At least four years away, Zapletal is a hit-or-miss project.
Stats
Stats Coming Soon...
Profile Last Updated: September, 23rd 2007
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