Marek Viedensky

History

2008-09: Marek Viedensky proved to be a valuable member of the Prince George Cougars (WHL). The lanky defender put up 40 points in his first season with the Cougars. His plus/minus numbers left something to be desired as he was a -13 on the year. Viedensky was drafted in the 7th round, 189th overall by the San Jose Sharks (NHL).

2009-10: Viedensky’s second season in the WHL was split between the Prince George Cougars (WHL) and the Saskatoon Blades (WHL). The blossoming defender saw improvements in all aspects of his game, improving his point totals to 59 and turning his -13 in 2008-2009 into a +17. Viedensky will play his overage year with the Saskatoon Blades. In the playoffs Viedensky went point-per-game, picking up 10 points in 10 games.

2010-11: Viedensky was the leading scorer for Saskatoon as a 20-year-old as the Blades finished with the WHL's best record. In his first full season with the Blades, he scored 36 goals with 52 assists despite missing nine games throughout the year with nagging injuries and was +60 (second only to defenseman Stefan Elliott's +62 on the Blades). In 10 playoff games Viedensky scored 1 goal with 5 assists and was +1 with 4 PMs. The Blades were swept by eventual WHL champion Kootenay in the second round.

2011-12: In his first season in the AHL, Viedensky didn't follow-up on his excellent final year at the junior level and the big center started his year injured while struggling at times to stay in the line-up. He scored five goals along with six assists and a minus five rating in 56 games.

2012-13: Viedensky had difficulty cracking the lineup for San Jose's AHL affiliate in Worcester during the NHL lockout — spending part of the fall with the ECHL's San Francisco Bulls — and suffered a knee injury in January that wiped out part of his season. In 14 AHL games he scored 4 goals with 2 assists and was +4 with 4 penalty minutes. Worcester missed the AHL playoffs after finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division. Viedensky scored 8 goals with 11 assists in 20 ECHL games with San Francisco and was +3 with 22 penalty minutes. He was re-signed by San Jose to a one-year contract as a restricted free agent in July, 2013.

Talent Analysis

Marek Viedensky is a very under-rated defensive player who excels at killing penalties. While inconsistent he has shown some moderate offensive upside at the pro level. He has good puck skills, a very good wrist shot, and is deceptively fast. He does not use his body as best as he could to create scoring opportunities however and much of his offense is created on the rush. He creates a ton of opportunities though with his active stick, and in that regard (and only that regard) he plays like Pavel Datsyuk.

If he continues to develop all sides of his game, the player has a reasonable chance of becoming an NHL player in a third line role. Not bad considering at the start of last season he looked like he was on the way out.

Future

After high hopes in 2012-13 which saw the two-way forward relegated to the San Francisco Bulls before finding his offensive prowess, Viedensky will try to earn a full-time roster spot with Worcester. If he plays the way he played in March and February he will have no trouble earning another contract.