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Tag: Jakub Demek

SinBin.vegas Golden Knights Prospect Rankings – August 12th, 2024 Update

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On August 12, 2024

In Personnel

The latest update to our prospect rankings is here. There’s been quite a bit of movement since the last update including four new draft picks, an undrafted free agent, and a lot of prospects headed out. Here are the top four skaters, to find the full rankings, click here…

SinBin.vegas Golden Knights Prospect Rankings

Criteria to qualify for rankings:

  • Must be younger than 23 years old for skaters, 25 years old for goalies
  • Cannot have played more than 10 NHL games
  • Must be either under contract or drafted by the Golden Knights

Players are ranked based on value to the organization. The most important factor is the player’s ceiling, or how good they can eventually become, but also taken into consideration is how close they are to playing in the NHL and how likely they are to play in the NHL. This is NOT a ranking of which players are the best if a game were to be held today.

Removed since last update: Brendan Brisson (NHL Experience), David Edstrom (Trade), Layton Ahac (Free Agency), Mason Primeau (Free Agency), Patrick Guay (Free Agency), Marcus Kallionkieli (Contract Terminated), Jiri Patera (Free Agency)

SKATERS

Photo from Kartane in SinBin Discord

1) Trevor Connelly (F)
Acquired: 2024 Entry Draft, 1st Round, #19 overall
Age: 18 (February 28, 2006)
Most Recent Team: Tri-City Storm (USHL)
Previous Ranking: NR

On the ice, Connelly looks every bit the part of a 1st round pick. He was terrific in his single scrimmage at Development Camp before picking up an injury that kept him out of the second one. His speed is noticeable in all three zones, he has poise with the puck, and his playmaking ability both shooting and passing is excellent. Supposedly there was some discussion of signing an ELC and heading to the WHL this season but instead he’ll go to Providence College. He is the clear blue chip prospect in the VGK system at the moment, it’ll be up to him to continue on that path.

 

2) Mathieu Cataford (F)
Acquired: 2023 Entry Draft, 3rd Round, #77 overall
Age: 19 (March 1, 2005)
Most Recent Team: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Previous Ranking: 6

What a year it was for Cataford. The well-rounded offensive weapon posted 40 goals and 90 points in 65 games en route to winning the league MVP in the high-scoring QMJHL. He then came to the Silver Knights for a few games at the end of the season and didn’t look completely out of place, recording two assists. In Development Camp there were times he looked like an offensive dynamo but also moments where his foot speed appeared to need improvement as he moved up in competition level This Summer he was dealt in the QMJHL for five picks including two 1st rounders to Memorial Cup hosts, Rimouski. He’ll play one more season in Juniors before leaping the AHL. Expect massive numbers this year once again.

More on Cataford
10/5/23 – Ranking: 6 – Cataford is off to a blazing start in the Q, scoring six points in his first three games. Not unexpected, but he did not show much in Development Camp and did not play in the rookie games. He plays with a lot of energy and definitely seems like a complementary player as opposed to a true line driver, however, he’s still so young, so there’s tons of time to develop.

 

3) Jakub Demek
Acquired: 2021 Entry Draft, 4th Round, #128 overall
Age: 21 (June 6, 2003)
Most Recent Team: Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
Previous Ranking: 8

The power forward has high expectations for this coming year after his first full season as a professional. Speaking to the media following a Development Camp session, Demek said he believes he will make it to the NHL this season. Because of his unique skillset in the VGK system, it’s not totally out of the picture, but he’s going to have to leapfrog a lot of people to make it happen. He’s big, strong, and moves well enough, but not often do players go from scoring 16 points in 56 games in the AHL to making an impact in the NHL. His best bet will be to start dominating in Henderson, which he did not do in Development Camp.

More on Demek
10/5/23 – Ranking: 8 – Like his fellow Jakub above him, Demek did not overwhelm this offseason either. The good news on him is that he was proven to be much more ready physically than many of his counterparts on this list. He should do well in the AHL, the question remains if the skill level is there to be a consistent NHL contributor.

2/11/23 – Ranking: 12 – Injuries have ruined Demek’s year as he has yet to step foot on the ice. There’s still a lot of upside with him assuming he returns to form after the injuries.

8/16/22 – Ranking: 15 – Demek’s size is unmistakable on the ice and he uses it to his favor both in forechecking and making life difficult in front of opponents’ goal. The problem is that it doesn’t often translate to much as was the case in Edmonton at World Juniors. There’s still a strong hope he can become a defensive option in the forward pool.

2/23/22 – Ranking: 19 – From basically unscouted to posting 44 points in 38 games in the WHL, Demek is already a bit of a success story. He was selected to play for Team Slovakia at World Juniors as well but only got to play in two games with them before the tournament was shut down. He remains the biggest dark horse in the VGK prospect pool.

8/7/21 – Ranking: 26 – We’re still trying to figure out how the Golden Knights found this kid as he was unlisted on most draft guides and was ranked very poorly by NHL Central Scouting. VGK have reached for players like this before and they’ve succeeded at the lower levels. Let’s see if Demek can do it as well.

 

4) Lukas Cormier (D)
Acquired: 2020 Entry Draft, 3rd Round, #68 overall
Age: 22 (March 27, 2002)
Most Recent Team: Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
Previous Ranking: 9

Cormier’s best game of the season came in the most important one he played. The 21-year-old looked right at home in his NHL debut, recording an assist and nearly scoring a goal. The defensive concerns that have followed him did not appear in his two NHL appearances, but they did shine through at times in the AHL. Watching just minor league games, it would have been tough to project Cormier to be ready to play in the NHL, but when he got his shot, he took it and looked great. There’s still a few players he needs to push past to get a full-time NHL chance, but he’s in the mix.

More on Cormier
10/5/23 – Ranking: 9 – Cormier continues to head in the wrong direction as his offensive game has not popped as expected and his defensive decision-making has been troublesome. There are penalty issues that have cropped up as well. There was a time he was looked at as the next prospect to break through on the blue line, now he’s certainly in the double digits on the VGK depth chart of defensemen.

2/11/23 – Ranking: 4 – The explosiveness that we saw from Cormier in juniors, Development Camp, and Rookie Camp simply has not translated as cleanly to the AHL as hoped. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad player with HSK, he’s certainly not, but the tools that had him looking like he had an NHL future aren’t shining through as clearly. He still moves very well and has good instincts with the puck on his stick, he just needs to refine his overall game a bit more. I wouldn’t rule out a trip to the NHL next year for him, but it doesn’t look as clear-cut as it did a year ago.

8/16/22 – Ranking: 3 – All Lukas Cormier does is post numbers. He once again won the Defenseman of the Year award in the QMJHL (first guy ever to win it back-to-back) and he looked comfortable at both Development Camp and World Juniors. Questions will continue to remain about how well he’ll hold up in the defensive end against pros, but his offensive game is easily good enough to play at the NHL level. He’ll probably play at least a full year in the AHL before he makes any real push for playing time with the Golden Knights.

2/23/22 – Ranking: 6 – In maybe the least surprising prospect news, Lukas Cormier is filling it up in the QMJHL. He’s been doing it for three years and is likely to continue his upward trajectory in Juniors. He was also selected to Team Canada and played in two games in World Juniors before it was postponed. It wasn’t perfect for him in that tournament, but he was able to get on the board with a point and an assist. The question marks are still there, but he’s still looking like he could be a 3rd round diamond in the rough.

8/7/21 – Ranking: 5 – Cormier took the most significant jump in this edition of the rankings and it’s well deserved. 54 points in 39 games in the regular season to go along with nine more in eight playoff games cannot go unrecognized. He’s still young and with his small frame, he’s likely to take a little longer to even be ready for the AHL, let alone the NHL. He should get a chance to participate in training camp with VGK and maybe even get into a few preseason games. Both will be key in seeing where the ceiling could be on him. Basing it just on his junior stats though, the ceiling is very high.

2/3/21 – Ranking: 10 – This kid is a little firecracker and he’s going to be a fun one to keep an eye on as his career progresses. He’s an offensive wizard, especially on the power play and he’s feisty enough to give people problems in his own end. 21 points in his first 14 QMJHL games has people in Eastern Canada buzzing and his invitation to the ridiculously stacked Team Canada World Junior camp should turn heads. We’re a long way from seeing Lukas in a Golden or even Silver Knights jersey, but there’s absolutely some intriguing upside here.

 

To find the full rankings, click here…

SinBin.vegas Golden Knights Prospect Rankings

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Development Camp 2024 Takeaways

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On July 6, 2024

In Team Ops

The final event of the summer has come and gone with VGK prospects wrapping up Development Camp at City National Arena this afternoon. The young players participated in a pair of scrimmages as well as a host of practices over the week. Here are my takeaways, mostly from the two scrimmages.

Trevor Connelly

Unfortunately, VGK’s 1st round pick this year picked up a knock that kept him out of the second scrimmage, but he was impressive in the first one. The biggest element of his game that stood out was his composure on the puck. Once he gets it, he looks so comfortable, plays with his head up, and is always looking to advance the play. There haven’t been a ton of 1st round picks that have come through VGK Development Camp, but of the ones that have, Connelly was the most impressive in their first appearance.

Carl Lindbom

The Swedish goaltender who had a monster season in the SHL showed well in his appearances in the scrimmages. He’s not the largest guy so you’d expect him to need to be very athletic to make saves, but it’s not necessary with the fluidity of his movement. This isn’t to say he’s not athletic, it’s just that he rarely puts himself into a position where he needs to rely on recovery moves to make saves. He confirmed the plan is to play in North America this year, so his stock could shoot through the roof in the next 12 months.

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Stock Up: 2023 Rookie Faceoff

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On September 19, 2023

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It was a weekend to forget from a team perspective for the Golden Knights at the 2023 Rookie Faceoff hosted here in Las Vegas. VGK rookies lost all three games to the Ducks, Sharks, and Avalanche, and struggled on both ends in all three games.

That being said, it wasn’t all bad individually for many prospects. Here are four that stood out positively for me.

Layton Ahac

Ahac did his best Alex Martinez impression in the two games he played this weekend, blocking shots, dominating on the penalty kill, and being one of the most consistent defensemen on the roster in making the first pass in the defensive zone. In a pair of games where the Golden Knights were consistently under pressure, he looked calm in his own end and his decision-making stood out among a group that had a hard time breaking the puck out. He’ll still need to show a lot at the AHL level to get a shot in the NHL, but he’s trending in a positive direction.

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What I’m Looking For From The Golden Knights At The 2023 Rookie Faceoff

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On September 15, 2023

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

For the first time since Vegas hoisted the Stanley Cup on June 13, Golden Knights players will step on the ice to play a hockey game against players from another team.

Yeah, that’s a stretch, but hey, real hockey is so close, just let me get away with this one.

Tonight is the first of three games for the Golden Knights at this year’s Rookie Faceoff taking place in Vegas and Henderson. VGK’s rookies will take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight and the San Jose Sharks tomorrow at the Dollar Loan Center, and the Colorado Avalanche on Monday at City National Arena.

Vegas’ roster includes 17 draft picks including 1st rounder Brendan Brisson and 2nd round picks Matyas Sapovaliv and Daniil Chayka. Here’s what I’m hoping to see from the team this weekend.

Time for the Jakubs to really make a name for themselves

In the 2021 Draft the Golden Knights used back to back selections in the 4th round on players with the first name Jakub. The first Jakub picked was Jakub Brabenec from Czechia. He showed out well in his first few camps with the Golden Knights but was a bit underwhelming in Development Camp this summer. The other Jakub, Jakub Demek has not had a ton of time on the ice in Las Vegas. He has missed several camps with injury including this summer’s Dev Camp. However, when he has been on the ice either in the WHL or for Team Slovakia, he’s been excellent. The powerful forward should finally get a real chance to assert himself in a VGK jersey and it could catapult him up the prospect list. A point-per-game is the minimum expectation for both Jakubs in these three games.

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Four Golden Knights To Play In World Junior Championships This Month

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On August 2, 2022

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas)

Eight months ago the first few games of the 2022 edition of the World Junior Championships were played. However, due to a rash of positive COVID tests, multiple teams were forced to forfeit. It became clear fairly quickly that the sanctity of the tournament was jeopardized by the forfeitures, so the IIHF quickly moved to postpone the tournament to a later date.

Because the event has an age limit on it, there weren’t a lot of options on when the hockey’s international governing body could reschedule the tournament. So, we find ourselves here in August preparing for a tournament that typically kicks off the day after Christmas.

All games that were played in December have been wiped from the record books and Russia has been banned from the tournament due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. That leaves the tournament with 10 participating nations, with all games to be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton, from August 9th to the 20th.

Lukas Cormier (Canada), Matyas Sapovaliv (Czechia), Jakub Demek (Slovakia), and Carl Lindbom (Sweden) are the four Golden Knights who will participate in this summer’s event.

Cormier, the smooth-skating offensive-minded defenseman, will likely play a key role for a Canadian team with eight drafted defensemen including #1 overall pick in 2021, Owen Power. Cormier’s prowess on the power play should see him getting significant special teams time. The biggest question mark will be where he lands on the depth chart at even-strength. Is he a top-four guy or does he play a sheltered role on the third pair?

Sapovaliv came into camp with a cloud above his skating. It was clear on the ice that he’s not the fastest player, but overall the skating did not slow him down in the scrimmages. His forechecking was elite for the group on the ice and he made a lot more plays than the scouting reports suggested he would. He’ll probably be used in a defensive role in this tournament, likely playing 3rd or 4th line minutes with penalty killing duties.

Demek did not attend Dev Camp which was likely to make sure he was fully healthy for this tournament. He’s one of just seven drafted players on the Slovakian team, including Juraj Slafkovsky, this year’s #1 overall pick. Hopefully, Demek gets a chance to play with Slafkovsky either on a line or on the power play. If he does, it should give a bit more of a glimpse into where he is compared to a player who is probably going to make his NHL debut in October.

Lindbom was solid in the goal during Camp, which was an improvement over his performance in the rookie games in Phoenix. There are three goalies on Team Sweden, both of which were selected much earlier in the Draft than Lindbom. Jesper Wallstedt was picked 20th overall in 2021 while Calle Clang went 77th in 2020. If Lindbom plays over these two, it will be a strong statement. If he doesn’t, while disappointing, not much should be made of it at this point.

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2021 Golden Knights Draft Picks: Who Are These Guys?

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On July 24, 2021

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

After selecting Zach Dean with the 30th overall pick in the 1st round, the Golden Knights entered Day 2 with five picks. Here’s a quick rundown of what we know about each player selected by the Golden Knights in the 2021 NHL Draft.

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