Player Profile : Martin Hanzal
By Ray Calder HockeyObserver.com
Today we look at Coyotes center Martin Hanzal ;
Background :
Hanzal was selected by the Coyotes in the first round (17th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft .After coming over from the Czech Republic in 05/06, he appeared in 19 games in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers producing exactly a point a game (4 goals, 15 assists) .
In 2006/07 he spent his only season in the Western Hockey League at age 19 for most of the year, contributing 85 points (26G, 59 A) in 60 contests . He made his NHL debut while still 20 years old, and got in 72 contests as a rookie notching 35 points (8 goals , 27 assists) with the Coyotes .
Scouting Report :
Hanzal is an intriguing package of skills . At 6'5 and 210 pounds and not set to turn 22 years of age until Feb 20 of this year , he still has the frame to add some weight and strength to further his prospects . When he arrived in North America his skating was a bit of an issue, but he has worked diligently to improve it. He already has pretty developed two way skills and some of that credit goes to Brent Sutter, who he played under for a year at Red Deer (WHL) . Hanzal has enough on ice sense at both ends that he will contribute as a penalty killer early in his career, and the coaches will give him more responsibility as he gains experience .
Offensively Hanzal is not afraid of going into the high traffic areas , and is adept playing in tight around the net . He's already very comfortable carrying the puck and displays some shiftiness for a player his size . He's probably going to be more of a playmaker than a finisher as maybe the most underrated part of his game are his passing skills and poise with the puck .
His 2008/09 season month by month :
|
Month |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
PPG |
|
October |
8 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
.38 |
|
November |
15 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
.60 |
|
December |
15 |
7 |
1 |
8 |
.53 |
* Ater a bit of a slow start, he's come on in November and December . It's worth noting that he did have some back trouble late last season and underwent a procedure this summer to fix a herniated disc . I have no idea if he was a little slow out of the gate (preseason and early season 08/09) due to being a little rusty conditioning wise . Thus far in the 08/09 season his longest point scoring streak is 3 games (Nov.8-12) . He had a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 4th . As of January 3rd he's also had 4 multi- point games this season .
Outlook :Hanzal is already a nicely developed NHL player at an age where a lot of kids are still trying to find their way either in the American Hockey League, or spending some time in the pressbox of their NHL club . I believe he's got the kind of ability to one day score 25-30 goals and 70-75 points . He'll get plenty of time to develop under Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky and he's in an ideal situation with so many talented young teammates to play alongside . For fantasy , he's a fine talent now , and there is plenty of upside yet to come .