since draft, there's been lots of banter on HFboards regarding rostislav olesz's offensive upside. i figured now that most posters have had a decent opportunity to assess his strengths and weaknesses, it's a good time to revisit the discussion.
the skinny...
olesz trails only patrice bergeron in tourney scoring. 10 points. His 7 goals currently puts olesz as the #1 goal scorer at the WJC's.
strengths...
shot - olesz has a pro-style release, and i don't think he's given enough credit for this. some goals scored were a little soft, but he's not afraid to put the puck at the net, and as his goal on glass today displayed, he's got accuracy when he needs it.
vision/passing - i've been impressed with RO's ability to find the open man. he's got a deft touch, and the ability to create space for his linemates
defensive responsibility - as advertised, RO can play both ends of the ice, and he is used in all sorts of situations.
weakenesses...
speed - i don't think RO has the quickest first step, and it seems to take him a few strides before he hits his top speed. still, he's got a bigger frame and that's not atypical for guys his size.
strength - RO seems to get knocked off the puck a little too easily at times. he definately needs some lower body strength to be able to use his frame to his advantage. he is still young, and this might be a matter of maturity. but you can definately see a blend of power/finesse emerging. still, i see it as a weakness at this point.
overall, i think the panthers have a more polished radek bonk on their hands. i see olesz topside as an elite 2nd line player, maybe capable of 60-70 pts in his prime.
His hockey IQ is his biggest asset. Of course he makes some stupid plays, but he is young. He will be great. Before the draft I said that he was the 3rd best player in the draft. Olesz will be a star in the NHL. IMO, his ceiling is 70-80 points, and a player that could win the Selke a few times.
His hockey IQ is his biggest asset. Of course he makes some stupid plays, but he is young. He will be great. Before the draft I said that he was the 3rd best player in the draft. Olesz will be a star in the NHL. IMO, his ceiling is 70-80 points, and a player that could win the Selke a few times.
Olesz is a very mature player so I don't think it's a conditioning issue in terms of his lower body strength. He works extremely hard and is one of the hardest workers of his draft class so I have a hard time imagining that he's not rock solid there. Obvioulsy he mustn't be but still, how is Olesz a dissappointment. He's put up points on the board and part of being a great player is being able to play 2 way hockey and put points on the board regardless of how you do it. Stats don't tell all, but they don't lie either and his stats and rock solid play in 3 games especially proves that although he still has stuff to work on, he could be a great player one day.
I see top end potential from him as a first line forward MAX upside 80 points. More realistically I see him being a solid 2 way second line forward, maybe first liner with 65 points. Max downside would be a 3rd line center however
His foot speed isn't that great and he's made more than a few questionable plays in this tournament.
Good player, but not as good as I was expecting.
What are you talking about?
Olesz foot speed is great. Look at him at top speed. You can barely see his feet move because they are too fast.
All in all, the last two games made me change my mind on Olesz. He's definitely got a good offensive potential and he's a sure-fire prospect because he doesn't have many weaknesses. He could be anything from a 4th to a 1st liner...
Olesz is a very mature player so I don't think it's a conditioning issue in terms of his lower body strength. He works extremely hard and is one of the hardest workers of his draft class so I have a hard time imagining that he's not rock solid there. Obvioulsy he mustn't be but still, how is Olesz a dissappointment. He's put up points on the board and part of being a great player is being able to play 2 way hockey and put points on the board regardless of how you do it. Stats don't tell all, but they don't lie either and his stats and rock solid play in 3 games especially proves that although he still has stuff to work on, he could be a great player one day.
I see top end potential from him as a first line forward MAX upside 80 points. More realistically I see him being a solid 2 way second line forward, maybe first liner with 65 points. Max downside would be a 3rd line center however
I think that he'll be a first liner. Maybe on the Panthers, due to their possible (In the future) offensive depth, he'll have to settle on being a second liner. But I like this kid alot. He should be a first liner in the future. I had him as the 3rd best player in the draft, which I said earlier.
How has Olesz been a dissapiontment? 10 points, 7 goals in what 6 games. Yeah thats terrible. Olesz should be on the all star team, no doubt. We really gotta a steal at #7. In think he has 70-80 ceiling. Olesz is a great all round player. I don't think he is injury prone or soft either. He has played in the czech mens league since he was 16. Now if he was soft he wouldn't have done that. This dude isn't soft.
He's a good skater. No Ovechkin or Lisin, but a good enough skater to be extremely effective playing his game.
Look at Steve Weiss, he and Olesz IMO are similar only Olesz is bigger, more physical and played against men in jrs. Weiss isn't an AMAIZING skater, but not bad and good enough to get the job done plus he has deceptive speed. Olesz is a good skater too.
