Matyas Sapovaliv

With Saginaw the coaching staff was patient with the Czech centre’s transition to the North American game slotting him on the second power play and either the 3rd or 2nd line centre positions. Has three really quick strides, with excellent edging and sees the ice well. Has really nice hands and gets the shot off quickly. Plays with a long stick that aids in keeping the puck away from defenders. He can beat defenders one on one on the rush with outside speed or by walking them down through a variety of moves. He is a low pace decision maker at times and that lowers his marks as a guy with enough hockey sense. Is it that he still learning the system? So at tis juncture you can call him a shoot first centre who needs work on his distribution skills. He has soft hands and can feather passes on both sides of his blade through traffic. The bigger issue is seeing those opportunities. And he has to prove that he is more than an offensive zone scorer, and build intensity and determination on the full sheet, without floating.

—Bill Płaczek—