2011 Draft Prospect- Victor Rask, C, 6’1, 195, Leksand
Entry posted by chickenman92
445 views
Victor Rask, C, 6’1, 195, Leksand,
35 Games, 5 Goals, 6 Assists, 11 Points, 8 pim
Currently playing in the Allsvenskan with Leksand
By Ian Esplen
Victor Rask is having a yo-yo season. A player that was top 10 on most draft list when the season started, dropped to middle of the second round, and is now clawing his way back into the first round. Rask as everything you would look for in an NHL centre. He’s big, fast, smart, and skilled. For some reason, he had a slow start to the season, and looked like a shadow of the player he was last year.
Rask grew up in the small Swedish town of Leksand (5,100 people). He learnt the game of hockey in Leksand, and moved up through the ranks fast. It was not unusual for him to play against older kids and hold his own with them. He was playing in J-18 games as young as 15 (almost 16). Despite being one of the younger players in the league he would score 15 points in 26 games.
The next season, he would move up and play most of the year for Lesand’s J-20 team. Again being fairly young for that level of hockey, he would succeed, scoring 41 points in 39 games, against mostly older players. His strong play at the J-20 level, earned him a promotion to the men’s team where he would suit up for 8 games in the Allsvenskan. Even thought he didn’t score, Rask played very solid against men.
This season Rask started out slow, having a disappointing Ivan Hlinka tournament, and playing on Lesand’s forth line. The struggles served as a wake call for Rask, who realized he had to step it up if he wanted more ice time. The last two months Rask has responded to all the criticism by stepping up his game. He now play’s regularly on Lesand’s team, and gets ice time on Leksand’s second power play unit. Even with his ups and downs, this season, Rask has played a solid game in all three zones and learned from his mistakes. He has scored 11 points in 35 games and is up to fifth in league scoring for junior players.
Rask has also played for Sweden internationally the past few seasons. He would get his first taste playing at the U-16 level. There he would play solid again, but in a minimal role for Sweden, scoring 5 points in 11 games. His next tournament putting on the Tre Kronor, he would play a bigger roll. Playing against player his own age, Rask, would score 8 points in 6 games, and help Sweden to a bronze medal. Next he would play for Sweden again at the U-18 World championships. There, despite being a year younger then most of the players, he would score 5 points in 6 games, helping Sweden win the silver medal.
Matias Strozyk has this to say about Rask “He’s a forward with excellent puck handling and a very good finisher, who protects the puck well. He has a lot of strength and moves well. Rask is a very creative player with good work ethic” (Eliteprospects).
This report on Rask is from Bruins Draft Watch, “ A Superb passer and playmaker has the size, skating and creativity to be a point’s machine in the NHL someday. Plays with some jam and goes hard to the net; more of a setup man than a finisher, but has a hard, heavy shot and isn't afraid to let it rip. Rask is an excellent stickhandler who can take the puck into traffic and come out with it. He thinks the offensive side of the game real well and has that instinctiveness you want in a top-six centerman. …"I like Rask a lot," an NHL scout said. "He's got very quick hands and the ability to set up plays because he's creative and knows how to find his teammates ” (BDW).
Victor Rask should develop into a very good NHL player one day. All he needs to do is play more consistent. His assets are his size, skating, on ice intelligence, and skill. He is also a very strong faceoff man. His flaws are his inconsistent play and his first few strides when skating. One thing that does bowed well for Rask is he seems to play his best hockey in the spring. So, he has the makings of being a clutch playoff performer, one day. If Rask can play more consistent, he should be able to be a number two centre in the NHL, or a 1A option for some teams.
NHL Comparison- Mikko Koivu
Works Cited
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=15747〈=en
http://bruins2011draftwatch.blogspot.com/2010/09/b2011dws-official-european-2010-11.html
1 Comment
Recommended Comments
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now