Over the course of the next few weeks leading up to the draft, I’ll be profiling several 2018 NHL draft prospects who have a chance to be taken 4th overall by the Senators. Stay tuned for more profiles!
******** After first profiling defenseman Adam Boqvist, I’ll now take a look at Halifax Mooseheads left-winger Filip Zadina:
Birthday: November 27th, 1999 POB: Pardubice, Czech Republic Position: Left Wing Shoots: Left Height: 6’1… Weight: 192 lbs Team: Halifax Mooseheads Stats: 57 GP, 44 G, 38 A Draft rankings: 3rd (Hockeyprospect.com), 3rd (Future Considerations), 3rd (ISS Hockey), 3rd (McKeen’s Hockey), 3rd (Bob McKenzie)
As you can see by the listed rankings, Zadina is easily the consensus 3rd overall pick. For most of the year, Rasmus Dahlin has been ranked 1st, Andrei Svechnikov 2nd, and Zadina 3rd. Despite that, it isn’t a guarantee that Zadina gets picked by either Carolina or Montreal. In fact on Tuesday, Zadina made things much more interesting by implying that the Canadiens weren’t going to take him:
Interesting comment from Filip Zadina pertaining to #Habs in @Michael_Traikos story: "Montreal, I know very well. I've been to the city many times and they're fans are awesome. But I think they're looking for a centre or a D."
— Murray Pam (@Pammerhockey) June 5, 2018
Ever since the draft lottery, people have been theorizing that Montreal might go off the board, and that might come to fruition if they take someone like Oliver Wahlstrom, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Adam Boqvist, or Quinn Hughes. If that’s the case, then Zadina would fall right into the Senators lap, which would be incredible because it would be the equivalent of winning a top-3 pick without actually winning the lottery.
I wouldn’t necessarily count on him being available at three, but after Zadina’s comments on Tuesday, I’ve become much more hopeful. Plus, I’m already starting to get attached to him:
Let’s move onto his actual results though. As a late 1999 birthday, he came over to the Halifax Mooseheads and put up 82 points in 57 games, and was 5th in points per game in the QMJHL, one spot behind Senators prospect Drake Batherson. Zadina’s first season in North America can definitely be described as a huge success, as he solidified his spot as a top-3 prospect in the draft.
Prior to this year, he played for his hometown HC Dynamo Pardubice, although on the men’s roster he scored just two points in 27 games with minimal playing time. Just like with Swedish prospects playing in the SHL, that lack of production is to be expected though, and while he played for the U16, U18, and U20 HC Pardubice teams, he dominated. Furthermore, at this past World Junior Championships, he showcased his ability by scoring seven goals and adding an assist in seven games.
In terms of offensive production, Zadina’s point totals don’t compare quite as well to some recent 3rd overall picks such as Pierre-Luc Dubois, Dylan Strome, Jonathan Drouin, or Jonathan Huberdeau, but he’s still an exciting blue-chip prospect nonetheless. In fact, despite that difference in points, I found it interesting that Matt Duchene actually had three fewer points in his draft season in the same amount of games played. So it’s not as if he had an unimpressive season.
Furthermore, scouts love his game. Back in January,Corey Pronman of The Athletic sang his praises by pointing out his incredible offensive ability:
“On a tools level, he’s one of the most dynamic players in the draft. Zadina skates very well and has great, if not elite, hands; and that combination allows him to be quite elusive. He doesn’t try to go through everyone on a shift, though, and makes good decisions at a quick pace. He can create as a playmaker, but he’s more of a trigger man.Zadina loves to use his skill to create space, cut into the slot and wire chances on net. His off the puck play isn’t perfect, but I’ve seen him be a competent penalty killer and a shorthanded threat. He is a highly competitive player who gets high marks for his character. He’s the complete package offensively and a potential difference-maker on any given shift.…
Most people will want to pick apart his defensive game, but even if he’s just passable, then it’s worth going for that offensive upside. Mike Hoffman is quite a poor player in his own zone, but on the whole, he’s still an extremely effective winger, and Zadina has a chance to be better at both ends of the ice.
There was an interesting quote I saw from Cam Robinson of DobberProspects to further this discussion involving Hoffman too. He said this regarding Zadina:
“Uses his size and strength to create space and then delivers electric moves and finishing ability. He’s absolutely lethal from the circles down. A tireless worker who loves the big stage.…
Hoffman is one of the most dangerous snipers from above the circles, as almost every goal he scores is from incredibly far out. Zadina is obviously a left-winger so he probably would never be playing with Hoffman, but it would be pretty neat to have one of the best players at the top of the zone, as well as one of the best wingers at the bottom of the zone.
In terms of what he needs to work on, his speed isn’t top-notch, although he compensates by his ability to hold onto the puck and use his body to his advantage. In addition, it seems that he will have to continually work on his defensive positioning, but Halifax trusted him enough to put him on their penalty kill as he scored three short-handed goals.
Overall, he a chance to become a game-changing winger in the NHL, which is one of many needs for the Senators at this point. In reality, they need a player at every position. The fact that Zadina scored 44 goals in 57 games is incredibly enticing, and it would be fantastic to get another consistent goal scorer in the lineup.
I’m really hoping that Montreal passes on him...Can you imagine a lineup featuring Filip Chlapik, Filip Zadina and Filip Gustavsson?