Splitting his time in 2019-20 between the Czech Extraliga and the OHL, Jan Mysak is a 6’0”, 180 lbs center with a well rounded game. He played well, though not spectacularly, in the Extraliga against men before coming to Hamilton where he was above a point-per-game. Coming from a situation where he played in a professional league, Mysak’s game has been moulded by it, and his style is that of a highly competitive, two-way center with intangibles that scouts will love. There are still questions about his game, however, in regards to his skill projection and offensive potential.
BSH 2020 Community Draft Board, No. 15: Jan Mysak
2019-20 Season:
Team: Litvinov (Extraliga), Hamilton (OHL)
Statistics: 5g, 4a in 26 games (Extraliga), 15g, 10a in 22 games (OHL)
Pre-Draft Rankings
No. 28 (NA skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 16 by Future Considerations
No. 25 by ISS Hockey
No. 12 by Wheeler/The Athletic
What’s there to like?
Mysak’s best trait is his defensive awareness at center. He may not have had the best offensive season in the Extraliga, but from watching his highlights, I could see that positionally and checking wise, he could easily handle his minutes. He’s a candidate and a half for “future elite NHL penalty killer” and the fact he’s shown such astute defensive awareness in a men’s league is promising.
Offensively, Mysak plays a very north-south style and can effectively put up points. He isn’t likely every going to be a point machine, but he could be useful as a secondary scorer. He can play the role of playmaker from center, as he has decent enough hands to make difficult plays and even more so to score goals. The highlight below comes from the Extraliga, and you can see how that translated into his successful OHL campaign.
Jan Mysak scores on a backhander from the slot. It’s his third goal of the season. #2020NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/TjHYFXMSeA
— Czech Prospects (@CZprospects) October 20, 2019
What’s not to like?
Like I mentioned, Mysak is skilled but he isn’t skilled enough to be a top line or potentially even second line center. If he is going to play in the top six, he’d likely be transitioned to wing, though with his defensive skills already developed, NHL clubs may like him as a third line shutdown center.
Mysak is also not the cleanest skater in the world. Mysak is fast and I think has potential to be a fast player at the NHL level, but his stride needs to be altered to help him reach that potential.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
Mysak differs from other centers in the Flyers prospect pool in that he isn’t an offense-first, high skill playmaker. That moniker would stick well on Morgan Frost, and even with Nolan Patrick (though he’s not really a prospect anymore and is more a goalscorer). Mysak is a proper two-way center more in the vein of what Scott Laughton is today, and that makes him a good fit organizationally, though in my opinion the far greater need is for goal scorers.
Ultimately, I think Mysak’s offensive potential is far greater than Laughton’s however, and if Mysak fulfills his potential, he looks to be a 55-65 points a season center.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Mysak is ranked as high as 12th but as low as 34th depending on who you read, so this is a very difficult question to answer definitely. Ultimately, I think Mysak would still be there for the Flyers to take if they so desired. The majority of draft boards have Mysak hovering around the mid to late 20’s which is right in the Flyers’ territory.
In the end, should they pick Mysak? I wouldn’t be unhappy with the choice, but in my opinion there are more skilled players and better fits for the team’s future. That being said, I am a big fan of players who show early success in men’s leagues, particularly in Europe, so that aspect to Mysak is a plus for me.
2020 BSH Community Draft Board
- Alexis Lafreniere — LW, Rimouski (QMJHL)
- Quinton Byfield — C, Sudbury (OHL)
- Marco Rossi — C, Ottawa (OHL)
- Tim Stützle — LW/C, Manheim (DEL)
- Cole Perfetti — LW/C, Saginaw (OHL)
- Lucas Raymond — RW, Frölunda (SHL)
- Jamie Drysdale — D, Erie (OHL)
- Alexander Holtz — LW/RW, Djurgardens (SHL)
- Yaroslav Askarov — G, SKA (KHL)
- Anton Lundell — C, HIFK (Liiga)
- Connor Zary — C, Kamloops (WHL)
- Seth Jarvis — RW/C, Portland (WHL)
- Jake Sanderson — D, USNTDP (USHL)
- Noel Gunler — RW/LW, Lulea (SHL)
- Jan Mysak — C, Hamilton (OHL)
