The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting department released their final rankings on Thursday ahead of the 2022 Entry Draft in July and it’s no surprise that Simon Nemec was the top-ranked defenceman.
Simon Nemec is an 18-year-old blueline from Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia who played the 2021-22 season with HK Nitra in the Slovak Extraliga. He plays a strong two-way game and moves the puck extremely well.
Nemec took his game to a new level this season and it showed. In 39 games in the regular season, he put up 26 points (one goal, 25 assists), while in nineteen playoff games, Nemec tallied 17 points (five goals, twelve assists).
He was named to Slovakia’s 2022 Winter Olympic roster, being one of three teenagers on the team, joining Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Samuel Knazko and fellow top prospect Juraj Slafkovsky. Understandably because of his age, Nemec didn’t see much ice time during the Olympics, but put up one assist and two penalty minutes in seven games as Slovakia won their first-ever medal at the Winter Games.
Much like Slafkovsky, Nemec has had a busy sixteen months or so on the International stage. He represented Slovakia at the 2021 World Juniors in December 2020/January 2021. Then four months later, as 17-year-old, he played at the 2021 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Latvia, recording one assist in five games.
Nemec then represented his country once again, in August 2021, helping Slovakia qualify for the 2022 Olympics. Flash forward to February 2022 where he laced them up at the Olympics in Beijing (China) as mentioned.
He recently suited up at the 2022 IIHF U-18 World Championship Division 1A, where he had two assists in one game as Slovakia gained promotion to the top division.
Starting on May 13th, Nemec will do the blue, white, and red again, for his second IIHF World Hockey Championship. It’s not often that someone plays at a big international tournament once, let alone twice, before they’re drafted into the NHL. It just shows how much faith Hockey Slovakia has in Nemec on their blue line.
As mentioned, Nemec is a strong two-way, puck moving defenceman. He also has good vision and is a solid skater. His zone exits and outlet passes are two strong attributes in his game. Nemec has proven that he can play at a high-level (Slovak Extraliga, Olympics, World Championship) and in my opinion, could be ready for NHL action as early as next season. Not really any weaknesses to report on.
To conclude my report on Simon Nemec, I’m going to provide you with list of different aspects of his game and rate them on a scale from N/A or limited viewing to 10. I will be using the NHL Central Scouting checklist as a guide. The rating scale as follows:
N/A, LV: Not Available, Limited Viewing; 1-2: Poor; 3-4: Average; 5-6: Good, 7-8: Very Good; 9-10: Excellent.
Skating: Acceleration (7), Speed (6), Balance (7), Mobility (6), Backwards skating (6).
Puck Skills: Shot accuracy (5), Shot strength (6), Shot release (6), Possesses multiple shot types (5), Puck protection (7), Face offs (N/A), Giving a pass (8), Receiving a pass (7), Scoring touch (5).
Competitiveness: Scoring drive (6), Work ethic (7), Attitude (7), Consistency (Rated 1 out of 5: 3), Forechecking (5).
Physical Play: Board & Corner play (7), Physical presence (6), Conditioning (8), Hitting (7), Fighting (N/A).
Hockey Sense: Playmaking (8), Anticipation (7), Discipline (6), Decision making (7), Play under pressure (8), Versatility (7).
Defensive Play: Defensive anticipation (8), Positioning (8), Backchecking (7), Defensive reliability (8).
Psychological Factors: Leadership (6), Communication (7), Confidence (7).
NHL Comparable: Roman Josi (both play a similar style of game).
NHL ETA: 2022-23.
Potential: Top pairing defenceman at the NHL level.
Draft Projection: Fourth overall.
Simon Nemec. Born: February 15th, 2004 (18 years old). Position: Defence. Height: 6’1″. Weight: 192lbs. Shoots: Right.
2021-22 statistics
HK Nitra (Slovak Extraliga). GP: 39. G: 1. A: 25. PTS: 26. Penalty Minutes: 20. Plus/Minus: +13.
HK Nitra (Slovak Extraliga) Playoffs. GP: 19. G: 5. A: 12. Penalty Minutes: 14. Plus/Minus: +2.
Slovakia (Olympics). GP: 7. G: 0. A: 1. PTS: 1. Penalty Minutes: 2. Plus/Minus: -2.
Awards
International: 2022 Winter Olympic Bronze Medalist.
Statistics from: https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/589605/simon-nemec