Svozil's excellent season ended with NHL debut

For one minute and 44 seconds, Stanislav Svozil and his Blue Jackets teammates had one of the best players of all time running around in his own zone.

It was the NHL debut for the young Blue Jackets defenseman, and his offensive abilities and poise on the puck were on full display. During that 1:44 span against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 13, Svozil was anywhere and everywhere as the Blue Jackets racked up seven shot attempts. He:

Add in the fact that Svozil had an assist on a late game-tying goal and it was quite a debut for the 20-year-old Czechia native.

"That is what I like, being in the offensive zone and making plays, making passes, having a couple of shots," Svozil said.

He also admitted to looking over to the Pittsburgh side pregame and had wide eyes when he saw the lines of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But to be honest, it was a deserving end to a memorable season in which Svozil earned a silver medal as captain of Team Czechia at the World Juniors, had one of the most productive seasons for a WHL defensemen in recent years and then made his NHL debut.

It was a reality he couldn't have imagined at the beginning of the season, Svozil acknowledged when asked what he would have said if someone had foretold what would happen six months prior.

"I wouldn't believe you," he said. "That's amazing. I think the season was pretty good, and I'm happy to be here right now."

At the same time, it's not like this came out of the blue, as Svozil was a highly thought-of prospect throughout coming up in Prerov, a city of just over 40,000 people in eastern Czechia. Svozil made his debut with Kometa Brno in the Czech senior league at age 16 and spent two years there, with some scouts thinking of him as a potential first-round talent before he was chosen early in the third round by the Blue Jackets in the 2021 draft.

He then made the jump to Canadian juniors, suiting up with Regina of the WHL and posting 10 goals and 41 points in 59 games last year. Along the way, he impressed with Czech junior national teams, making his debut at the World Juniors in 2021 at age 17, and at Blue Jackets development camps.

So perhaps this year's impressive showing is what one should have expected, as Svozil was dominant with Regina, notching an 11-67-78 line in 56 games and adding four goals and 13 points in seven playoff games. His scoring total was third in the WHL among defensemen this year and 12th best since 2001, and he placed second in the league with 36 power-play assists.

Add in a memorable performance with Czechia at the World Juniors, where he had a 1-7-8 line in seven games while helping push Team Canada to overtime of the gold medal game, and Svozil has impressed wherever he's been this year.

"This is a real interesting player," CBJ director of player development Rick Nash said on a recent episode of the Pipeline Podcast. "His hockey sense I believe is at an NHL level. Derek Dorsett has obviously done a bunch of work with him in Regina and worked with his coaches there, and really what I feel is he's brought his game to the next level. This year in particular he's been a different type of player on the puck, a lot more confident, a lot more believing in himself to make those plays.

Video: Stanislav Svozil highlight from NHL debut · Video: Stanislav Svozil highlight from NHL debut

"It's not only the offensive side of the puck. Stan has also become a pretty good defender. One thing for our fans to watch is his timing on stepping up and making some pretty big hits. I think as Stan becomes more comfortable in his body, he gets stronger, I think that aspect of his game is something that's underrated, but something we take a lot of pride in."

For Svozil, the improvement might have simply come down to experience.

"I was talking about it with my coaches in Regina," he said. "I said last year was like a warmup for me, a warmup year. This year it was like I improved everything. I'm really happy, and I think it was a good season for me."

At the end of it all, his childhood dream came true and he made his debut in the NHL. Next year, he'll likely report to Cleveland of the AHL to begin his full-time North American professional career, and if he continues his track, Svozil is likely to be a key contributor for the Blue Jackets down the line.

"For me, he held his own," Nash said of Svozil's two-game NHL debut. "It's tough to come in and play against NHL guys and guys that have been in the league for a long time, but I thought Stan did great. I thought his hockey sense stood out even at the NHL level, even in past exhibition games and Traverse City. I think as long as he gets stronger, faster, a little quicker, I think he's going to be an NHL defenseman."