Boston Bruins Prospect: Closer Look at Daniel Vladar
With the 75th overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, the Boston Bruins selected goaltender Daniel Vladar. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound goaltender was ranked 47th on Bob McKenzie’s final rankings among prospects entering the draft.
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button scouted Vladar fairly. In Button’s scouting report, Vladar received a 4/5 in mobility, glove work, and overall compete level. He was granted a 2/5 in smarts and a 3/5 in positioning, as well.
Vladar will have a tall task in front of him when transferring his games to the Bruins’ organization. There is a long line of hot goaltender’s in Boston’s system, including Zane McIntrye. But Vladar certainly has upside. He may never wind up playing with the Bruins, but he could be utilized in a deal down the road with another team.
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There is no doubt Vladar possesses great skill in net. He moves crisply from post to post and makes the timely saves that lead to W’s. Vladar’s low net coverage is solid, and plays the position closely. Vladar’s greatest advantages as a goaltender are twofold: his skill and size.
Vladar tends to transfer his skates out of possession in tight situations, an area he must work on while he remains in the United States Hockey League in 2015-16.
The goaltender invested most of his playing time in 2014-15 season with the Kladno’s junior team where he posted a 2.78 goals-against average alongside a .925 save percentage in 29 appearances.
The 18-year-old has experience on the national level. He played for his native country of the Czech Republic during the 2015 World Junior Championship, 2015 Under-18 World Championship and the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Entering next season, Vladar is paced to join the Chicago Steel of the USHL. There, he’ll gain more experience as a starter while also investing more time into his overall game. There are holes in the goaltender’s game, understandably for a prospect of his age. Yet Vladar is a third round pick, and looks to ensure his game reaches the level it was projected to be from scouts close to the draft.
Overall, Vladar is a wildcard in his current state with the Bruins. He’ll likely revert to the AHL after his tenure in the USHL, and from there on, it’s rather ambiguous. Vladar’s greatest value may surface via trade. Teams are in demand of young talent at Vladar’s position. He could always be thrown into the mix of a deal at some point in his young career with the organization.
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