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Dallas Stars Draft Profile: HC Kometa Brno Forward Martin Nečas

By Tom Dorsa

Sep 29, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Texas state logo painted into the red center line of the ice before the game between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Texas state logo painted into the red center line of the ice before the game between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Up until the NHL Draft on June 23rd, the team at Blackout Dallas will be rolling out previews of the potential Dallas Stars selections. Today, we look at Martin Necas.

Name: Martin Nečas

Position: Center

Shoots: Right-handed

Hometown: Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic

Birthdate: January 15th, 1999

Size: 6-foot-0, 168 lbs

Team: HC Kometa Brno (Czech Extraliga)

Stats: seven goals, eight assists, 15 points in 41 games.

NHL Ceiling: Middle-six speedy center

When you think of the Dallas Stars, you think up-tempo, fast-paced, back-and-forth hockey that puts forth no relent. Skilled talents like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn along with the rest of the Stars push the pace of the game  unlike any team the league watches over today.

One man that exemplifies the ability to skate his legs off, as such is the norm in the American Airlines Center, is Czech forward Martin Nečas. As one of the top five pure skaters in the Draft, according to Central Scouting, Nečas provides a variety of skills and upsides for the Stars and other National Hockey League teams to evaluate.

Martin Nečas is an extremely fast, playmaking centerman whose overall Draft ranking by TSN’s Craig Button jumped up as high as third in March. The work-ethic Nečas supplies his team is what allows him to make smart, confident plays with his explosive skating and smooth stick-handling.

Scouts at this year’s Draft are impressed by Nečas’ mental capacity. European forwards, though at no fault of their own, can sometimes fall under a classification of players that fall down a Draft board due to concerns over their commitment level far away from home – but everything I’ve researched regarding Nečas points the other way.

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Nečas played a prominent role against bigger, more experienced players in the Czech Extraliga despite his small frame that just barely measures at six feet. His HC Kometa Brno captured the Extraliga title with Nečas impressively chipping in four goals in the three-game final.

Which comes as no surprise, because before Martin Nečas jumped onto the scene in the Czech Extraliga, the most prestigious and highest-level hockey league in the Czech Republic, the European hockey world was set ablaze by the kid. When the speedy centerman suited up for the second-tier Czech Ice Hockey League club SKLH Žďár nad Sázavou in 2013-14 Nečas could not have impressed more, netting 58 points (29 goals, 29 assists) in just 36 games at 14 years of age.

"“He’s fast, has great balance and has confidence in his ability to score and create opportunities.”– Mike Morreale of NHL.com"

The next season for the same club, the aforementioned SKLH Žďár nad Sázavou, Nečas saw just 25 games of action and contributed a whopping 24 goals and 47 assists. The points per game total for Nečas with SKLH Žďár nad Sázavou reached 2.11 (129 total points in 61 games over two seasons).

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With Nečas on your squad, you know you’re getting speed, scoring touch, playmaking, leadership, two-way reliability, et cetera. The only question mark is his size: Nečas measures up at just 6-feet tall and possesses a lanky, lean body of 168 lbs. This, and his skill, is what has garnered comparisons to Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux.

Nečas simply would not be able to contend in the NHL with the size – or lack thereof, frankly – he plays with now, as the North American game is much more about physicality than speed. Adjusting to the smaller rink sizes in the North America has proved to be tremendously challenging for players of his physical stature, and while Nečas is extraordinarily skilled, he wouldn’t be any different in that regard.

Nečas will need to put on at least 20 pounds of muscle to excel the way he can in the NHL. Not as though small, lanky players can’t shine in pro hockey, as we’ve seen Johnny Gaudreau and Mats Zuccarello play remarkable NHL-level hockey, but with a Draft stock so high, Nečas cannot afford to disappoint.

Next: Gabriel Vilardi Could Be Stars' Ideal Pick At #3

Nečas could be a sneakily great pick from the Dallas Stars at #3 overall. While there are many other great talents in this Draft that are ranked higher than Nečas is, and are more likely to be selected by the Stars, Nečas deserves some appreciation.

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