Steve Yzerman and Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper described Jan Bednar in the exact same words after selecting him in the fourth round of last week's draft: "big Czech goaltender." Yzerman added 'tall' for good measure.
Simple makes sense. When you see him in net, Bednar's 6'4 frame is the first thing that jumps out. That makes him the same height as 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner (and Michigan native!) Connor Hellebuyck, who just so happens to be Bednar's favorite NHL goalie.
Here's another thing they have in common: they were drafted outside the top 100. The difference is that, in Bednar's case, this felt like a surprise. He was ranked No. 2 among European goalies by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the draft, behind only 11th overall pick Yaroslav Askarov. Hellebuyck wasn't ranked at all among North American goalies in 2012.
But then, when has draft stock ever mattered for goaltenders? The average draft position of the NHL's top 10 netminders last season in save percentage was about 94th overall -- 10 picks before Bednar was drafted by the Wings. That doesn't even account for the fact that two of them -- Colorado's Pavel Francouz and Arizona's Antti Raanta -- were undrafted altogether. The leader was Anton Khudobin of the Stars, who went 206th overall in 2004.
How about this? There was one first-round pick among last season's 10 best goalies, two among the top 20 and four among the top 30. The four undrafted netminders in the top 30 had a better combined save percentage (.922) than the four first-rounders (.919). This is a long-winded way of echoing a familiar refrain: goaltending is voodoo.
But if we're trying to make some sense of it, you can generally rely on size and athleticism. Here's how EliteProspects.com describes Bednar's game: "His athleticism and raw toolkit are among the best in the class. He'll post high-flying, free-wheeling saves with windmilled gloves and lunging splits that will wow the crowd and get the job done."
That sounds fun. It also sounds a bit like the great Dominik Hasek, whose highlights were some of Bednar's favorite to watch growing up. (Bednar said he's also seen a documentary of the Wings' 2002 Cup-winning team, featuring Hasek in goal. "So I like them," he said.) But Bednar prefers less flair in his own game, which is probably the right choice for a goalie of his size.
"I think I’m a really calm goalie," he said on a Zoom call with local media Thursday, his first-ever interview in English. "I like puckhandling, (making) plays with the puck. I’m a big goalie and I like big goalies and yeah, I think I’m a little athletic, but it’s not the most important thing for me. I need speed. And I just think I’m so calm in the net."
To that end, Bednar said he spent most of this summer working on his 'speed and agility.' Rebound control and active hands were two more points of focus. He played the past two seasons in the top professional league in the Czech Republic, making his first appearance at the age of 16. "It was great experience," he said.
Bednar will spend the coming season with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of Quebec Major Junior, after the club selected him second overall in this year's CHL draft. He told reporters in July it will be a "good step" toward the NHL: "small rink, more shots, and many hard situations for goalies."
There's a lot to like about Bednar, and just as much room for Bednar to grow. He turned 18 in August and remains a long way from Detroit. He's the youngest of a trio of goalies in the pipeline with big size and big(ish?) upside, after 21-year-old Keith Petruzzelli and 23-year-old Victor Brattstrom. They comprise the giant question mark in the crease for the Red Wings' future.
There were 20 goalies taken in this year's draft. Bednar was the 10th off the board. Yzerman took his swing at probably the most sensible time, where the risk is relatively low and the hit-rate is relatively -- relatively!! -- high. Of those top 30 goalies last season, 17 were drafted in rounds two through four. And that's where half the goalies were drafted this year.
A few of them will make it to the NHL, a couple might be stars. With his size and poise, Bednar and the Wings can wait for the game to come to him.