Utah Mammoth fans who followed prospects closely this year were thrilled to see Max Pšenička available when Utah was on the clock in the second round — and it sounds like the Mammoth’s scouts felt the same way.
Pšenička is a 6-foot-5, right-shot, two-way defenseman who always has a smile on his face. Can you see why teams would like him?
Mammoth director of amateur scouting Ryan Jankowski explained that Pšenička was popular among a number of Utah’s scouts because of his unique playing situation last season.
“He tickled a couple different areas because he actually started the year in the Czech Republic and then came back and finished his year in Portland,” he said. “When our scout in the Czech Republic and our scouts in the West both like him, now it actually creates a little more excitement around the staff when you pick that player.”
Max Pšenička’s strengths and weaknesses
Pšenička is not the play driver that you’d want a number-one defenseman to be, but he is apt enough in that department to probably play middle-pairing minutes. He’s decently physical, and once he adds a bit more weight (listed at just 185 pounds on the development camp roster), he has the potential to be a menace in front of the net and in the corners.
The biggest thing he needs to work on is his decision-making with the puck when there’s pressure from a forechecker. He has a tendency to simply get rid of the puck in those situations, rather than making the best play — and it hurt his team in the playoffs last year.
He said one focus of his for the upcoming season is the offensive side of the game.
“My last season was pretty much (only) defensive when I was in Plzen, back in Czech, and when I came to Portland,” he said. “That was kind of my role, but in previous seasons, I was more of a two-way (defenseman): jump into plays, more offensive — primarily offensive. Right now, I’m trying to pick it back (up) and just put more into the offensive."
Pšenička’s NHL ceiling is probably a Nikita Zadorov/Michael Kesselring/Erik Černák type: a big, physical defenseman who contributes at both ends of the ice. Again, he’s unlikely to be a top-pairing player, but you don’t win the Stanley Cup without solid depth on the back end, and that’s what he could potentially provide.
How to pronounce ‘Max Pšenička’
The Czech pronunciation of Pšenička is different than most native English speakers would probably assume. Here’s how he says it: