Matej Pekar

June—Loaned to the Thunderbirds this season, Pekar impressed many scouts with strong effort-intelligence combination. Nevertheless, as a smaller forward, Pekar’s box scores (17 goals, 32 points, 58 PIMs, -13 +/- through 64 games) may not be enough to convince NHL teams that he’s capable of handling the pro game.

Pekar is almost like a case study: how far can you make it off just IQ and work-rate? Pekar leans scorer over playmaker, and though that’s a role he’s played well at lower levels, that’s not something he’s been able to do consistently at the U20, CHL or U18 levels. Becoming an NHL contributor will require either a return-to-form in that regard or improvements in his all-around offensive game.—Luke Sweeney