Projection: Middle Six Forward

Tools: Engagement, Motor, Skating, Scoring

Development Opportunities: Strength

An exciting puck carrying winger, Roman Shtefan plays the game with intensity and a heavy motor. He is a hard forechecker who uses his stick to pressure opposing players and swipe at pucks to try and knock them loose. He can be a suffocating player to attackers with his motor and speed. Shtefan has some serious upside as a two-way force, playing with consistent engagement in his own end. In transition, he has the ability to pull-off some slick one-on-one moves with the creativity to bank the puck off the boards and slip by opponents. Roman can provide offence both as a shooter and passer, getting himself into soft ice and getting open, possessing a heavy and accurate shot. As a passer, he has the vision and playmaking to find open lanes and feed teammates.

Although Shtefan plays an aggressive style and is able to throw the body, something that will help him given his smaller size is adding more strength and leveraging his frame in contact more. At the next level he is likely to be one of the shorter players and if he can lower his centre of gravity, he will be a lot more effective as a physical player when getting into battles and trying to knock opponents from the puck.

Roman Shtefan displays many intriguing attributes that were evident throughout this game. He has great two-way instincts with good hockey sense, making him adept on both sides of the puck and in all situations. He reads plays well and can react quickly, allowing him to cut off lanes while on the defensive end. He plays with a level of urgency while attacking opposing puck carriers and as a transporter himself, showing off a strong motor. Shtefan also provides value as a puck carrier, blowing up the wing with quick hands and feet, entering the offensive end with possession. Inside the offensive zone, he has good vision and scoring ability to create offence and finish chances himself.

There was a lot to like in Shtefan’s game. On the surface, he possesses a powerful stride and tactical handling, both of which helped him create separation in transition. Roman connected on several confident moves off the rush, turning defenders inside-out and using his calculated puck touches to push play into the dangerous areas. This confident on-puck play was the key to my notes, as Shtefan was always looking to flash his skills, beat defenders, and make noise offensively. He scored two in this game, both capitalizing on pucks in the home-plate area, showcasing a finishing touch to go along with the other elements.

Roman Shtefan is an assertive forward who uses his powerful stride to drive through opponents with the puck on his stick. When the puck is in the offensive end, he can be seen either circling around getting into open space and looking for lanes of attack or dropping his shoulder and digging in. He showed off his great offensive vision and abilities on nearly every rush, moving the puck to the slot and hitting his teammates with backdoor passes.

Shtefan was the final forward on this squad that I noted for his puck skills, and it was his shifty hands and confident play with possession that made him stand out. He had a couple of ambitious moments, attacking the middle with a slick toe drag, walking off the wall into a shooting lane, and patiently navigating the neutral zone to maintain control under pressure. It was only a few moments, but I saw some bright spots from Roman that made me jot down his name more than a handful of times.

I love when a player gets the depth to their cuts and really focuses on changing their angles and routes both with and without the puck as Roman did. It helps on the PK, makes him dangerous as swiping at pucks to mirror their approaches, and really helps him make up ground defensively through the middle of the ice to catch and stifle his opponents offensive. He wasn’t afraid to take the puck to high traffic areas and does like to spin back away from pressure too when he isn’t as confident. He does a lot of work to create space for himself and I think his skating will certainly help him ascend up levels of competition and be effective.

Another strong game for Roman as well which included stronger and controlled passing in motion, great depth to his cuts while deep in the offensive zone, and showing intelligence and patience when approaching zone entries. I thought it was a game where he proved he can adapt to different pacings and shadow players defensively as well from matching their angles and blocking their passing lanes quicker than most. He’s the kind of player who will rotate back defensively or cover the point as well without a second thought.

You got to see a lot of the one on one skill and his ability to quickly spin against defenders to attack or really slow down the game when he doesn’t want to force passes through small windows. I like his ability to cycle plays along the boards with his head up, control the puck on the outskirts while trying to find passing lanes, and his demeanor to try and get the play to the inside as a first option. He’s clearly not afraid of stickhandling into higher traffic areas and challenging players to adapt to his pacing.