Blue Jackets 2024 season preview, defenseman Stanislav Svozil could get a real look at the NHL level this season
Due to defense prospects like David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk, Stanislav Svozil has flown under the radar a bit for most Jackets fans. Despite his unheralded reputation, he had a brilliant season last year as a rookie in the AHL. Like Jiricek and Mateychuk, he looks to be a future NHL core defenseman for Columbus in the very near future.
If you're a Columbus Blue Jackets fan, you may not have paid extremely close attention to the brilliant season the Cleveland Monsters had down the stretch. They made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals before ultimately bowing out. The massively improved play that left-shot defenseman Stanislav Svozil showed that he was a core component of their success.
Svozil, in his first professional season in North America and as a rookie in the AHL, posted a 5-18-23 in 57 games while putting up 24 PIM and a +1 rating. Even though he rode the bench for much of November and portions of October and December, he still played in 57 games.
His GP total put him third amongst the Monsters' conglomerate of rookies, being behind only Justin Pearson and Luca Del Bel Belluz.
While Svozil has a reputation among some CBJ fans as being primarily an offensive defenseman talent, I'd like to point to some of his work on the defensive end as the critical area of growth in his game down the stretch of the Monsters' season.
His eye for defensive positioning impressed me the most as I watched him late in the season. Several times during the playoffs, he was the only man back during an odd-man rush, and he'd still find a way to break it up and use his eye for passing the puck to initiate a great breakout pass into the other end.
Svozil is part of a trio of Czech prospects for the Jackets system who he knows very well. Svozil, David Jiricek, and Monsters goaltending prospect Pavel Cajan all played for Czech Republic junior teams at various times where they got to meet one another despite all being from different parts of the country.
With a keen eye for playmaking, a high hockey IQ, decent size and aptitude to always be in the right place at the right time, it's hard for me not to think that Svozil could end up being a third round steal for the Jackets in the near future.
One bold prediction: Svozil will lead the Monsters Defensive core in points this season and be an AHL All-star
With guys like Jake Christiansen, Denton Mateychuk, and possibly Cole Clayton ahead of him in the pecking order for NHL time this season, it's difficult for me to see Svozil getting a full-time look at the top level this year.
However, this will likely allow him to lock down the top pairing spot for the Monsters on the left side next to players like Clayton, Corson Cuelemans, and possibly Jiricek if he struggles again with the Jackets. With a decent option of partners, plenty of playing time, and his skill, I'd be surprised if Svozil doesn't succeed with the Monsters in 2024-2025.