Mooseheads take Czech forward Knotek in import draft

The Halifax Mooseheads got their man in the Canadian Hockey League import draft on Wednesday.
The Mooseheads selected 17-year-old Czech forward Tomas Knotek sixth overall, giving them yet another offensive threat to bolster their hopes for a championship next season.
"We identified him a while ago, with our scouts in the Czech Republic, as the player we wanted and we’re glad we got him," said Mooseheads general manager Marcel Patenaude.
"He’s a very talented centre that is able to create a lot on offence. He’s a good passer (with) good skill. He’s that type of player; very intelligent."
Knotek played for HC Kladno in the Czech Under-20 (Junior) Extraliga last season, leading his team in scoring with 20 goals and 49 points in 38 games. He was also a member of the Czech team at the 2007 World Under-18 Championship in Finland in May where he scored one goal in six games.
The six-foot-one, 170-pound Knotek is also a former teammate and from the same city in the Czech Republic as Halifax star forward Jakub Voracek. Voracek gave his countryman a solid endorsement.
"Jakub knows him pretty well and his family knows him well. He had a lot of good things to say about the way he plays," Patenaude said. "He’s a Kladno kid and they have a great program there. A lot of great players have come out of Kladno so we’re very happy. Our scout put him first for Czech players."
Patenaude hopes Knotek will compete for a spot on one of the team’s scoring lines but didn’t want to project too much because the team already has a wealth of high-end forwards returning. But with that said, as long as the reports about Knotek are accurate, he should be able to step in and contribute right away.
"That’s always hard to establish but what I hear from our scouts, his agent (Allan Walsh) and from Jakub, he’s very talented and let’s hope he’ll shine here in Halifax," Patenaude said.
The Mooseheads have a long relationship with Walsh, who always delivers when he promises that his player will report. Patenaude said Walsh has arranged for Knotek to spend the summer in Montreal training as well.
"He’s serious about being a hockey player and that’s a good sign," Patenaude said. "He’ll be here for sure."
Kladno is currently rated 57th by Red Line Report for players eligible for the 2008 NHL draft.
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles grabbed goaltender Marek Benda from the Czech Republic with their first pick in the draft (30th overall) and took Czech defenceman Jan Piscacek with their second pick (51st overall). Benda was rated as the ninth-best goaltender (130th overall) by Red Line Report for the 2007 NHL draft but was passed over. He played for HC Karlovy Vary of the Czech Under-20 Extraliga last season. Piscacek, a six-foot, 190-pound 18-year-old, played for HC Kladno last year.
The Screaming Eagles traded their second-round import pick (111th overall) and a fourth-round pick in the 2008 QMJHL draft to the Quebec Remparts for the 30th overall pick. The Remparts also scrambled to acquire another second-round import pick from the Rimouski Oceanic after Russian twins Ruslan and Roman Bashkirov informed them on Tuesday they would not return for a second season.