SIMON NEMEC

Defense
6’1/192
Right
HK Nitra/Slovakia

Related: Ivan Miroshnichenko

Simon Nemec is likely the top defensive prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft, and perhaps even a top 5 pick in the draft. Nemec might not get the buzz as some other prospects because he plays in Slovakia, but he seems like he would be NHL ready as soon as the 2022-23 season. He has all the tools to be a reliable top pair defenseman at the NHL level.

Size/Strength     Great
Skating       Excellent
Shot/Scoring      Below Average
Puckhandling      Excellent
Physical Play       Good
Offensive Play       Great
Defensive Play       Great
Hockey Sense        Excellent
Competitiveness   Excellent

Strengths

1. Strong Skating defenseman, who is an excellent puck handler and makes a great stretch pass.
2. His hockey sense is tremendous and has the vision to make dynamic plays to set up teammates.
3. Reliable defensively and reads developing plays well on both sides of the puck.

Areas of Improvement

1. Needs to work on his shooting
2. Could be more physical defensively

Scouting Report:

Simon Nemec was a standout performer internationally for Slovakia; last year at the U20 WJC, he was named a top 3 player of the team, then this year in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Nemec had an outstanding performance, putting up 6 points in 5 games, and finished second in scoring by a blueliner. Nemec’s performance was consistent throughout the tournament and was a big reason why Slovakia won a historic silver. With his strong skating ability, he loves to push the pace and can still get back defensively. He has the vision and passing skills to set up teammates in transition as well as to run the point on the power play. His hockey sense is tremendous. He makes a ton of plays all over the ice due to his great vision. Nemec is comparable in style to Roman Josi, who is an elite skater, with dynamic offensive ability and good defensive instincts. Simon Nemec is almost a lock to be a top 5 pick in next years’ draft and should be a top-pair defenseman in the future.

Skill: Top-way defenseman, with excellent puck rushing and defensive abilities.

NHL Comparison: Roman Josi

NHL Potential: 1st pair defenseman

Season	Team	League	GP	G	PTS
2019-20	Slovakia U18	International-Jr	21	6	16
2020-21	HK Nitra	Slovakia	37	2	19
	Slovakia U20	WJC-20	5	0	4
2021-22	Slovakia U18	Hlinka Gretzky Cup	5	1	6