Anze Miklavz - Junior Review

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Early Life

Anze Miklavz is the nephew of former VHL all-star and noted HHOF snub Jonathan McKelvie. He was born in Jesenice Slovenia, where his uncle and fellow VHL alumni Scotty Campbell and Jesus Christ would go to train during the offseason. Miklavz. started playing hockey at the age of 6, while his uncle was playing for Vasteras. After watching Jon score the game tying goal in Game 6 of the S1 finals that eventually led to forcing game 7, Miklavz was inspired to play in the VHL one day and replicate the legacy his uncle left.  

Minor Hockey

Anze played most of his minor hockey days in the Slovenia minor hockey association, putting himself on the radar by dominating older age groups. Before signing with the Hamilton Canucks, his uncle Jon set Anze. up with the Vasteras junior development program to set the path for the VHL.  Due to personal reasons, Miklavz. stepped away from the game at the age of 16, ending eligibility for the VHL draft in his early years. After 3 years of hiatus, a member of of the Vasteras IK staff convinced Miklavz to get back on the ice and hooked him up with a two-year contract with the team, who is now in the SweHL-2.

 

Vasteras IK – SweHL-2 S74 / S75

Miklavz’s first year with Vasteras IK was underwhelming, mostly due to the fact of playing 4^th line minutes for the first three quarters of the season. In 55 GP, he finished with 5 goals and 11 assists, for a total of 16 points at the age of 19. The following season was a lot more successful, as he earned a spot on the first line playing an average of 19:30 a night. He finished the season with 20 G and 24 assists, for 44 points in 53 GP. He was voted as the most improved player of the year. Vasteras did not make the playoffs in either year. While being eligible to sign with the VHL, Miklavz still wanted another year of seasoning, so he transferred to Rogle BK in the division 1.

 

Vasteras IK S74 Season Stats

GP         G            A            PTS        +/-         PIM

55          5            11          16          -6           14

Vasteras IK S75 Season Stats

GP         G            A            PTS        +/-         PIM

53          20          24          44          +4          30

 

Rogle BK – S76

Anze started on the 4^th line with Rogle BK, playing just a sniff over 5 minutes a game and seeing not seeing much action on the powerplay. For the first 10 games of the season, he registered just 3 assists and no goals. In Game 11, the first of a 7-game road trip, Rogle’s top scorer and right winger Anders Andersson suffered a hip injury after colliding into the boards and unfortunately sidelining him for months. This empty spot in the top six provided Miklavz with an opportunity to earn more minutes. In the 26 games without Andersson, Miklavz registered 7 goals and 12 assists playing on the second line and powerplay unit. Once the team was healthy, Miklavz was demoted to the bottom six due to his coach’s preference of playing veteran players, although with a slight increase in minutes. In the final 15 games played, Miklavz finished the season with 5 goals and 3 assists and finishing amongst top 5 in rookie scoring.

 

The S76 playoffs for Rogle was where Miklavz really showed flashes of skill, which included a hat-trick in Game 2 and 2 assists in Game 3. Rogle was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, but Miklavz lead the team in scoring with 6 points and eventually played first line minutes by Game 4 where he also scored. Overall, Miklavz year was promising for his VHL future. Due to lack of minutes over the season and long hiatus from hockey, he is not expected to be drafted in the S77 draft, but should sign with a VHLM team.

 

Rogle BK S76 Season Stats

GP         G            A            PTS        +/-         PIM

51          12          18          30          +9          24

 

Rogle BK S76 Playoff Stats

GP         G            A            PTS        +/-         PIM

5            4            2            6            +3          4