Pat Svoboda Rookie Profile

[StamkosFan 72]

 

 

Name: Pat Svoboda

Age: 25

Height: 6’5’’

Weight: 230 lbs

Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden

 

Strengths

Scoring is what Pat Svoboda primarily excels at. He is the definition of a volume shooter, and has a hard, accurate shot to go with the shots total. He's never shy to take the shot and to just throw the puck on goal, so oftentimes he catches goalies sleeping. He has a laser of a one-timer on the power play, and he can find the back of the net from any angle. His backhander is as elite as they come; he can slip the puck into the top corner of the goal with ridiculous ease, as if he was on his forehand. This slick backhand is a rarity in the league, and can be very deceptive for opposing netminders trying to decipher what he will do.

 

Skating is important in today's speed-based hockey, and in spite of being a massive player, Svoboda has an excellent first step and accelerates to full speed in a matter of seconds. Defenseman expect him to be a lumbering giant, but are surprised when he turns on the jets and breezes past them. This element of surprise is usually how he gets breakaways, and he is deadly at converting on those. His fluid strides look graceful and effortless, and he can beat the majority of his peers in puck races: a helpful feat on the defensive side of the game.

 

Strength is something Svoboda is superior to most others in merely because of his greater weight and stature, and it helps him on both ends of the ice. He uses his size to push skaters off the puck, and if he is tired at the end of his shift, rather than leaning on speed, he can merely force his way through defenders, literally. He is difficult to check or to strip the puck away from, and even the most physical players are leery of hitting him due to fear of retribution from the massive Swede.

 

Weaknesses

 

Passing is not one of Svoboda's favorite aspects of the game, and he has earned a reputation from former linemates as a "puck hog."  He loves to shoot the puck from anywhere and everywhere, so he can be hesitant to defer to teammates, even when multiple defenders are covering him and/or his fellow skaters are open. When he does give a feed up ice from his own zone, sometimes he makes an errant pass, which has led to bad turnovers. With proper coaching and more pressure to be unselfish, this should be something that can be overcome.

 

Checking is rarely used by Svoboda, in spite of his massive size; unless he is dealt a hit first, he will use poke checks and positioning as a means of defense. Perhaps when players are zipping up the boards, they need to be hammered into their own bench, but even in the proper situations, he does not like to play a physical game. He racks up a marginal number of hits, and uses his size as a means of extending his reach instead of invoking fear into opposing benches.

 

Faceoffs are not something that Svoboda has spent any time on, having never been a center in his career. On the rare occasion he is forced to take a faceoff, he usually does not perform too well. If teams are looking for a potential center, they won't find it in the young Swede. As long as he sticks at right wing and his team doesn't pull a Jonathan Drouin-type move, it should not be much of a problem.

 

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Conclusion: To all the hockey fans who scream "SHOOT THE PUCK!" in frustration on the power play as their stars make twenty cute passes, they will be instantly enamored with Pat Svoboda. As a volume shooter, he likens himself to Alex Ovechkin and plans to light the lamp as much as possible. He is the type of player every team dreams of to lurk on the wings on a power play unit, and should bring on goals galore.

Edited November 3, 2018 by StamkosFan