Jivere Zolnek Junior Review

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Jivere Zolnek Junior Review

Prior to joining the VHLm Jivere had a very rough journey that eventually led him to the Philadelphia Reapers. Initially a defenseman, Zolnek would oftentimes find himself pinching way too often on his Junior "B" team and his discipline was practically non-existent. The team was elite for its level however his competition was lacking and his ability to truly move up from there was not possible. Moving forward was important to Zolnek and he consulted his coaches as well as his advisor to create a gameplan on how he could improve. An undersized defenseman (as he was only 5'8" then) was not desired, and his lack of discipline defensively eventually led to his move to the forward position, but what was most important was what position there? Zonlek was moved to the Left Wing position due to his shot as he would love to cut into the slot and look to score. The repositioning was successful and week after week Zolnek started getting promoted in the lineup. Formerly a third line defenseman, he started on the fourth line. After seven games, Zolnek was elevated to the third line and the second power play unit due to his eye for scoring positions. After notching seven goals in the next ten games, Zolnek was moved up to the first power play unit and remained on the third line.

 

Defensively, he remained a mess, and the coach saw potential in Zolnek and created an experiment in order to untap his potential. He was moved to the center position to force him to focus on defense when in even strength situations while also exploiting his scoring on the top unit. This move changed Jivere Zolnek's life and trajectory as a prospect. He finished his first year of Juniors with 43 goals in 70 games. Going into the next season he was moved to the Junior "A" team and grew 5 inches and was suddenly a 6'1" center with unbelievable scoring prowess and defensive ability. Starting on the second line and first power play unit he was able to separate himself and create a star out of himself. Finishing the year with 57 goals in 70 games in his first year in Junior "A" Zolnek was able to establish himself as a worthy VHLm player. He was called up to the Philadelphia Reapers following the end of his season to try to establish himself as a VHLm player. Sadly many teams did not believe in him given his performance there, but the Reapers did. He was chosen 78th overall and hopefully will create not only a great VHLm career but also a great VHL career!