Saturday, February 21, 2009

Panik to Windsor?

Roger Kennedy of the Hockey News is reporting that Richard Panik will also join Cam Fowler in a Spitfire sweater next season.

Panik, a Slovakian playing in the Czech Republic, is draft eligible this summer and his joining a North American team should help his stock rise. A gifted puck-handler, the 6-foot-1, 202-pound center is likely a late first-rounder in the NHL draft.

The Spitfires, who are dominating the OHL this season thanks to players such as Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis and Greg Nemisz, will be adding two more of their first-round draft picks in Fowler (domestic draft) and Panik (import draft) next year.

This season Panik has jumped all over the place. With Team Slovakia at the World Junior Championships he had two goals and three assists in seven games. Many say his overall performance was disappointing.

He has a goal and an assist with HC Trinec of the Czech Extraliga in fifteen games. He also has played for HC Havirov of the Czech Second League where he notched two goals and an assist in three games. Finall he has played with the U-20 HC Trinec club where he has nine goals and eight assists in 15 games.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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