Welcome back to our prospect’s check-in series for the summer of 2023 for the Columbus Blue Jackets. We are checking in with notable prospects throughout the organization.
In case you missed the last part of the series, we took a look at top defensive prospect Corson Ceulemans and previewed his first pro season. Today we look at another top defensive prospect in the Blue Jackets’ organization that is ready to make an impact.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Prospects Summer Check-In: Corson Ceulemans
Successful teams have a proven track record of being able to locate hidden gems outside of the first round in drafts. The 2021 NHL Draft for the Blue Jackets will long be remembered as the one that landed three first-round picks that could eventually each play a major role in the future success of the team. But the fun didn’t end in the first round. The player they took in the third round of that draft is widely thought of as a current top-five prospect in the organization. He’s also ready to attack his first full professional season after getting a small taste of the NHL at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Stanislav Svozil Check-In
How Acquired: Drafted by the Blue Jackets 69th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.
2022-23 Teams: Regina Pats (WHL), Cleveland Monsters (AHL), Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL).
2022-23 Stats: Recorded 11-67-78 in 56 games for Regina and added 4-9-13 in seven playoff games for the Pats while wearing an A. Recorded two assists in one appearance for the Monsters. Recorded 0-1-1 in two games for the Blue Jackets. Recorded 1-7-8 in seven games at the World Junior Championships while wearing the C for his home country of Czechia.
2023-24 Contract Status: Has three more seasons left on his current deal at $825,000 that was signed in Aug 2021. Svozil’s contract has slid twice since. Will become an RFA after the 2025-26 season.
Expected 2023-24 Teams: Cleveland Monsters
Expected Role in 2023-24: Top-four defenseman in the AHL with chance to see NHL time should the situation warrant itself. Svozil could be Cleveland’s number-one defenseman if David Jiricek makes the Blue Jackets out of camp.
2022-23 Season Recap
Svozil returned for his second season with the Regina Pats after they selected him in the CHL Import Draft. After joining 16-year old Connor Bedard and putting up an impressive 41 points in his first season, he was ready to make a statement alongside Bedard in his draft year.
As expected, the Pats became a fun team to watch with Svozil and Bedard leading the way. While Bedard went on to win the CHL scoring title, Svozil put up huge numbers for a blue liner. His 67 assists was second amongst all WHL defensemen and his 78 points was third amongst WHL defensemen. He led all WHL defensemen and was second overall in power-play assists in the league. While playing with Bedard undoubtedly helped this, Svozil showed he was able to make an impact on his own as well.
Despite the regular-season success, the Pats ultimately fell short in the first round of the playoffs in a tense, hard-fought seven-game series against the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades won Game 7 4-1. The lone goal of the game for the Pats was scored by Svozil. He finished the series just under 2.00 points per game.
That was all just a tip of the iceberg for what Svozil got to experience in 2022-23. He played in the World Junior Championships and captained Czechia to a silver-medal finish. Canada was able to outlast them 3-2 in overtime in the gold medal game thanks to a goal by Dylan Guenther.
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When the Pats’ season was over, the Blue Jackets assigned Svozil to the big club where he made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Apr 13. He recorded his first NHL point with a secondary assist on Emil Bemstrom’s goal late in the third period to force overtime. He also played the next night against the Buffalo Sabres.
Svozil was then assigned to the Cleveland Monsters and made his AHL debut on Apr 15 recording two assists in a 4-3 win over the Rochester Americans. No matter where he was playing, he showed he belonged.
Svozil’s rise has only strengthened the Blue Jackets’ pipeline. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis has Svozil as his sixth-ranked Blue Jackets’ prospect. The only reason Ellis says of the low ranking is because of the depth above him. Svozil would be ranked first in several team’s pipelines given what he brings to the table.
2023-24 Season Outlook
While Svozil has a very outside chance of making the Blue Jackets out of training camp, it’s more likely he starts with the Cleveland Monsters and plays top minutes. Being able to adjust to the AHL and its nuances in his first full professional season will do wonders.
Svozil has been able to do everything asked of him so far in his career. He can jump into the play. He can create offense. He can quarterback the power play. Now he’ll need to refine the defensive part of the game. This is where a full season in Cleveland could benefit him in the long run.
A successful season for Svozil is one that shows he can be just as effective away from the puck as he is with it. He could find himself on a Jiricek path where he’s one of the best AHL rookies out of the gate. Success will ultimately be defined by the growth in his overall game.
Biggest Questions in 2023-24
- How quick will Svozil adjust to the AHL? A two-assist debut is quite the way to start. But how quickly he adjusts to the game full-time will be worth watching.
- Can Svozil fast track to the Blue Jackets? We mentioned earlier that he has an outside chance of making the Blue Jackets out of camp. The numbers don’t support this but given the experiences he has, if he impresses in camp, he could make it tough on the team to leave him out. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for him to earn a spot later in the season depending on injuries or future moves.
Final Thoughts
The 2023-24 season for Svozil will be his one in which he could assert himself as one of the next-in-line to make an impact on the Blue Jackets. He should get plenty of opportunities to excel surrounded by a much stronger roster in Cleveland to start the season.
While Jiricek and Ceulemans are right-handed, Svozil is left-handed. Depending on what happens with Ivan Provorov over the next two seasons, Svozil could in theory be an heir apparent to that role on the left side.
Don’t underestimate how much playing with Bedard has helped Svozil in his career. It’s forced him to play at a faster pace to be able to keep up with Bedard. It will be interesting to see how that experience will translate to the pros at the start.
The prospect pool is as strong as ever in Columbus thanks to players like Svozil. It won’t be long before he becomes a regular in the NHL.
