Filip Ruzicka

Filip Ruzicka
Rankings
Filip Ruzicka – NHL Draft Projection
Quotables
Strengths
Under Construction – Needs Improvement
NHL Potential
Awards/Achievements
Interviews/Links
Filip Ruzicka Stats
Videos

2025-26 Team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Date of Birth: March 24, 2008
Place of Birth: Trinec, CZE
Ht: 6-foot-8
Wt: 229 pounds
Catches: L
Position: G
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible

Rankings

NHL Central Scouting: 4th (among NA goalies)
McKeen’s Hockey: 52nd
The Hockey Writers: 7th (among goalies)

Filip Ruzicka is 6-foot-8. That number does a lot of the early talking for him, and it should. He is the tallest goaltender in the 2026 draft class and one of the tallest draft-eligible prospects since Finnish-born Henrik Tikkanen in the 2020 draft class. But what made his rookie season with the Brandon Wheat Kings worth watching wasn’t just his height. It was what happened after he missed training camp, arrived late to a franchise that had never seen him play in person, and proceeded to take the starting job and not give it back.

Ruzicka was selected 104th overall by the Wheat Kings in the 2025 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft. He is only the second goaltender the Wheat Kings have ever taken through the import draft process, the first being Czech netminder Jiri Patera in 2018. The pick was a projection bet. Ruzicka had spent the 2024-25 season with Mountfield HK’s U17 team in Czechia, posting a 1.80 goals-against average (GAA) and .943 save percentage (SV%) in 38 appearances with a 23-15-0 record. He also appeared in four games for the Czechia U17 national team. Those are strong numbers in a domestic junior context, but the jump from Czech U17 hockey to the Western Hockey League (WHL) is substantial, particularly for a goaltender adjusting to smaller North American ice and a different shooting culture.

After missing the start of camp and making his WHL debut on Oct. 10, Ruzicka settled in quickly. Veteran netminder Jayden Kraus shared the crease early, but by December, the job belonged to the Czech teenager. Ruzicka went 7-0-0-0 in December and was named WHL Goaltender of the Month, earning the first of two Goaltender of the Week awards along the way. He finished the regular season with a 26-14-1-0 record, a 3.19 GAA, a .906 SV%, and two shutouts in 42 games, serving as Brandon’s clear number one down the stretch and into the WHL Playoffs.

The 47-save shutout against the Penticton Vees on Feb. 21 was the performance that crystallized his case. Brandon does not play in front of him like a defensive juggernaut. Luke Mistelbacher and Joby Baumuller each scored 40 goals, and Jaxon Jacobson ran the power play. The Wheat Kings are built to outscore problems, not prevent them. That Ruzicka posted a sub-3.20 GAA and above-.900 SV% behind a team structured that way says something about his ability to absorb volume.

His toolkit starts with coverage. At 6-foot-8, Ruzicka takes away net at a rate that smaller goalies simply cannot replicate. He seals the bottom of the crease effectively and forces shooters to beat him high or find seams through traffic. His tracking ability is his separator. Size without reads is just a big target that’s easy to move around. Ruzicka stays square, picks up pucks through screens, and lets the shooter make the first move rather than lunging.

There is a rawness that is still present. His lateral movement, while improved across the season, does not have the snap that smaller, more athletic goalies bring. On the European ice, the wider surface gave him more time to read plays and set his angles. The WHL’s tighter dimensions compress those windows, and there were stretches where quick east-west passing left him scrambling. His rebound control is functional but not clean. A .906 SV% is respectable for a rookie in the WHL, but it is not elite, and it reflects a goaltender who is still learning when to absorb and when to direct.

Ruzicka grew up in Trinec, Czechia, and started playing hockey at age five. After two years as a forward, he moved into the crease at seven. “I didn’t like skating much, so I wanted to be in goal and stop the puck,” he told the Wheat Kings’ official website. He came through the SK Karvina youth system before moving to Mountfield HK’s program. His connection to Brandon runs through more than just the draft: fellow import pick Samu Alalauri, a Finnish defenseman taken 43rd overall in the same CHL Import Draft, joined the Wheat Kings roster alongside him, and former Mountfield teammate Dominik Pavlik plays for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL’s East Division.

Filip Ruzicka – NHL Draft Projection

Ruzicka projects as a third-to-fifth round selection. NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of fourth among North American goalies puts him in the conversation as one of the first netminders off the board, though the 2026 goalie class is deep enough (Tobias Trejbal, Brady Knowling, Dmitri Borichev) that the order will depend on team preferences.

His size alone guarantees attention, but the 26-win rookie season in the WHL provides substance behind the projection. Teams that draft him are betting on a two-to-three-year development runway in the WHL before a professional transition. The ceiling is a legitimate NHL starter if the technique catches up to the frame. The floor is a capable minor-league option whose size keeps him in organizations longer than his numbers alone might warrant.

Quotables

“The first thing that jumps out is his size. He moves well in net but he is a little raw. He’s an ’08 young player who is going to come in and challenge. I think our goaltending situation will be competitive and he adds another piece to it. The fact he is six-six and moves well is a heck of a start for him.” – Marty Murray, Brandon Wheat Kings GM/head coach

“A big, steady, reliable, technically sound goaltender who tracks pucks extremely well, who does not overcommit and uses his size to his advantage.” – Mark Henry, DobberProspects

Strengths

Exceptional size at 6-foot-8, 229 pounds; takes away net at a rate few goaltenders in this draft class can match
Strong puck tracking through traffic; stays patient and lets shooters commit before reacting
Won the starting job over a veteran WHL goaltender (Jayden Kraus) as a first-year import
Posted a 26-14-1-0 record with two shutouts, including a 47-save performance against Penticton
December surge (7-0-0-0, Goaltender of the Month) demonstrated ability to carry a team through a heavy stretch
Maintained a .906 SV% behind an offense-first team that does not suppress shots

Under Construction – Needs Improvement

Lateral quickness remains a work in progress; quick east-west plays at the WHL level exposed gaps in his movement
Rebound control is functional but inconsistent; needs to develop the ability to direct pucks to safe areas more reliably
Still adjusting to North American ice dimensions and the volume-shooting tendencies of WHL forwards
A .906 SV% and 3.19 GAA are solid for a rookie but leave room for improvement as he matures technically
Has not yet represented Czechia at the U18 or U20 level in a World Championship setting this season

NHL Potential

Goaltender development is the longest, least predictable pipeline in hockey, and Ruzicka’s timeline reflects that. He is at least two to three WHL seasons away from a realistic professional transition, and the technical refinement he needs (lateral movement, rebound management, consistency on scramble sequences) will define whether the size translates to the NHL or stays in the minors. The frame is rare. The instincts are real. The 42-game rookie season proved he can handle a starter’s workload. The question is whether the movement and reads sharpen enough to match the physical toolkit. Teams that draft goalies in this range are making five-to-seven-year bets. Ruzicka is one of the better bets available in this class because the size creates a margin that smaller goalies do not get.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk: 4/5, Reward: 3/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Goaltending: 5/10

Awards/Achievements

WHL Goaltender of the Month: December 2025 (7-0-0-0 record)
WHL Goaltender of the Week: earned twice during the 2025-26 season
Finished 2025-26 WHL regular season with a 26-14-1-0 record, 3.19 GAA, .906 SV%, and two shutouts in 42 games
Recorded a 47-save shutout against the Penticton Vees on February 21, 2026
Posted a 1.80 GAA and .943 SV% in 38 games with Mountfield HK U17 in 2024-25
Selected 104th overall in the 2025 CHL Import Draft by Brandon