Red Wings Sign Tomas Nosek

Who? That is likely the first thought that comes to mind for most Red Wings fans with the announcement of the signing of Tomas Nosek. However, Detroit does have a history at snagging diamonds in the rough overseas, and this could be yet another one of those.

Nosek is 21 years old and hails from the Czech Republic. He is a two-way center by trade and can move to the wing. He is also left-handed, a quality that the Red Wings already have in surplus among their shooters. Nonetheless, he is 6’2″ and 205 pounds, which are good attributes to have, especially for players coming overseas at his age to play in today’s NHL.

Nosek’s game has evolved as his career has gone on in the Czech U-18, U-20, Czech-1 and Czech-2 leagues (the reason for two different pro leagues is the relegation that could come with a team’s performance). He has spent his entire seven year career with his hometown team HC Pardubice in U-18, U-20, and the highest level league, Czech-1, totaling 19 goals and 44 points in 52 games played in 2013-14 at that level.

Believe it or not, the Wings had their radar on this kid since the Draft three years ago. After Nosek slipped from their grasp then, the Wings scouts have tracked him ever since.

Jiri Fischer, the Wings head of player development, expressed his excitement about Nosek, calling him “the best player on his team’s roster”.

Fischer went on to describe why all the Wings scouts are high on the 21-year-old Czech winger. “He’s a very smart two-way center who can play the wing and is very responsible defensively, makes good plays. He’s more of a playmaker than a natural finisher. He just gets better every year.” (Mlive)

Nosek certainly has gotten better every year, and the stats reflect his growth.

Fischer believes that Nosek must get stronger and work on his skating ability to get acclimated to the organization, whether it be with the Red Wings or Griffins in the AHL. A funny note about Nosek’s agent: he represents Tomas Jurco, and much like the “Swedish connection” that landed Daniel Alfredsson last season, the “Czech connection” might have been a part of this transaction.

So, how do we evaluate this signing? Judging from Fischer’s comments and his growth from year-to-year, it seems he possesses the skill and hockey sense to succeed at the highest level. You need decent speed and solid 200+ pound size to succeed in today’s NHL, depending on one’s role, and with another summer to grow and possibly a season in Grand Rapids to mature, those tools could be developed rather quickly. A defensive-minded forward to help out a young defensive core would be welcoming as well.

Keep in mind that he will turn 22 in September, so he has plenty of time in a decent 2-year window with this entry level deal to grow into a solid NHL forward. The question is roster space. The Wings are pretty deep, especially at the center position. He’ll have to beat out grinders like Luke Glendening and Landon Ferraro to even be considered. It will be a tough challenge for such a young forward coming from overseas, and my guess is that he goes to Grand Rapids to start the season. But, as it is for every NHL season, who knows? This could be another addition to the long list of diamonds in the rough to play in Hockeytown.

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Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @gSchroedes16. Griffin Schroeder also writes at thewingedwheel.wordpress.com. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.