This season, Vancouver Giants fans will get the opportunity to see Marko Stacha.
The 6-foot-1, 196-pound Slovakian defenceman comes to Vancouver after a successful World Junior campaign. Although he did not score, Stacha played a key role as a shutdown defenceman for Slovakia throughout the tournament. The Giants are hoping Stacha can bring that strong defensive play, along with some offense as he will be a key part of the team’s blueline.
Meet Marko! pic.twitter.com/StBNRLuOZY
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) June 30, 2020
Strong defensive game:
Where Stacha thrives is his one on one defensive game as well as his ability to read the play and break up passes. During the IIHF World Junior Championships, we got an opportunity to see Stacha’s strong presence on the ice. He is very mobile for a defenseman his size and can read the play in the defensive zone very well. The Giants are losing defensive studs this year like Longo, Bafaro, and Bulych so they need Stacha to really come through for them this season.
Adding offense:
Throughout Stacha’s career, he has never been an offensively driven defenceman. His career-high for points came with HK Dukla Trencin U16 back in 2016-2017 when he registered 23 points in 17 games. The Giants need points from their defense this season to be successful. With the loss of Byram, Stacha will be relied upon to contribute offensively. Stacha has been in Vancouver working with teammates since the World Juniors ended. Since he got here, his teammates have raved about his offensive ability. It is now a matter of taking that potential and applying it in games. He has the capability to put up a decent point total this season as he tries to impress scouts for the upcoming draft.
#2021NHLDraft eligible defenseman ?? Marko Stacha scored his first goal of the season yesterday. He also had an assist earlier in the game.
Stacha’s average TOI has improved from ~10 to 15:44 min/match in the last 3 games.
He‘ll go overseas and play for @WHLGiants when possible pic.twitter.com/3EfzGUkKXk
— Matej Deraj (@MatoDeraj) November 28, 2020
Playing against men:
One benefit Stacha has is that he has played in the top Slovakian league and has experience playing against tough competition. Last season with HK Dukla Trencin, Stacha played 48 games as a 17-year-old. He contributed six points while recording a +1. This is a league that features former WHLers like Andrej Meszaros, Jordan Hickmott, and Colton Yellow Horn. This season, he recorded two points in nine games and continued to show he can compete against men. This experience should help Stacha transition to the WHL and the physical brand of hockey that is played.
Impressing the scouts:
This is Stacha’s draft year so you know he will be motivated. Currently, scouts rank him as a fourth-round draft pick, but with a solid season he could rocket up the charts. He had a decent World Juniors this past year but needs to provide that offensive spark to really get the scouts to notice him. If Stacha brings his strong defensive game throughout the season and is able to chip in offensively, an NHL team could be calling his name sooner rather than later.
Projection:
Stacha has all the tools to succeed this season in the WHL. He will be a key part of their penalty kill and would be a great partner for Alex Kannok-Leipert. Having Stacha as his partner would allow Kannok-Leipert to join the rush more often, which should lead to more offense. Expect Stacha to have a solid first season with the Giants as they fight for another division championship.
