The Edmonton Oil Kings have added another piece to their puzzle, selecting Slovakian-born forward Jakub Demek in the first round, 47th overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft that took place June 30th.
He is only the second Slovakian-born player to be selected by the Oil Kings in franchise history. The last Slovakian player drafted by the Oil Kings was defenceman Martin Gernat back in 2011.
Demek, born in 2003, is a towering forward at 6-foot-4. In 2020-21, Demek played a majority of the season with Team Slovakia U18, where he had 13 points in 25 games. He also played in 10 games for HC Kosice, who are part of Slovak Extraglia, a top-level league in Slovakia earning two points for them. His experience with Team Slovakia throughout his minor hockey years reflects well on his hockey resume heading into his WHL career.
Internationally in 2020-21, Demek scored two goals and added six assists as Team Slovakia played six games in friendly competitions.
Interestingly, Demek is ranked by NHL Central Scouting for the 2021 NHL Draft. He is currently ranked at #129 overall among European skaters.
Based on what is being said about Demek right now, he is a player who plays a complete game. He has obvious size and an intriguing skill set. The fact that he is ranked to potentially be selected by an NHL team this coming draft is an excellent indicator that he is a special player who we do not know much about yet, but will soon. Demek could be a tremendous surprise and potential impact player in 2021-22 for the Oil Kings.
