Login

tcookie · 12-29-2020, 08:28 PM

[Double Media Week - Holidays Edition] -- 965 words

Switzerland hasn't always been a great hockey country, but the country has always had an affinity for winter sports, and in recent years, the Swiss hockey program has taken huge steps forward. Growing up in the midst of a surge in both popularity and high-level talent produced by the Swiss, 16-year-old Julian Kazarine is part of a generation hoping to help Switzerland permanently establish itself at the top level of international hockey, and he's taking the next step in his career now by announcing his intentions to play in the SHL.

He's also an avid - and fairly talented - skier, and was considered one of the better young alpine skiers in the country, a potential future candidate for the Swiss Alpine Ski Team a few years down the road. However, his favourite sport was hockey, having fallen in love from the moment he tried it at age 8 - and watching his country's ascension on the international scene helped reaffirm his desire to play the sport long-term, so when the opportunity came around to play for the local U17 team in Elite Novizen, Kazarine gave up skiing to play hockey full-time in the Geneve-Servette junior program. He enjoyed a strong debut year as a 15-year-old, scoring 7 goals and 37 points in 36 games, and he followed it up by scoring 10 goals and 44 points in 31 games this season, even earning a call-up to the U20 squad in Elite Jr. A where he had an assist in 5 games. Kazarine had been considering his options for the next season, where he was expected to get a long look at the U20 level had he stayed at home. His agent floated the idea of the SHL to him, and after some discussion, Kazarine felt that now was the time to pursue a move overseas.

Kazarine will be eligible for the S58 SMJHL draft and the S59 SHL draft. As per the SMJHL rules, he's also allowed to join a team for the remainder of the S57 season as an unrostered Draftable Free Agent. Kazarine announced yesterday night that he would be heading to St. John's, Newfoundland and playing out the season with the Newfoundland Berserkers. He's expected to arrive in St. John's tonight and will participate in team activities as soon as possible.

Scouts describe Kazarine as a speedy, shifty, talented playmaker but a guy who doesn't use his shot enough and can become predictable as a result. "He's really difficult to defend when it's all going because he's got great hands, he can do things at top speed that a lot of players can't do, and he's got phenomenal vision," says one scout. "But he's really pass-first to a fault sometimes, he doesn't shoot enough, he doesn't get to the dirty areas of the ice or battle for the puck along the boards. We just need to see him become less predictable and more willing to get his nose dirty. Is he ever going to be a big-time goal scorer? Probably not, but he needs to at least threaten the defense that he's going to do something other than pass and sometimes he loses that. When you watch him play you think of Ales Hemsky; at a really high end, he's got Paul Kariya in him, if he rounds out his game a bit. At the low end, you think of maybe a guy like his countryman Sven Baertschi. He's got high end skill, just needs to develop everything to complement it."

"He's actually pretty good defensively. He sees the ice and reads the play really well at both ends of the ice. He's got good positioning, he's got an active stick, so the tools are all there for him to be a good two-way player."

Kazarine lacks in a lot of areas that small, skill guys tend to lack in: he's not at all physical and tends to shy away from the physical side of the game, doesn't like being in front of the net and playing him hard can sometimes take him entirely out of the game. Despite that, he does have very good hockey IQ and the speed and anticipation to be a factor at both ends of the ice. Scouts hope that as he gets a little bit stronger, he will also get a little bit braver. While he doesn't need to become a physical force, he does need to develop the ability to take some abuse from defenders and keep on going.

As our scout alluded to, what sets him apart is his skating, hands, and vision. He's already a very good passer who sees things before they happen and excels at creating open space for his teammates. His hands are phenomenal, but sometimes he can get over-reliant on them. When his pass-first mentality becomes too apparent to a defense and they focus on taking away his passing lanes, he can become a one-man show and try go around defenders all on his own. In order for his game to continue to translate to higher levels of pro hockey, it will be imperative for him to develop different ways of attacking the defense and keeping them off balance.

There's not much time left in the current SMJHL season, but Kazarine hopes to make an impression on the Berserkers in the games to come and hopefully raise his stock ahead of the SMJHL Entry Draft. He said it was important to him to come across now and get started on making the transition to the North American leagues now, to hopefully ensure everything goes smoothly in his SMJHL rookie season next year. "In the off-season I have to train for next season and get better English," Kazarine says. "A lot to do at one time so earlier I start, the better."

tcookie · 12-29-2020, 08:45 PM

ooops I thought I put this in SMJHL media, can a mod move it please?

*Gwdjohnson* · 12-30-2020, 01:53 AM

Welcome to the league!

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us