The Tampa Bay Lightning have inked one of their top draft selections, signing Libor Hajek to a three-year, entry-level contract today. The 19-year old Hajek was Tampa’s second pick in 2016, taken with the selection they received from Arizona in exchange for Anthony DeAngelo. Selected 37th overall, Hajek was born in the Czech Republic and made his professional debut there at the age of 16, but has been playing in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades for the past two seasons.
Prior to last summer’s draft, Eric Engels and other Sportsnet scouts wrote about Hajek. Modelling his game after Drew Doughty, Hajek has elite skating ability for a defender and uses it to move the puck out of his zone quickly and effectively. His shot impresses, as does his calm demeanor when under pressure. Drafted second overall in the CHL import draft in 2015, Hajek has become one of the most interesting defenders in the league this season.
The 2016 draft is looking excellent for the Lightning, with Hajek joining Brett Howden, Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh and Connor Ingram in the first three rounds. All five are having outstanding seasons in one way or another, with Raddysh even part of arguably the best line in junior hockey with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. While Tampa Bay might have to move out some of its NHL talent in the next few months due to expansion draft and cap concerns, they have done well to fill the pipeline back up with young talent that isn’t so far away from the professional ranks.