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The Arizona Coyotes have since traded their second-round pick Kevin Bahl to the New Jersey Devils as part of the package to acquire Taylor Hall. But the Coyotes’ third-round pick Jan Jenik has seen his stock rise in the past few years.
Team: Hamilton Bulldogs
Regular Season Games Played: 27
Goals: 22
Assists: 34
World Juniors Games Played: 3
World Juniors Goals: 2
World Juniors Assists: 1
Jan Jenik didn’t get much attention before getting drafted. He had spent his entire career playing in the Czech Republic and didn’t have much buzz in North America.
Things started to change since he began playing in North America. He spent the 2018-19 season in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he finished with 13 goals and 17 assists in 27 games.
This past season he went from averaging just over a point a game to averaging two points a game.
Unfortunately, Jenik had a much less successful World Juniors compared to his future teammate from last week Barrett Hayton.
Jenik was limited to just three games in the World Juniors before sustaining a knee injury that knocked him out for the rest of the tournament and the season.
Despite missing half the seasons and most of the tournament, Jenik has earned praise for his limited time.
Sports Illustrated had him as the top rising prospects, jumping from not ranked to 36th overall and noting that “Jenik has dynamic hands but has also been singled out for his smarts and ability to play with an edge.”
Writing for The Athletic Corey Pronman lists Jenik with a tier of “very good NHL player” noting:
Jenik can make plays through defenders or power his way to the net. He has great vision and shows the patience to slow the play down and find lanes. Off the puck he’s reliable, showing an edge in battles and an effort defensively.
Jenik was expected to spend the season with the Tucson Roadrunners, although the pandemic may have changed that. But either way, he seems poised to make the leap to the NHL in the next few seasons and have a big impact for the team.