2025 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: LW, Shoots: L
H/W: 6-foot-1, 196 pounds
Date of Birth: 2007-04-30
Tomáš Poletín was seen as a potential second round pick at the beginning of the season, but his stock has dropped since then mainly because of his underwhelming production in the U20 in Finland. He is a 6-foot-1 power forward type of player that plays on the wing. Poletin was the captain of the team during the Hlinka Gretzky tournament and was one of the best players on the Czech side that went all the way to the final before losing the gold medal game against Canada. He spent the last season in Finland in the Pelicans’ program, sharing his time between the U18 and the U20 teams. Before going to Finland, Poletin was playing in Czechia for HC Slavia Praha U17 where he dominated the league by averaging more than a point per game (53 pts in 36 games). This year, Poletin had a bit of a rough start to the season coming back from Hlinka Gretzky with only five points in the first 13 games, then picked up a minor injury. However, since the middle of February, he has played full-time in the Liiga, which is impressive even if he has not been producing offensively.
The parts of Poletin’s game that really stand out are his ability to protect the puck using his strength and that he is always around the net. He has a strong presence around the crease and that’s where he scores most of his goals. He is tenacious in front of the net and he is always fighting for rebounds. His strength makes him hard to contain for the opponent. At the Hlinka/Gretzky, Poletin impressed with his playmaking ability. Even if he looked more like a complement on a line than the one driving it, he was good at creating space for his teammates and distributing the puck in the offensive zone. Another admirable quality is that he is always looking to attack the middle of the ice and drive the net whenever he has a chance. On the physical side, Poletin competes at a high level along the boards, he is tenacious on the forecheck, and he completes most of his checks.
Something to not underestimate about Tomáš Poletín is that he can be versatile and be used in all situations. That is what he showed at the Hlinka-Gretzky with Czechia and with his club in Finland by being the man his coach trusted for defensive missions including on the penalty kill and when protecting a lead at the end of a game.
However, he is far from a polished product, which is why he finds himself outside of our first two rounds currently; there are some areas in Poletin’s game that will need to improve for him to take another step next season. One of them is his agility and explosiveness. He possesses quite good speed once he gets going but his first few steps will need to improve for him to be able to translate his game at the pro level. He will also need to improve his capacity to execute plays at a higher pace.
Tomas Poletin has all the tools (the size, the skating, the hands, and the versatility) to be a good player in the NHL and especially the type of player that will help a team to win in the playoffs. Whether or not he will reach his potential will be decided by how he can translate his offensive game at the pro level in future years.
Skating
Poletin’s skating is an area of his game that needs some work, but does have some positive qualities. His top speed is fast enough to be able to beat average skaters but it is his first few steps that will need improvement. When he played games in the Liiga, he had good enough speed to follow the pace of the pro level. When his feet are moving, it is hard to take the puck away from him and he can be dangerous off the rush as he likes to use his big body to cut to the inside and drive the net. Poletin has a good basis for his skating mechanics but if there is one thing that could make him faster, it is the length of his strides that are too short at the moment. If he can elongate his strides, it should make him more explosive from a standstill. Also, his agility and four-way mobility definitely have room to improve which will help him to become more dangerous offensively.
(#44) Here we can see that when Poletin is moving his feet, he is not slow and can beat opponents. He likes to drive the net when he has a chance.
(#15) A good pressure on the puck carrier to take the puck away and create enough separation using his body to break away and score.
(#44) Another example of him getting his feet moving on the transition and driving the net after beating the opponent that was caught flat footed.
(#15) Here Poletin takes the puck and starts the counter-attack. Instead of using a few long strides, he tries to attack with several shorter crossovers, never allowing him to build speed, which allows the back tracker to get to him very easily.
(#15) Starting from a standing still position, Poletin receives the puck on the breakout but we can see how slow his first few steps can be. The opponent is able to easily cut time and space from Poletin which forces him to get rid of the puck and it leads to a turnover.
Grade: 52.5
Shot
Poletin scored almost all of his goals from the slot either by driving the net or by taking rebounds. He did not score a lot of goals with a medium to long range shot which makes it hard to evaluate the quality of his shot. He doesn’t have a very hard and heavy shot but he is precise and he can release quickly. The good thing for him, is that around 80% of the goals that are scored in the NHL are scored from the slot or close to the net which is where Poletin is most of his time in the offensive zone. It is also where most goals are scored in the playoffs.
But overall, to become a greater offensive threat, Poletin will have to work on his shot because goaltenders are bigger and better at pro level so he will have to find new ways to beat them. The biggest aspect of his shot that he will need to work on is his finishing touch especially considering the number of close range chances he has by being constantly around the net. In addition to that, working on the speed of his release on long range shots is also something that will help him produce more and it will minimize the number of shots that are blocked or deflected by a defenseman.
(#44) Poletin cuts inside, attacks the middle of the ice, and executes a precise shot in the corner.
(#44) First of all, great backcheck from him by cutting space for the opponent which forced a turnover. Poletin is a threat around the net and he will not hesitate to take a quick shot.
(#15) Another example of him receiving the puck on the half wall and beating the opponent with a great dangle to allow him to cut to the inside and change the angle of his shot.
(#44) This sequence is to show that Poletin will not hesitate to take a shot when he has a chance even if his shot is not the most powerful. We can certainly argue here that the goalie should have made that save. This type of shot will be saved by NHL goalies 98% of the time so Poletin will need to work on his shot if he wants to produce more at a higher level.
(#15) Toward the end of the clip, Poletin takes control of the puck at the blue line and takes a shot that is blocked. He could have been more patient to find the shooting lane or shoot a bit quicker.
(#15) Again in this clip, at the end, Poletin carries the puck in the neutral zone and once he enters the zone, he tries a long range shot that is deflected. First, this is a good example that shows that he takes too much time to release his shot, because in that case, he telegraphs his shot and the defenseman has all the time to put his stick on the puck. Second, this sequence also illustrates that Poletin is sometimes taking a bad shot selection or precipitating a shot from a low danger area. In this case, he should have seen that he had space to get closer to the net and get a better scoring chance.
(#15) Another example of a shot that took too long which allowed the defenseman to put his body in front of the shooting lane.
(#15) Poletin is good at finding open space in the slot to receive a pass and shoot quickly with a one-timer.
(#15) In the sequence, Poletin is positioned in the middle of the slot and retrieves a loose puck and quickly releases the puck from a high danger area. This is the type of play that happens often for him but most of the time he has difficulty finishing. The positive thing is that he gets lots of chances from that area even in the Liiga. He only needs to convert more of those chances and his production will go up.
(#15) Another great example of Poletin getting a high danger chance right in front of the goaltender but not able to convert.
(#15) One last example of a great scoring chance missed from the slot.
Grade: 50
Skills
His puck handling skill is average and you will not see him challenge defenders one on one very often. However, Poletin can surprise with his hands by creating more time and space for himself with creative stickwork. He showed great playmaking ability especially in lower level games like in the U20 in Finland and in international games. However, he had more difficulty demonstrating that during his time in the Liiga where the pace is higher. But, it is probably because he is trying to adapt to the speed of play in the Liiga and, eventually, with more confidence and ice time, he will be able to showcase that part of his game more often.
With that said, the main skill that Poletin possesses that is above average is his play close to the net. He uses his body really well to be better positioned to fight for rebounds and win lose pucks. He can be very disturbing for a goaltender because he is always around the net and making screens in front of them. He finishes well in tight and executes under pressure; the mark of a skilled player.
Puck protection is another of his main attributes that stands out in Poletin’s game. He is really strong on his skates and he plays hard on pucks which makes it difficult for opponents to take the puck away from him. Also, when he decides to attack the net, it is difficult to stop him. He might not do it in the most elegant way but he will find a way to get the puck to the front of the net.
(#44) A great demonstration of puck handling skill here from Poletin. This is the kind of play that he is able to do from time to time.
(#15) This sequence is to demonstrate Poletin’s play around the net which is his main ability and it is where he scores most of his goals.
(#15) Another video that shows Poletin’s tenacity around the net and his ability to find rebounds.
(#44) In this longer clip, we see a good engagement from Poletin on the backcheck and in the defensive zone. However, the part towards the end of it where we see him mishandle the puck is an example of an aspect of his game that happens sometimes with or without pressure, leading one to believe that his skill potential could have limitations.
(#44) A nice zone entry from Poletin with good puck protection to keep control of the puck while going around the net to give time to his teammates to get open. He completes that sequence with a great pass in the slot through traffic which shows that he has good playmaking ability in him.
(#44) Here, Poletin receives the puck in the corner and quickly identifies his teammates alone close to the net.
(#15) Another good zone entry from Poletin and we can see that he keeps his head up and makes a great crossover pass that leads to a scoring chance.
Grade: 52.5
Smarts
Tomas Poletin’s hockey IQ is relatively good in the sense that he is reliable at both ends of the ice and he rarely makes bad decisions with the puck. He is not a super creative player but he has good offensive awareness and he can make plays that create scoring chances. He anticipates plays quite well which allows him to compensate for his lack of explosivity. Poletin knows where to be on the ice in all three zones, either with or without the puck. There is nothing flashy in his game but he is the type of player that can be put on the ice and he will not hurt his team.
In the lower levels (like U20), he doesn’t commit a lot of turnovers by getting rid of the puck under pressure. Poletin’s decision making with the puck is good and he manages it well. Most of the time, when there is no play at the blue line, he will play it safe by putting the puck being the defensemen and start the forecheck. However, in Liiga action, his workhorse mentality hasn’t been nearly as effective, leading to turnovers and plays dying on his stick. You hope that this is a matter of him getting used to the pace of the pro level. There has been some flashes of him in the Liiga executing plays at a high speed and in movement, so, again, you hope that with time and confidence that part of his game will improve.
Throughout the season, and up until now, Poletin has been used in multiple situations with his club in Finland and with Czechia in international games. He saw ice time on the powerplay where he plays net front, on the penalty kill, when it’s time to defend a lead late in a game, and in overtime at 3-on-3. On the penalty kill, he is efficient with good positioning, a good stick and he knows when he can apply pressure and when to stay more passive.
(#15) This is an example of the good defensive reads that he makes. Here he sees that his defenseman is going to put pressure in the corner which leaves an opponent all alone in front of the net. Poletin reacted quickly to mark the player and to take his stick.
(#15) Poletin can make some great plays in the offensive zone and this video shows it. He sees his teammate getting open in the slot and makes a great pass to him to create a scoring chance.
(#15) Here we can see that Poletin has decent offensive awareness. He carries the puck toward the corner but instead of jamming the puck along the board and killing the play, he turns, beating the pressure and allowing his teammates to position themselves, then makes a great short pass in tight which ultimately leads to a high danger chance.
(#44) Poletin is a good penalty killer and here is an example of that. He uses his stick well to close passing lanes and knows when it is a good time to apply pressure on the puck carrier to limit his time and space.
(#15) This sequence is an example of Poletin being able to play at a high pace in the Liiga. At the end of the clip, he receives the puck in movement on the breakout on the left wing and with his head up, he completes a nice pass across the neutral zone while under pressure.
(#15) Here we can see that Poletin will at times rush plays in the Liiga because he doesn’t have the confidence yet to play at that level. He receives the puck on the breakout and makes a bad read by chipping the puck on the board but he did not realise that he had time to execute a better play by being more patient to escape the pressure by carrying the puck toward the middle of the ice where there was open space.
Grade: 55
Physicality/Compete
Poletin’s compete level is one of his main traits and it is consistent. He is tenacious on the forecheck and can create turnovers because of it that often lead to scoring chances. Poletin fits the definition of a power forward as he plays a simple north-south type of game and he is always trying to drive the net or to make a screen in front of the goalie. As described earlier, he fights for every rebound and he is hard to box out for a defenseman.
On the defensive side, Poletin is engaged and executes all the little details that will help his team defend. He completes his backchecks, he identifies and marks quickly opponents in the defensive zone coverage, he is not afraid to put his body in front of shots, and he gives support to his defensemen to help get the puck out as quickly as possible.
(#44) Excellent sequence here from Poletin where he makes a great back check by staying with the puck carrier and applying backpressure. After that, he keeps his feet moving and takes away the puck with a good stick. This is a great example that shows how Poletin is engaged and tenacious in all three zones.
(#15) Again, he is tenacious on the puck carrier and makes a good back check which denies the zone entry by the opponent.
(#15) In this clip, Poletin shows how effective he can be on the forecheck. He anticipates that the Finnish defenseman wanted to make the pass behind the net for a D to D, so Poletin quickly cuts this option and completes his check which creates a turnover that leads to him scoring a goal.
(#15) Poletin is always finding a way to be in front of the goalie and he fights hard for rebounds like we can see in this video.
(#44) Here Poletin finishes his check on the forecheck which creates a turnover and a great scoring chance for him.
(#15) A good solid hit from Poletin here in the Liiga.
(#15) Another example that shows he is not afraid to finish his checks even against men.
Grade: 55
OFP: 52.875
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.