A tall drink of water, and the first right shot defenseman, Czechs in for our series on 2025 NHL draft profiles
Welcome back to our feature on draft profiles for projected top picks in the upcoming 2025 NHL draft. Catch up with the previous ones here:
No 1: Matthew Schaefer
No 2: Michael Misa
No. 3: Porter Martone
No. 4: Anton Frondell
No. 5: James Hagens
No. 6: Caleb Desnoyers
No. 7: Jake O’Brien
No. 8: Roger McQueen
No. 9: Victor Eklund
No. 10: Jackson Smith
For the rankings, we have turned to the venerable Bob McKenzie from TSN for his listing of players. McKenzie’s list is typically in-tune with the NHL, because his rankings are an average that comes from surveying 10 active NHL scouts. As such, the list is set as follows for players we will look to profile in the coming weeks to spread some awareness and knowledge for Pittsburgh NHL fans to get to know some of the top prospects.
No. 11: Radim Mrtka, 6’6” 207 pounds, RD, Seattle (WHL)
It took a while but we finally have the first right-handed defenseman to profile. And boy is it a doozy, Radim Mrtka stands out literally with his size. A mid-season switch from the Czech league over to the WHL was handled well and Mrtka was playing 25 minutes by the end of the year for Seattle. Ranked as high as fifth by NHL Central Scouting (for North American skaters, since that is where Mrtka ended up playing), he’s settled into the 11-13 zone by most scouting services from his Elite Prospects profile.
Despite his skill and frame, there are questions that linger about Mrtka. He moves the puck well, but not always consistently. He probably is not going to be a top power play figure in the NHL. Defensively he can be physical and use his size to his advantage, but he doesn’t display a naturally lengthy mean streak either. Mrtka’s hockey IQ isn’t raved about, but it doesn’t appear to be a negative either. He skates well for his size and his coordination has been improving to make him a no doubt first rounder, but in some ways he’s something of a tweener for his future projection and role.
NHL teams had a similar prospect profile just last year in the case of Anton Silayev, and despite some pre-draft hype, he fell to 10th overall. There was also a Russian factor for signability in play in that case that doesn’t apply to Mrtka but dealing with very tall, draftable defensemen who aren’t exactly Chris Pronger or Victor Hedman types can present a challenge to NHL clubs. Everyone will make a lot of time for Mrtka’s size to consider him as a pick — especially since he’s one of the top prospects who will be on the board in the Pick 2- 10 range, but seeing exactly who steps up and wants to draft him will be a very interesting story for a team like the Penguins sitting at 11.
—
They said it
Mrtka has the look of an NHL defenseman as there aren’t many 6-foot-6 defenders who can skate and handle the puck well. On his best shifts, Mrtka makes a major impact with how he can make stops and get up into the attack. He has some offense, with good hands and offensive instincts, but I wouldn’t call him a projected power-play type in the NHL as I don’t see a player who thinks the game at a super high level. Mrtka uses his size well enough to make stops. You’d like him to be a bit meaner at times, but he gives a strong effort and will break up a lot of plays due to his natural athleticism. He projects as a second pair defenseman.
I really struggle with what to do with Radim Mrtka. I think he’ll be a player drafted before I would take him, but that’s only because I have more doubts about just how valuable he could be to an NHL roster. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got the size, mobility and reach to make it work, and he’s a hard, crisp passer who defends well in transition and I think he’ll make a good middle pair defenseman who can kill penalties and eat good minutes. If his name came up over a name like Bear, Cootes, or Svrcek, I could very, very easily be swayed to go after Mrtka, his defensive zone impact in pursuit of puck carriers relies too much on his raw reach which feels like a limitation, and I don’t buy his offensive zone play as projectable to the NHL. Going back to last year though, I see similarities to names like Levshunov and Silayev here where there are good tools that are deployed okay but the results and offensive upside are a bit questionable.
A 6-foot-5, right-shot defenceman who can think the game and make plays under pressure, and his improvement has been tremendous. Now you’re watching his coordination come together. I mean, 6-foot-5, you’re starting to get your legs underneath you, and now I’m watching him impact the game in more ways, [with] the confidence and assuredness in his game.”
Mrtka started the year in the top pro league in Czechia. But a move to the WHL before the World Juniors was huge for his development. He’s been a big-time producer with the Thunderbirds and would probably finish with 50 points in a full season. Tack on the fact he’s 6-foot-6, a right-hand shot and quite mobile and there’s a lot to like. I could see Mrtka going in the top 10 because there are so many elements to his game that should make him an effective NHL defenseman.
How’s this for an up-and-down season? Mrtka opened eyes at the Hlinka, hardly played in the Czech pro league, didn’t play at all in the world juniors, moved to North America, started on fire, ended slowly, and had a mediocre U18. Size and skating will lead to him being selected high, but patience in development will likely be required.
Mrtka has been logging massive minutes for the Thunderbirds, averaging over 25 per game and being deployed in all situations. The giant, right-shot defenceman provides a wide-ranging skill set. He’s proven he’s capable of contributing better than secondary offence (3G-32A in 43 regular season games) and can be relied upon to block shots and kill plays defensively with his size and length. His small area quickness will need to continue to evolve, but he’s adjusted nicely to the smaller ice surface in North America compared to what he was used to playing on in his native Czechia.
—
Despite being ranked 11th in this consensus, Mrtka has a very good chance of getting drafted in the top 10 before the Penguins get a chance to pick at No 11. He’s the best pro prospect as a right handed defenseman and his impressive size screams top-10 pick. However, teams can pick at his decision making, puck skills and possible ceiling as a second pair player being more likely than a star first pair defender as being reasons to favor other prospects.
If anything, you won’t often be wrong erring on the side of assuming NHL clubs will be quicker to draft 6’6” right handed defensemen in the top 10 than see him passed over in the range where he would be a realistic possibility starting around pick 6-7. Add in the supply for top-10 defensemen gets very thin, very quickly this year once Matthew Schaefer gets selected early and Mrtka would figure to be a great candidate to go early.
Slightly off topic but of pertinence, the late-rising Brady Martin (to be profiled next as No. 12 of the McKenzie consensus) also has a very good chance of hearing his name called in the top-10. That development paired with Mrtka also going early would mean that mathematically two members of McKenzie’s top 10 (which would be Victor Eklund and Jackson Smith, if we had to guess) will be on the board at the 11 spot for Pittsburgh. So in a long about way to get early strategy in for what “could” happen (which…anything “could” happen on draft night), that might be the landscape the Pens deal with.
It doesn’t necessarily mean much to tie Mrtka to the Pens because is the 11th profile and ranked player and Pittsburgh picks 11th, as this preview series has shown there is going to be a ton of variability for how each team will rank players in the range from 8 to about 12 or 13. The draft opens up quite a bit at this point, and sitting at the end of this tier — the Pens task may be sorting through which one or maybe two players remain from the Martin/Mrtka/Smith/Eklund grouping and taking who is left. (Assuming they don’t like an Aitcheson, Bear or Lykovic prospect more, but that is getting ahead of ourselves for now.)
But since this is the 11th profile and the Pens pick 11th, a few words on how the draft may find itself breaking up to reveal possibilities for Pittsburgh is starting to come into focus.