Team: Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
Age: 18
Date of Birth: January 9th, 1994
Place of Birth: Vitkov, Czech Republic
Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 202
Shoots: Left
2011-2012 Regular Season Stats:
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| 62 | 29 | 38 | 67 | +19 | 47 |
2011-2012 OHL Playoff Stats:
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| 13 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -3 | 10 |
Faksa is one of the fastest risers in this year’s draft rankings, finishing 7th on the NHL’s North American skater list. He recently completed his rookie season in the OHL, helping lead the offensive attack in Kitchener of the OHL. He had a very strong season, but a late season concussion forced him to miss some early playoff games, returning for game three of the second round against Plymouth. Though the Rangers went on to defeat Plymouth, they were swept in the next round by the powerhouse London Knights. Faksa was not a factor on the score sheet in the series against London, perhaps feeling the lingering effects of the concussion.
Nonetheless he remains a very intriguing prospect. In addition to his offensive talent, he’s defensively responsible, modelling his game after Pavel Datsyuk. He isn’t afraid to much it up, and will go into the corners to battle for pucks. He’s got a frame that projects him to be a power forward, but he needs to bulk up (like most young prospects) to be an impact player in the NHL.
Scouting Report:Radek Faksa has seen his name shoot up the draft rankings ever since coming over to the Ontario Hockey League from HC Trinec of the Czech U20 league. Kitchener drafted the Czech native 22nd overall in the 2011 CHL Import Draft namely based on his offensively skill, but that is not all he brings to the table. Faksa has great size and does a pretty good job of utilizing it to his advantage. He’s shown to be an effective two-way player and has displayed improved consistency this year. Faksa lacks a wow factor to his game, but he projects to be a very solid mid 1st round pick at this point.
– The Scouting Report
Why he’d be a good fit in Columbus:
Faksa will likely go in the top ten, but he’d be a bit of a reach with the second overall pick. If the Jackets were to trade down in an effort to pick up an extra asset or two, or if they pick up an additional top ten pick, say, in a Rick Nash deal, Faksa would be an ideal fit. His two-way play, along with his offensive abilities would be a huge boost to the forward corps. He would look damned good on a line with Ryan Johansen, providing the two can continue to bulk up.
Faksa in Action: