NHL Draft 2012 Prospects: #24 Tomas Hertl

The draft, hands down, is the best time of the hockey season. Maybe I'm just saying that because the Wild haven't been seen post-season action since 2008, but that is besides the point.

So, on June 22nd-23rd, we will all sit down in front of the television/computer and watch the draft. But if you are wondering, "who's who", then you haven't been reading HW because thats my job.

So without further ado:

Introducing our 2012 NHL #24 Draft Prospect - Tomas Hertl

Accomplishments & Awards:

Prospect Jersey (What Would They Look Like In a Wild Jersey?)

Summarized Scouting Report

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

HW Projection:

Video Evidence:

Where Does He Fit In The Wild?

Hertl is a solid all-round forward, but the Wild have enough of that in the prospect pool.

Conclusion

Hertl isn't a flashy prospect. He doesn't skate down the ice in a single flash nor does he have soft and dynamic hands.What Hertl DOES bring is size, skill, and just solid all-around game.

He may not be the sexiest pick, but if you are picking near the later part of the first round, Hertl can add great value to anyone's prospect pool.

He protects the puck well, has offensive skills and stick skills, is always active, and isn't afraid of using his size to win puck battles.

To me, he is a safe pick with decent offensive upside. He is a lock to represent his country for two more years, and will have a high chance to serve as captain for a quickly improving Czech Republic junior program (with recent notables such as Dmitri Jaskins and Radek Faksa).

Special thanks to HFBoards, Future Considerations, The Hockey Writers, TSN, OHLProspeccts and The Scouting Repor