July 9, 2011 /
By Mike Beasley /
Before being selected by the Ottawa Senators at this summer’s NHL Draft, Mika Zibanejad was easily one of the most mysterious and fascinating young hockey prospects to come along in years.
Scouts always mentioned his name as a potential high-end draft pick but few people were quite sure what he was all about.
At 18 years of age and 6-2, 192 pounds, Zibanejad’s size and hockey statistics are similar to many of his peers but the NHL and the Senators have probably never had a player with his family background.
Zibanejad’s father is Iranian, his mother is Finnish and Mika was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
He has two nicknames that he goes by: “Z-Bad” and more recently, the “Persian Prince.”
Ottawa must have done their homework on Zibanejad because they chose the Swedish centre with the No. 6 overall pick.
According to Senators GM Bryan Murray, the scouting report listed Zibanejad as, “a hardworking real competitive guy who goes to the net hard and battles very hard.
“When you have that kind of player with size and ability to get up and down the ice, he’s a guy who fits in very nicely.”
In several NHL scouts’ opinion, Zibanejad was about as close to a total package as you’re were going to get with forwards at this summer’s draft.
“As a center, he plays an important position and does it very well. He’s a big kid with a physical and nasty edge to his game, pretty good offensive upside, and a strong two-way game.
He may never be a big-time scorer at the NHL level, but he projects to at least be a very valuable second-line type player who could easily anchor a first line if he hits his potential.”
Zibanejad started last season with his Junior team in Djurgarden, racking up 12-9-21 points in 27 games before being called up to the Swedish Elite League for the final 26 games of the regular season where he picked up 5-4-9 points.
“Mika’s a real power forward, but also has soft hands, good vision and fine skating skills,” said Goran Stubb, the NHL’s director of European scouting.
“He has tremendous balance and is hard to knock-off the puck. He’s very strong in the battles along the boards, finishes checks with authority and has a heavy shot that he gets off quickly.”
For Zibanejad, being selected by an NHL club is a dream come true but is realistic about his chances of sticking with the Senators this fall.
Ottawa has said they will give the youngster every opportunity to win a spot on the roster. The Senators desperately need a No. 2 centre behind Jason Spezza in the rotation and Zibanejad could eventually be that guy.
“I will try to do everything I can to make the NHL this September but another season in Sweden wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“When I was called up to the Elite League, it was difficult, but after the first three or four games, it felt like I was made for that level,” he said.
“Most of the guys are very skilled in Europe but I try to add a physical part of the game and battle for pucks.”
These are the skills and traits that made Zibanejad such a high draft pick and should help solidify his spot in the Senators line-up in the very near future. |