Martin Necas
Last season was kind of a weird one for Martin Necas. He made the Canes roster out of camp, and while he didn’t “wow” anybody in his 7-game stint with the team, he didn’t necessarily look out-of-place either. It was especially odd how, as soon as he scored his first NHL goal, he was benched and then sent to the AHL the next day, where he remained the entire season.
He spent last year in Charlotte and chipped in 52 points in 64 games as well as 13 points in 18 playoff games, quickly outgrowing that league. He name was basically etched in pen on the Canes roster after the Checkers won the Calder Cup – and he hasn’t disappointed at all.
In 64 games as an NHL rookie, Necas has 16 goals and 36 points, thanks in part to his absolutely blazing speed as well as high hockey IQ and a great set of hands. He’s also surprised me with his shot – I had no idea he could rip it the way he’s shown he can. His stickhandling ability, vision, and patience is also just top-notch:
Marty Necas 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/anxl9TiRoz
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 11, 2020
Top. Notch.
Martin Necas (@necas88) just has loads of explosive talent. pic.twitter.com/d4EHzZz1B9
— NHL (@NHL) January 22, 2020
Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour has been quite impressed with the young Czech forward:
"“He’s certainly more mature than he was last year on the ice. And off the ice he’s physically more mature. He’s still maturing physically and he’s still learning the game,” Brind’Amour said. “But he’s definitely more comfortable. He’s come a long way for sure.”"
His teammates are also extremely complementary of him, especially his great friend Andrei Svechnikov:
"“As far as his skill, he’s so fast. When he gets the puck you expect he’s going to do something good with it and have a good moment.”"
Moving forward, as Necas continues to learn and adapt to the rigors of the NHL game (his defensive awareness and strength still need some work) he has the potential to be a real key piece for the Canes moving forward.
His offensive skill is already evident, and if he can round out his game and fix up some mental stuff, he’d be a player with very few flaws in his game. I see 60-75 point potential as a top-6 forward.