A new Comet enters Canucks’ orbit
Meteoric rise of former sixth-round pick Jasek has led to a key role with AHL team
TORONTO — This is how Trent Cull sized up the situation when Lukas Jasek fell out of the sky, literally, and landed in Utica, N.Y., three weeks ago.
The kid had a decent season with Liberec in the Czech elite league, but he was arriving on an amateur tryout contract without much fanfare and the Vancouver Canucks had half a dozen prospects who were rated higher.
Cull, the Comets’ head coach, also had a relatively full stable at the time and more bodies were expected from Vancouver in the near future, all of which meant Jasek’s dream of playing in North America seemed as far away as, well, the Czech Republic.
But Jasek, as we shall see, doesn’t discourage easily. Three weeks later, the 20-year-old winger has carved out a regular place in the Comets’ lineup, earned a three-year entry level contract from the Canucks and played his way into the team’s immediate and long-term plans, all because he decided to bet on himself.
Turns out that was a pretty good bet.
“I told him there were no expectations,” says Cull. “But we had an opening, he played, picked up a goal and two assists and he hasn’t looked back.
“He’s earned a spot on our team. The more I’m around him, the more I appreciate him as a player.”
And that feeling is catching throughout the organization.
Jasek made his American Hockey League playoff debut Saturday in the Comets’ 3-2 overtime loss to the host Toronto Marlies in Game 1 of their best-of-five opening-round series.
Under ordinary circumstances, this would be a significant moment for the young Czech, but in a threeweek whirlwind that has taken him from the Czech Republic to the edge of a dream, it’s just another sign post that’s whizzing by.
“I feel very good and I’m very happy to be here,” Jasek says. “I’m sorry. My English isn’t so good.”
That’s OK. His story is.
In late March, Jasek left the Czech Republic armed with a tryout contract with the Comets and no guarantees he’d see any live action. His flight coming out of the Czech Republic to Munich was delayed and his flight from Munich to Toronto was cancelled, which meant he arrived in Utica after a 24-hour travel day.
The Comets, as it happened, were also playing their third game in four days the next night in Springfield, Mass., and a flu bug had run through the team.
Cull went to Jasek and said, “What do you think, kid?” He nodded, mostly because his English is still limited, then went out and picked up a goal and two helpers in a Comets win.
And, as his coach says, he hasn’t looked back. In six games, he has three goals and seven points, six at even strength, and Saturday he took a regular shift with Zack McEwen and Michael Chaput and saw some power-play time.
The Canucks also announced Friday he’d signed an entry level deal worth $2.775 million if he plays in the NHL, which at this point is a distinct possibility.
“He’s come in and just kicked the door down,” said Canucks president Trevor Linden, who’s in Toronto for the first two games of the series.
“The kid is really focused on what he wants and how he’s going to get there,” said his agent Allan Walsh. “It’s rare you see a kid that age as focused as he is.”
So how did this happen? How did this unheralded 2015 sixth-round pick morph into a legitimate prospect who’ll either be playing in Vancouver or Utica next season?
Sit down. This may take some time. Jasek, it seems, always wanted to play in North America, but some combination of his low profile, disinterest from the Canadian Hockey League and the machinations of the Czech league kept him in Europe.
After bouncing around various teams at various levels in his home country, he changed representation to Walsh, who told him the quickest way to North America was to have a big year in Liberec.
He responded with eight goals and 18 points this season, the highest total for a U20 player.
Utica then offered him the amateur tryout — “There were no assurances, no promises, not even a discussion about next season,” said Walsh — which quickly turned into a professional tryout and here he is, even if he’s always been around.
In 2016, Jasek attended a Canucks rookie development camp, where he caught the eye of GM Jim Benning. Benning says the youngster was always a plus skater, but his hands have now caught up to his speed. Cull echoes those comments.
“He skates really well, but the big thing with him is he makes plays at the same pace,” Cull says.
As for the language barrier, that’s a work in progress.
“Sometimes I’m talking to him and I’ll say, ‘Did you understand me?’” Cull says. “He’ll shrug and I’ll say, ‘OK, let’s go to (video)’ and I’ll show him.
“But it doesn’t matter what language you speak if you understand the game.”