By Warren Kozireski — Players selected after the first two rounds of the NHL Entry Draft are generally considered to be long shots or projects, but plenty have beat the odds.
Buffalo Sabres defense prospect Vojtech Budik is trying to do just that.
The defenseman and fifth round pick is in his third year playing in North America for Prince Albert of the Western Hockey League and his offensive numbers have improved each season.
Now he is one of the few “veterans” returning for a second IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship with Team Czech Republic. He was playing more of a defensive role for the tournament paired with Libor Hajek in the first game, a 5-4 win over Team Russia.
“We are a good team with structure…and hard to play against,” Budik said after the first game.
Budik played in this past fall’s Sabres Prospect Camp before heading back to juniors where he had 11 points over the first 32 games prior to leaving for the championships back in his drafted team’s base.
The 6’2”, 195 lb. left shot blueliner will turn 20 years old in late January and hopes to move to the pro ranks after this WHL season and his junior career come to an end this spring.
He now has 53 points over 158 WHL games and multiple years of representing his country at various age brackets on the international stage.
“Not bad,” Budik commented about the start to his season. “I play power play and penalty kill, everything, so good.
“We can make (the) playoffs this year (after missing them last season and getting knocked out in the first round in his first year), so keep going and play hard.”
(Raiders photo)
