The Kid's got game

Ask any hockey observer their opinion as to which amateur team has produced the most impressive line of NHL stars and certain franchises instantly come to mind. For some it's the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, which helped launch the career of Steve Yzerman and Chris Pronger. Others will point to Sweden's MoDo AIK, which developed Peter Forsberg and Markus Naslund, or Boston University, whose alumni include snipers Tony Amonte and Scott Young.

A compelling case can also be made for Dukla-Trencin of the Slovakia Senior League. If the names Ziggy Palffy, Pavol Demitra, Miroslav Satan and Marian Hossa aren't enough to convince you, then consider its latest prodigy -- Marian Gaborik of the Minnesota Wild.

"I think he has all the skills to be something special," says Phoenix Coyotes coach Bobby Francis. "The thing that jumps out at me is his tremendous skating ability. Marian Gaborik has a beautiful stride, a very powerful stride. He has great hands and good vision on the ice that is quite remarkable for a player at such a young age (Gaborik turned 19 on Feb. 14). The first time we played Minnesota he did an end to end rush that reminded me of Gilbert Perreault. He has the ability to cut through the trap like a knife through butter. How great he will be remains to be seen but he looks like the real deal to me."

Gaborik has looked like the real deal to the Wild brass ever since they spotted him as a member of the Slovakian under-18 team in the 1999 World Championships, where he scored three goals in six games as a 16-year-old. They had no hesitation in making Gaborik the first draft pick in franchise history last June.

"We knew all along that we would be drafting somewhere in the top four so we were focused on getting one of our top four-rated players," explains Tom Thompson, chief amateur scout with the Wild. "We particularly liked Marian. We had seen him for the first time two years ago at the World Junior Championships in Winnipeg. It's very difficult for a 17-year-old to play well in that tournament, and Marian did extremely well as a 16-year-old.

"We followed him closely and saw him playing in all sorts of situations. We saw him with his team at the World Juniors, we saw him in a number of games in the elite league in Slovakia and we saw him play with his National Team against the National Teams of other European countries. We visited with his family, talked to Marian and got to know him very well."

While Minnesota never had any doubts about Gaborik's offensive instincts, they expected his transition to the NHL to be more gradual than has proven to be the case. Gaborik had learned his trade on the huge European rinks which do not have a center red line. The problems showed up early in the prospects' camp when the spirited youngster was stretching to the outside blue line and putting himself offside on nearly every play.

Marian Gaborik has goal scorer's hands and lightning-quick speed.
"When rookie camp started I don't think anybody expected him to stick (with the team) because he had to learn the defensive part of the game," says assistant coach Mike Ramsey. "We had to tell him about the two-line pass and that he had to time himself a little better. We all felt that he would struggle with that but it's amazing how fast he has learned his responsibilities as a winger. He still has his ups and downs with it but Marian made the team because of his speed, he creates opportunities and his grasp of the defensive responsibilities."

"I had a little problem in training camp with defense because in Slovakia we didn't have a red line," explains Gaborik, who scored the Wild's first goal in pre-season competition, its first goal in regular-season play and the first game-winner in franchise history. "I had to adjust and get used to it. The coaches kept reinforcing what I had to do and my defensive play improved every game. When I do something wrong defensively the coaches explain it to me so that I can do it a little differently next time. That helps me."

Of course the Wild didn't draft Gaborik to be a future fourth-line penalty-killer. The world-class rookie is already one of the team's most dangerous offensive players because of his knack for finding the open ice and scoring the big goals at key times.

"He got a goal scorer's hands," explains Ramsey. "He scores goals that you might say he was lucky -- batting pucks out of the air, scoring on the backhand while going away from the net, and if he is tied up he finds ways to get his stick free so he can get a quick shot on net. But the fact is you see the good goal scorers doing that every time you watch the highlights. It's the same guys whacking those goals in and they don't score by accident. If you chip the puck behind the defense or into open spaces, Marian can track the puck down with his speed. He is usually the first guy on the puck and can cause a lot of puck pressure."

"I try to use my speed," adds Gaborik. "When I get the puck I can get some very good scoring chances. Last year I played left wing, but now I am playing right wing and I've adjusted to it well. I like right wing. I find that I can get a little better wrist shot from the right side. My hero growing up was Peter Bondra and it's my goal to be like him one day. He is an excellent player with great speed and a goal scoring touch. But I have to keep improving to become a player like that."

The Wild carefully avoid the hype of placing such a young player in the role of franchise maker.

"What makes Marian Gaborik special is the fact that he is an 18-year-old playing in this League," concludes Ramsey. "Marian can fire the puck in full stride and ring it off the far post up high and not many people possess that ability. He's got huge upside potential and is fun to watch but he's a long way from being a star. What is so exciting is he is an 18-year-old playing in the NHL and playing a regular shift. He's got game. We'll see how far it goes."