Top 25 Under 25, 2024

Ottawa Senators Top 25 Under 25 2024, #22: Jan Jeník

Does Ottawa have a new bottom-six centre? Or is Jeník bound for Belleville?

Last Year: N/R, Reader Rank: 17

Ranked 23rd by our former-SB Nation colleagues Five For Howling during their Top 25 Under 25 for the Coyotes organization in 2023, the newly-acquired forward czechs in at 22 for our Silver Seven team.

Despite being drafted two years earlier than the player he was traded for – 2020's 61st overall pick Egor Sokolov – Jeník is actually the same age; he was drafted 65th overall in his first year of draft eligibility. Over four pro seasons in the Coyotes organization, Jeník has skated in 22 career NHL games, scoring his first goal in his NHL debut on May 7, 2021.

Here's what Sens GM Steve Staios had to say about the trade when it happened:

"Jan is a versatile and skilled forward capable of playing at both centre and on the wing, he’s tenacious and demonstrates good offensive upside.”

Since Jeník is brand new to the organization and we haven't written a longer profile on him for Silver Seven, I decided to make this piece longer than what we'll usually write for our T25U25 series so that you can better understand him as a player and as a person.

In his home country of Czechia, Jeník has been on scouts' radar as one of the top forwards in his age group for a few years, consistently playing top minutes in the U18 league and then U20 league as a double underager alongside Avalanche first-rounder Martin Kaut, Stars fourth-rounder Matej Blumel, and Bruins third-rounder Jakub Lauko.

Jeník entered his draft year as the youngest draft-eligible player – being born on September 15th, 2000, a full 364 days younger than fourth-overall pick, Brady Tkachuk. He started his season on a hot streak by scoring six goals to lead the Hlinka Gretzky U18 international tournament in goals scored, followed by five goals in seven preseason games. Jeník spent the bulk of his season – 30 games – in Czechia's second-tier men's league for Benátky nad Jizerou, averaging around 16-minutes per night across all-situations. He contributed nearly two shots per game, and his 11 points as a draft-eligible player ranked third league-wide, earning him a six-game stint in the top-flight Czech Extraliga, where Kaut and Lauko spent their year. His five points in three playoff games with Bílí Tygři Liberec’s U20 team helped them finish as league runners-up. To end off his season, Jeník showed off his playmaking ability, recording six assists in seven games at the U18s and was named by his coaches as one of Czechia's top three players.

Jeník was ranked 58th in TSN's Bob McKenzie's consensus ranking from NHL scouts, and solidly in the third-round by McKeen's, FCHockey, and NHL Central Scouting. Here's what stood out from his draft profiles:

a crafty playmaker who uses puck-handling skills to manipulate lanes to thread pucks through;
possesses a quick, not heavy shot;
showcases a willingness to drive the net and find soft areas of the ice despite his 165-pound frame;
has good top speed and skating posture, but needs to improve his two-step quickness to separate himself from his opponents.

In 2018-19, Jeník was drafted 6th overall by the Flint Firebirds in the CHL Import Draft, but started his year in Czechia. He recorded his first two Czech Extraliga points in 10 games, and increased his points-per-game in the second-tier men's league from 0.36 to 0.46 over 13 games before a midseason trade saw his rights change from Flint to Steve Staios' Hamilton Bulldogs, where Jeník's game really took off. With 30 points in 27 games, Jeník became one of just three Bulldogs to record above a point-per-game that season, starting a dynamic partnership with Los Angeles Kings' 2020 second-rounder Arthur Kaliyev that bore fruit in 2019-20 where Jeník grew into a two-way player who Staios called the "best player in the league." From September 27th to December 6th, 2019, Jeník recorded 56 points in 26 games – the sixth longest streak in the OHL since 2000, and just behind Brett MacLean (32), Jordan Kyrou (30), Connor McDavid, Alex DeBrincat, and John Tavares (27). He factored into just under 54% of the Bulldogs goals that season, which made it all the more devastating when he suffered a season-ending knee injury at the 2020 World Junior Championships. Jeník, a stalwart for Czechia at this point in his career, was one of the team's assistant captains, recorded five points over six games in 2019 and 2020, and helped Czechia upset Russia in the first game of the tournament.

Here's what OHL guru, McKeen's Brock Otten, had to say about Jeník's 2019-20 season:

He is just such a fun player to watch. He is relentless on and off the puck and it makes him consistently dangerous. By adding strength and improving his explosiveness this year, Jenik was able to be more consistently effective as a driver of play in transition. He doesn't mess around or take short cuts. Jenik is always pushing the pace and looking to attack the middle of the ice. There is a real variance in his attacks too, not always just taking the puck wide to beat defenders with speed. According to my research on InStat hockey, he's the leader in offensive zone entries per game for any NHL drafted prospect in the OHL (ahead of the Foudy brothers). He's also a strong two-way player who can be relied upon in any situation. At the pro level, I would expect his defensive abilities to improve even more. As a player who excels with the puck on his stick, Jenik can be prone to some offensive zone turnovers, but he never gives up on a play and is always working to get the puck back when he coughs it up. Some tweaks may be needed in the decision making department at the pro level, as he won't be able to stickhandle and skate around/through NHL/AHL defenders the way that he does in the OHL. The question is, just how much will that knee injury hurt his development? Jenik is a player who made some improvements to a previously average skating stride, it would be a shame for those improvements to stagnate or take a step backward. Continuing to strengthen his lower body will be key for his development. The skill level and effort are there though. Hopefully he's able to get back into action right away to start next season (which it sounds like he will be). I think he's a 50+ point player in the AHL.

Having impressed in multiple training camps with the Coyotes, Jeník's two biggest fans were in high-ranking positions: general manager John Chayka and head coach Rick Tocchet, now with the Canucks. Jeník turned pro during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, suiting up for 29 games with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners and two games with the Coyotes, where he scored his first two NHL goals. While Jeník's 14 points in 29 AHL games were respectable, it was the off-ice development that he noted as his largest areas of growth:

"I feel like everything got way better, not just with the game but in my lifestyle. I think I grew up a little bit more, got more mature and I think that's what helped me a lot," Jenik said, adding that moving the puck faster and work in the defensive zone required the biggest adjustments from the junior level to the pros.

Then came 2021-22, Jeník's best season of pro hockey. From a production standpoint, his 0.92 points-per-game (51GP: 17G, 30A, 47P) ranked 11th among U22 players in the AHL – ahead of Sokolov's 20th ranked 0.78 rate – and earned him a career-high 13 NHL games. In March 2022, Arizona beat reporter Craig Morgan had a wide-ranging interview with Coyotes development coach Alex Henry and Tucson assistant coach Steve Potvin that's worth reading in its entirety, but here's some quotes that stood out:

“He’s never really thought the game from the defensive standpoint so when you start to throw these different circumstances at him, it takes some time,” said Roadrunners assistant coach Steve Potvin, who coaches the forwards. “He’s always been a player that’s just used his offensive instincts and his grit to get through the defenseman; to get to the next level. He did that and he surpassed the junior ranks."

“Personally, I like Jan at center, but there’s always discussion when a player transitions from the American league to the NHL if they should be put on the wing for a little while. A lot of forwards go through that,” Henry said. “There is a tenacity and slipperiness to his game that could translate to a game on the wall as a wing, but I still see him as a center for a few different reasons.

“I think he carries speed fairly well, and he can support plays in the middle of the ice. Where we want to see him improve is to be better defensively, away from the puck and supporting plays on the defensive side. But I think he gets more puck touches at center and he’s played that position. He’s more comfortable there and I think he’s better served there.”

“I’ve had conversations with him, the staff in Tucson and (Coyotes director of player development) Mark Bell has had conversations with him about playing on that edge but not going over it,” Henry said. “He’s an emotional player and that edge is hard to find these days. If he can learn to balance not getting carried away with emotion, but controlling it, not distracting from his game, but distracting others from theirs, that could be a huge part of his game.”

“He still has some work to do,” Henry said. “It’s not like he’s a mature 25- or 26-year-old NHL player, but you see him hold guys off that are mature players at times and you see his game coming along. He’s one more step away. If he has a really big summer, I think he’s gonna be right there.”

Unfortunately for Jeník, a foot injury plagued him for much of the 2022-23 season, limiting him to just 30 games. While his production remained respectable, with 23 points in 30 games, two assists in two playoff games, and two NHL games, the lack of momentum coupled with a burgeoning Coyotes prospect pool and a new general manager in Bill Armstrong meant that he was passed on the depth chart. This led to a contract impasse that wasn't resolved until training camp began. Despite that, Jeník played well, finishing third in team scoring for a strong Roadrunners team that saw 10 players record above 30 points en route to a second-place finish in the Pacific Division.

With a franchise changeover to Utah and a NHL role even more in question for 24-25, the hope for Jeník, the Senators, and the aforementioned Sokolov is that a move to a new franchise rekindles a spark that was once there. Ottawa's bottom-six forward spots are wide open, especially on the fourth line, where Jeník might be able to carve out a role alongside motivated forwards like Noah Gregor and Angus Crookshank – feisty players who are looking to make their mark as regular NHLers. If not, Jeník will have to go through waivers to get to Belleville, hoping that a top-six role there will help him get acquainted with the systems of his new organization and be on the list for an early season call-up.