Brooks Macek

[titanium2 867]

http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/macek.php

Position: Center

Shoots: Right

Vitals: 5'11'' / 180 lbs.

Birthdate: May 15, 1992

Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Acquired: Detroit's sixth choice (171st overall) in the 2010 draft

CSS Ranking: 86th North American skater (2010)

SCOUT COMMENTS

"He's a very skilled guy with great vision. He's an excellent skater with good speed. He competes hard, he's very skilled, and I'd call him a playmaking center, for the most part." — Red Wings scout Jeff Finley (June 2010) ... "He's another one of those guys you wish was a little bigger, but he skates so well and he sees the ice so well and he's able to produce points so well ... We're just hoping he can continue to do that." — Red Wings scout Joe McDonnell (June 2010).

STRENGTHS

Tremendous vision and playmaking ability ... Willing to go into traffic to make plays ... Gets his nose dirty ... Excellent skater with good acceleration and top speed ... Doesn't always stand out but finds a way to produce points ... Creative on the power play and works well with time and space.

WEAKNESSES

Small and slight and must get stronger to have a chance in the pros ... Has the makeup of a player whose production could stall beyond the junior level ... Doesn't neglect his defensive duties but doesn't excel in that department, either, and needs to be better.

[titanium2 867]

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/07/red_wings_prospect_camp_assess.html

73 Brooks Macek

Pluses: Macek came into camp as a right-shooting center supposedly standing 5’11” (I’ll buy that) and 180 lbs (um, try 155) who scored at a point-per-game clip with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, but looked exactly like what he was—someone two months north of his 18th birthday, and someone who looked a little out of his element among bigger, stronger, more seasoned and plain old older players. Macek and Marc-Louis Aubry never quite got over the fact that they started camp all of 13 days removed from being drafted by the Wings. That being said, Macek’s skills most certainly presented themselves inherently—his skating is not only strong but also authoritative, establishing his presence in the offensive zone in such a way as to simply force his opponents to back off and afford him the room to dish the puck to a winger or chip a high shot at the net. He did everything at a high tempo and competed hard on an every-day basis.

Minuses: He’s very physically immature and definitely experienced some culture shock. With the Tri-City Americans, he’s a big fish in a small hockey market pond, and in Detroit, he was out of his element. He’d occasionally display extremely high-skill play during a skill drill or on the breakout, but he mostly looked outclassed in terms of his physical maturity. I’d expect him to improve come September.

Potential “upside”: At this point it’s hard to say as we’re talking about a 171st overall draft pick who posted a point a game in the WHL. If he bulks up while continuing to post points at his present level and embraces the Wings’ suggestions regarding improving skating efficiency and stickhandling, the Wings could find themselves with a superb prospect on their hands in two seasons.

[titanium2 867]

From their first prospects tournament game 9/11 in which the Wings won 6 to 1.

http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospect_tournament_win_lopsided_in_more_ways_than_one/

I still haven’t figured out Macek. He looked better than he did during the summer strength and conditioning camp, he’s definitely got speed and he provides a solid presence as a center who can lug the puck up the ice, and he does possess a solid shot, as evidenced by his goal, but his +4 wasn’t necessarily indicative of his all-round performance.

[titanium2 867]

http://www.swxrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13147424

Macek added, "You got to be at your best. You got to make an impression. You only got a couple of years to make an impression on the organization that drafted you. Put some trust in you there in drafting me."

Holland said, "You know you just go into it as kind of a learning experience... Give it your all... Show them what you got. They just want to see where you are now... And so they can compare the next year how much your improving and stuff."

[titanium2 867]

50 Brooks Macek: Macek improved by leaps and bounds from the summer camp in terms of his strength and plain old level of confidence. He’s an offensively-minded center who the coaches used as a winger most regularly, and at a WHL level, he could easily post 35 goals and 80-90 points with the Tri-City Americans. What he can do among bigger and stronger players as he’s 5’10” and maybe 165 lbs? I don’t know.

http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/