As we enter the home stretch of preparation for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, we’ve already previewed a plethora of potential Kings targets among the first 32 selections in Round 1. Even so, it’s always worth noting that the Draft is more than one round deep. The further we go, the more things open up, making predictions a tad more difficult.
However, despite these obvious obstacles, we’re still mining the field for some Round 2 candidates.
With a pipeline that needs some work at multiple positions, let’s head out to the blueline and take a look at a seemingly likely player for LA to be interested in this coming Saturday.
Jakub Vanecek
Vitals
Date of Birth: February 25, 2008
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 198 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
2025-26 Season
Vanecek spent the 2025-26 season playing for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. In 59 games, he had 35 points (14 G, 21 A).
Like Two Passing Ships
There is an unexpected connection between Vanecek and Los Angeles, though maybe not as deep as one would think. For the 2023-24 season, Tri-City’s young blueliner had not come to North America yet. He was actually playing in Czechia’s junior leagues, competing in multiple circuits. This included a stint with Bílí Tygři Liberec at the U20 level. Kings prospect Jakub Dvorak also played briefly on the same team. However, the two never played together in a game.
At Least This Is More Tangible
Vanecek has had a more recent connection with a prospect from LA, though it’s also different from what we have in mind when discussing player relationships. The mobile blueliner was on Czechia’s U20 World Junior Championship roster this past year, and Vojtech Cihar won silver alongside him.
However, Vanecek never played a game in the tournament, so the duo never played a game together, but at least they’ve practiced with each other.
You Don’t Want to Get THAT Kind of Streak
To say the season’s end would be rough for Vanecek and his team would be an understatement. The young blueliner led his defense corps in scoring, but there was a lot of adversity in the end. Tri-City lost 20 of its last 21 games to get knocked out of playoff contention.
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
No. 71 by Ryan Ma. “Vanecek is the type of defenseman I tend to find myself liking more than consensus because while there may not be a ton of flashy production or ultra high-end offensive creation, there’s a really solid foundation of mobility, defensive habits and transitional play here that feels projectable long term. He’s definitely still somewhat of a project and I don’t think the ceiling is massive offensively, but the combination of size, skating and defensive instincts really is pretty enticing.
The first thing that jumps out watching Vanecek is just how mobile he is for his frame. He’s a really smooth skater who moves well laterally, closes space effectively and generally looks comfortable operating in transition on both sides of the puck. There’s a fluidity to the way he moves that makes him pretty effective defending rushes because he rarely looks panicked or overextended trying to recover. One sequence that stood out early in my viewings was him aggressively jumping up into the play, beating a forward closing out on him and slipping a saucer pass into the middle to extend the attack. Those flashes aren’t necessarily constant, but they show there’s at least some offensive instinct and confidence underneath the more defense-first approach.”
No. 32 by McKeen’s, “There’s nothing that Vanecek is necessarily bad at, per se, or that is a serious concern about his game. Rather, what’s holding him back is that he often leaves you wishing that he made just a little more of an
impact across the board. He has ample amounts of size and strength to work with, and he’ll accomplish the requisite tasks of playing the body and battling for position, but he doesn’t exactly make it painful or unpleasant for opponents. For a defenceman who can skate as well as he does it would be nice to see him increase his pace of play another level or two, to create more open ice for his team and to apply more pressure on the other team. And even though he can be relied upon to consistently and correctly recognize and make the simple play in the offensive zone he doesn’t exhibit much creativity and vision, nor the willingness to try creating an offensive break through sheer force of will. These are all areas that seem improvable for him with enough time and attention and the right developmental environment, but it’s not clear how many will actually see advancement, or which ones.
Defencemen like Vanecek aren’t up every NHL team’s alley, but some will see him as an opportunity well worth exploring. Montreal Canadiens defender Mike Mathseon had a very similar profile at the same age, and while it took him longer than hoped to fully come into his own there’s no denying now how useful of a player he eventually became. If an organization can afford to be patient with Vanecek they could earn themselves a similar kind of reward.”
No. 54 by Hockey Prospect, “Jakub Vanecek is a left-shot defenseman for the Tri-City Americans who came over as an import from Czechia. Vancek put up better offensive numbers than maybe some predicted, earning time on the power play and showing good instincts in the offensive zone to pinch up and make plays. In his own end, Vanecek is great in coverage managing his gaps well and playing tight to opponents taking away both time and space in addition to any scoring lanes. There were times this year where it felt like he was chasing play but that was not a major trend for his season and with his intelligence it is likely that he develops out of any of these behaviours. On the rush, Vanecek is good at using his frame and positioning to keep attacking forwards to the outside to prevent entries and shut down offensive opportunities.
Vanecek is a safe defenseman who is often in position, keeping the puck in safe areas of the ice and using his size to box out opponents. He is not elite at any of his skills but is well rounded and is a trustworthy defenseman in any situation. Gaining a more rugged side to his game will help in his own end as he plays tight and could dissolve plays more if he utilized pins to the wall and some aggression in clearing the net.”
See For Yourself
Video of Vanecek vs. the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks:
Final Comments
Two-way defenders are often double-edged swords: either they fulfill their promise of excelling at 200-foot hockey or they don’t. When a coach can depend on a player on both ends of the ice, there can be improved stability, especially with special teams.
In the event a defender can’t perform both roles, hopefully an identity gets established quickly so he can focus on fitting in at the pro level. With Vanecek, his tools facilitate the opportunity to do well with either, which is probably why he gets billed as one with the capacity to be a two-way rearguard.
His mobility is key. Defensively, if one can cover a lot of ice quickly, they can close off passing lanes, keep rushers to the outside, and recover lost coverage. Offensively, speed can lead or join a rush, walk the blueline with a man advantage, or even crash the net.
With Vanecek, scouting services seem to have a consensus: he isn’t elite in any aspect but is reliable in all facets. That’s typically a compliment worth paying attention to during Draft season. Without any high-end talents, it may read like someone who has bottom-four potential. Again, when you’re into Rounds 2 and 3, that can be exactly what a team is expecting and likely even looking for.
To see more profiles from this year’s Draft Preview series, be sure to check out the links down below.
Chat with David: You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
2026 NHL Draft Preview: Defenseman Nikita Shcherbakov, Russia
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