NEWARK, NJ — With the 141st pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders selected defenseman Vladimir Dravecky.
For many, including myself, we hadn’t heard of the right-shot Czech blue-liner before then.
Fast-forward a few months, and he’s turning just about every head that sees him play.
On Sunday, Dravecky skated in his first-ever NHL preseason game, paired with Marshall Warren.
He played 18:39, with 5:17 of that coming as the quarterback of the top power-play unit.
On the man advantage, at the 55-second mark of the second period, Dravecky made a slick pass over to forward Cole Eiserman for a one-timer finish, which gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at the time in what ultimately became a 2-1 defeat:
“It was great. He slapped that over to me, and it’s one of those plays where I’m sure it’s so hard for the goalie… boom, boom,” Eiserman said about Dravecky’s play. “It was a great pass. It was right in my wheelhouse a little bit, so it was good.”
Following the game, I asked head coach Pete DeBoer about Dravecky’s play throughout camp and in the game.
“He did a great job,” DeBoer said. “We threw him right in, running the first power play and a lot of ice time. That’s his first real pro hockey game. He’s probably the youngest kid on the ice, maybe, or one of them for sure. So, I thought he did a great job. He’s had a great camp.”
But there’s plenty more to Dravecky’s story.
Here’s more from an NHL pro scout, Calum Ritchie and Cole Eiserman on what’s stood out about the 18-year-old, plus an exclusive Q&A with Dravecky on his camp, his influences and more: