Ontario Reign: Jakub Dvořák’s Season Review

With the Ontario Reign season over, we will head into our season reviews for the prospects. Up next: Jakub Dvořák!

2024-25 stats

Games: 46

Goals: 0

Assists: 4

Points: 4

+/-: -8

PIM: 28

2024-25 season

A learning process is the best way to describe Jakub Dvořák’s season. It was the 19-year-old’s first full season playing hockey in North America after splitting time in Czechia and the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos in the 2023-24 season. So, you can imagine all the adjustments to play styles and culture he had to go through before his 20th birthday; it’s not easy. Dvořák was an interesting rookie to watch when the Reign season started because of the mixed reviews from scouts and draft experts on his skating, so we would have to get a good look ourselves.

The 6-foot-5 left-handed defenseman was eased into the lineup, being a healthy scratch at times until the end of February, when injuries on the backend elevated him into a bigger role. All in all, Dvořák finished the season with four assists in 46 games to complete his rookie campaign. As a raw product, it was apparent that the coaching and development staff would have to be patient with Dvořák’s progress, as he would take time to develop, which they were.

“He’s a young kid (19), right? He’s playing against men. So, how do you defend? Your positioning. Your stick positioning. How do you take a guy out to separate man from puck? All of those things and how important they are, and doing it consistently. Can you do it one shift? Can you do it the next shift? Tonight he put more of those shifts together where he was more consistent and his ice time reflected it”, said Reign assistant coach Chris Hajt, who is in charge of the defense, of the young left-hander on when asked on areas the coaching staff wants him to work on in his game as the season progresses after the Reign’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Calgary Wranglers.