I Need More Info On Milan

Is it just me, or are their questions surrounding what Kelowna Rockets forward Milan Kytnar can provide the team this season?
The Rockets top pick in the CHL draft was the captain of Slovakia at the Under 18 championships last winter, and was subsequently drafted by the NHL's Edmonton Oilers in this summer's draft. Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton has a good take on the 18 year-old centerman, but it's always nice to get a second opinion when evaluating a player. For that I called up Edmonton Oilers Vice President of Hockey Operations Kevin Pendergast to get his take on what Kytnar brings to the table.
" We were impressed with him at the Under 18's, because he was the captain of the Slovakian team. I was impressed with the way he handled himself on the ice with his leadership and his ability to get things done. I don't think he will ever be a player in the NHL that scores a ton of goals, but he is very reliable at both ends of the ice", Pendergast added. "He's a good face-off guy, a good penalty killer and he takes care of business where he needs too. Milan has a great understanding of the game, and I think so far at training camp he has been pretty good. Obviously it's a pretty big jump to come to this camp, but we are going to keep him for another week to skate with the big guys. We certainly feel that down the road he will be a good third line player in the NHL".

What do the Oilers want him to accomplish with the Rockets this season?

"I believe they (Rockets) are going to be a young team,so again the leadership qualities that we've seen at the Under 18 championships, we need to see. It will take time for him to acclimatize himself to the North American style, but we'd like to see that from him over the next couple of years. I think with his skill, he will probably contribute with some points. The more confidence he gets by playing - from our standpoint - the better player we are going to get in the long run".

Will Kytnar shy away from contact?

"He does not shy away from the rough going. He is not your typical European. He sticks his nose right in there, and like I said the leadership qualities...if your a leader you have to go into the dirty areas to complete, and he certainly did that last year and he has been doing that at training camp."