Film Room: Stanislav Svozil, and whether to value tools or habits at the NHL Draft

What matters most when ranking players? Is it a player's physical tools -- handling, skating, passing and shooting techniques? Or is it their habits -- how and where those techniques are used?

This has proven to be a critical question for our scouts when we develop our draft board. This year, it gives us the most pause when appraising the value of young Czech blue line sensation, Stanislav Svozil. 

Svozil has received about middling tool grades across the board from EPRinkside evaluators. His skating allows him to shadow attackers and escape from forecheckers, but we don't predict that he will beat NHL opponents in foot races all that often. He can maneuver the puck around opposing sticks, but not dangle his way out of scrums. He can fire in a variety of ways, but combining power and precision is not a strength. 

You get the picture.