An agile skater, Svozil does an excellent job utilizing his edges and timing to shut down attacks, keep a good gap, and completely take away space from oncoming attackers. Svozil is a strong skater that shows off great speed and an ability to find skating lanes while moving from outside lanes to the inside lane and entering the zone with control. He shows impressive instincts at both ends of the ice. He can read a play and know exactly when to attack the puck carrier, taking the puck and starting the play back the other way. He knows when to attack the offensive zone with a quick rush. Picking up the puck, he reads pressure well, quickly turning one way and make a nice stretch pass to get the puck out of danger. He can do this with his feet too, utilizing crossovers to explode in transition. His feet are incredibly fast. He only uses them fully when he needs to, saving energy where he can. This quick acceleration and power comes from his stance, holding his knees over his toes, while keeping his head and chest square. His constant scanning of the ice results in quick cuts and fast decisions to really spread out the ice. He thinks the game so quickly, you can see both his team and the opposition take a second to register what he’s doing at times due to his quick processing and attacks. When moving up ice, he’s often able to create plays by making smart, safe passing plays. His ability to defend the rush can be concerning, as his backwards skating doesn’t match his forward speed and skill. He can get caught not moving his feet and losing his gap, taking too long to pivot around, at which point he’s just trying to keep up to the attacker. Luckily, he’s good with his stick which can save him on some occasions. He times his stick checks well, getting in the lane when players are about to pass him or just after they’ve passed him. However, there are at times when he completes a poke check and stops moving his feet, rather than racing to get the puck or supporting his teammates in puck pursuit via a passing option. He can also struggle physically in forcing himself into areas but that should come as he builds strength.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide