"It's high-quality, but some leagues in Europe or North America or Canada are better," Svozil said of his experience with Kometa Brno, during which he had a 3-5-8 line. "But for me as a 16-, 17-, 18-year-old boy, it was a dream because you want to play at the highest level as a Czech player.
"The start was difficult. Maybe the first three, four games it was hard for me, and after those games it was better and better."
Add in consistent appearances with the Czech junior national team and many people saw Svozil as a potential high-round pick in this summer's NHL entry draft. Some even had him going in the first round, but in the end, Svozil was chosen by the Blue Jackets in the third round with the No. 69 overall pick.
Now he's off to a new adventure, but another one that will test him in a different way. Svozil is with the Blue Jackets this week to take part in the team's development camp and the annual NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich., that starts today. But when all is said and done, the 18-year-old will head to Canada to play with Regina of the WHL to continue his development.
He'll have some notable teammates there, as the Pats boast Connor Bedard -- thought to be a potential generational player and likely one of the top-two picks in the 2023 draft -- and second-round NHL draft pick Ryker Evans, just to name a few players.
It's a spot where Svozil expects to be able to continue his development -- this time with and against some of the best players in the world his age as opposed to players who might be twice his age.
"I am so happy to go to Regina because there are Connor Bedard, Ryker Evans," he said. "We will have a very young team, and I think that's the best for me."
As for what Svozil brings to the table, he jokes he'd like to get more points than he did in two years in the Extraliga, but he appears to be a solid two-way player. Already in the CBJ development camp, he's shown good hands and a sneaky accurate shot, and Svozil lists self-confidence and ability to read the game as some of his best traits.
Prospects analyst Corey Pronman of The Athletic said Svozil is an intriguing player because of his toolkit.
"He is a 6-foot-1 defenseman who can skate and make plays at both ends of the rink," Pronman wrote in a post-draft gradebook. "He has enough speed and skill to lead a rush and create offense. He can make creative offensive plays on his outlets and inside the offensive blue line. His gaps are solid, he takes the body and is reliable to play against better players. ...
"Svozil has shown the ability to play well versus men and playing ahead of his age group, which are typical indicators of future success. In a sentence, Svozil projects as a third-pair NHL defenseman with enough offense to play higher in a lineup crunch."
Svozil said he didn't know much about the Blue Jackets when he was drafted other than Czech legend Jakub Voracek was taken seventh overall by the team back in 2007. Voracek, reacquired in a draft-day trade by the Blue Jackets on the same day Svozil was drafted, reached out to the defenseman and offered to help him in any way should he need it.
The two might be teammates down the road, one reason Svozil is happy to have been chosen by the Blue Jackets.
"That was a dream for me," he said. "It was an honor to be drafted by a team like Columbus. For me, it's a new start because there is a chance to begin my pro hockey career."
