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Paul Szczechura

Submitted by timothy on July 9, 2008 - 11:33

Basics

Type: 
Prospect
Position: 
Center
Shoots/Catches: 
Right
Height: 
5.11
Weight: 
175 lbs.
Born: 
November 30, 1985
Hometown: 
Brantford, ONT
Acquired: 
Signed as an unrestricted free agent on April 24, 2008
Last Team: 
Norfolk (AHL)
Projects As: 
Reserve forward
Prospect Ranking: 
15
Depth Chart Weight: 
8

Draft Info

Draft Status: 
Undrafted

Contract

Contract Status: 
Signed
Waiver Status: 
Waiver Exempt
Signing Date: 
04/24/2008
Contract Length: 
2 years
Cap Number: 
$600,000
Contract End Year: 
2010
Contract End Status: 
RFA
Salary: 
$550,000
Salary: 
$650,000

Bio

History: 

Midget Career

  • Paul Szczechura grew up as a midget hockey superstar in Brantford, Ontario, home of the Gretzkys, winning a MWJHL scoring title in his final season at that level before moving on to Western Michigan of the CCHA.

College Career

  • With the Broncos, Szczechura quickly became a star scoring 45 goals and 130 points over the course of his four year, 153 game college career to go along with 107 career penalty minutes.

Professional Career

  • Despite his solid college career, Szczechura was passed over by the NHL Draft. In 2007 he signed an ATO contract with Iowa Stars where he scored 3 goals and 7 points in 14 games to go with 19 penalty minutes. In 10 playoff games with Iowa, Szczechura had 1 goal and 4 points in 10 games with 8 penalty minutes.
  • That summer, he signed an AHL contract with Iowa and in 2007-2008 he started his first full AHL campaign. After 29 games with Iowa, in which he had a disappointing 2 goals and 5 points with 15 penalty minutes, he was sent to the Norfolk Admirals for future considerations as a part of a swap that sent Dan Jancevski to the Stars in exchange for Junior Lessard. With the Admirals, Szczechura blossomed, scoring 14 goals and 26 points in 24 games with 16 penalty minutes.
  • In the summer of 2008, Szczechura was signed to a two year deal by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Scouting Report

Scouting Comments: 

Pete Choquette says, "The mark of a great player is when they have the ability to elevate the play of the players around them. Szczechura did more to elevate the play of a prospect like Radek Smolenak in a month than any player or coach had done in the prior one and a half seasons. He's not the most athletically gifted player, but he's a solid, smart, good all-around hockey player, and those types of players are the ones coaches are looking for at any level of the sport."

Strengths: 

Szczechura is a smart playmaker with very good vision at the offensive side of the rink and soft hands around the net. He's a tireless worker with a high motor who has had to earn his place thus far in his hockey career: nothing has been handed to him. He's solid defensively and on draws. Put simply, he's just a good all-around hockey player.

Weaknesses: 

The biggest knocks on Szczechura have been his lack of size and that he is only an average skater.

Projection: 

Szczechura came out of nowhere to earn a contract with the Lightning and now has to be taken seriously as a contender to make the Lightning within the next year or two at the center position. The Lightning have already struck gold twice recently with undrafted college players with Martin St. Louis and Eric Perrin, Szczechura could be the third. If he makes the NHL, he likely projects as a checking line energy player who can chip in offensively.

Statistics