It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! Earlier this week, we released the TWC consolidated 2025 NHL Draft rankings. The 2025 NHL Draft will take place on June 27 and 28 in Los Angeles.
Up next is the towering defenceman from Czechia, Radim Mrtka. He is a 6’6″ stay-at-home defender who played his draft season for both the HC Oceláři Třinec of the top Czech league and the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Most of the media have predicted that he will end up falling somewhere towards the back of the lottery.
Who is Radim Mrtka?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radim Mrtka | Defence | Right | 6’6″ | 210 lbs |
Mrtka’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | D-3 | Czechia U17 | BK Havlíčkův Brod U17 | 41 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| 2022–23 | D-2 | Czechia U17 | HC Oceláři Třinec U17 | 36 | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| International-Jr | Czechia U16 (all) | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 2023–24 | D-1 | Czechia U17 | HC Oceláři Třinec U17 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 13 |
| Czechia U20 | HC Oceláři Třinec U20 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 11 | ||
| Czechia | HC Oceláři Třinec | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| WHC-17 | Czechia U17 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| International-Jr | Czechia U17 (all) | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| WJC-18 | Czechia U18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| International-Jr | Czechia U18 (all) | 16 | 0 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 2024–25 | D+0 | Czechia U20 | HC Oceláři Třinec U20 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Czechia | HC Oceláři Třinec | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Czechia2 | HC Frydek-Mistek | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| WHL | Seattle Thunderbirds | 43 | 3 | 32 | 35 | ||
| WJC-18 | Czechia U18 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| International-Jr | Czechia U18 (all) | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| International-Jr | Czechia U20 (all) | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Mrtka’s strengths
Strong defensively
Mrtka makes his money in the defensive zone. Very physical in his own zone and can defend almost anyone. Effective at pushing forwards into the corners and avoiding penalties despite a physical style. While he does have his weaknesses in the defensive zone, his strengths outnumber them tenfold and have many scouts excited for what he could do at the next level.
Mobile for his size
Despite standing at 6’6″ and weighing 210 pounds, Mrtka is quite quick. He has very impressive straight-line speed thanks to taking large strides, which comes in handy for carrying the puck up ice. Can move horizontally well, which he uses a lot on power plays. His effective skating ability and large frame make him very hard to knock off the puck.
Can contribute offensively
While he is mainly a defensive defenceman, he is in no way bad offensively. His shot needs work, but he makes up for it with strong playmaking skills. His previously mentioned mobility and athleticism also come into play here, as he is also a very effective puck carrier.
Mrtka’s areas of improvement
Consistency under pressure
Mrtka has a tendency to rush decisions under pressure. This often leads to turnovers and needs to be fixed before he makes the jump to the NHL. This tendency becomes especially noticeable when he is pressured in his own zone.
Needs to adjust to North American hockey
Radim Mrtka has played the vast majority of his hockey career so far in Czechia. His only experience playing hockey in North America was this year in the WHL and in IIHF World Junior Tournaments. He will need some time to properly adjust to the speed and pace of smaller rinks.
Mrtka’s comparables
With his defensively sound play style, size, and athleticism, a comparison has been made to Travis Sanheim. Although Sanheim isn’t quite as tall as Mrtka, his lockdown play and offensive skillset show a pretty good example of a potential ceiling for the Czech defenceman.
Fit with the Flames
While he would be an interesting pick-up for the Flames, right defence isn’t currently a position of need for the Flames. Calgary’s prospect pool on that side already features the likes of Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz, Henry Mews, and more. If the Flames were to draft a defenceman in the first round this season, it is much more likely that they look for a lefty.
Summary
Radim Mrtka is an impressive defensive prospect with high upside and limited risks. While I wouldn’t bet on him starting the year on an NHL roster, once he has adjusted to the smaller rinks and gotten more consistently sound. He has the potential to be a legitimate shutdown defenceman in the NHL.
Risk: 2/5
Reward: 4/5
Projection: Top four defenceman
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:
Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau | Malcolm Spence | Cameron Reid | Logan Hensler | Cameron Schmidt | Ben Kindel | Kashawn Aitcheson | Cullen Potter | Braeden Cootes | Ivan Ryabkin | Blake Fiddler | Cole Reschny | Joshua Ravensbergen | Bill Zonnon | William Moore | Jack Nesbitt | Jack Murtagh | Milton Gastrin | Sascha Boumedienne | Henry Brzustewicz | Adam Benak | Shane Vansaghi | Cole McKinney | Jakob Ihs-Wozniak | Ryker Lee | Ben Kevan | Michal Svrcek | Arvid Drott | Conrad Fondrk | Charlie Trethewey | Luca Romano
