Prospect Profile: Michael Spacek 1/7/20

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - The past seven weeks have been nothing short of a rollercoaster for Moose forward Michael Spacek.

It all started when the 22-year-old Czech forward received an unexpected phone call via Pascal Vincent on the evening of November 12th. The Moose’s head coach was calling to tell Spacek that the Winnipeg Jets had called him up.

“I was just really surprised and obviously was really excited,” Spacek told InsideAHLHockey.com.

The Jets’ fourth round pick in the 2015 draft wasn't the only one caught off guard by the promotion. While he has been a staple in the Moose’s top-six for the better part of his first three pro seasons (0.52 points per game in 171 AHL GP), Spacek’s promotion left many scratching their head as he was far from the best available call-up option.

At that time, the Moose’s best forward was unquestionably Jansen Harkins, who since been recalled to the big league. After Harkins, their was also CJ Suess—a responsible two-way player who was one of the Jets’ final cuts at training camp— and Andrei Chibisov—a 6’4, 235 lb hulking power forward with slick puck skills— had better resumes than Spacek. And you’d have to think that if the Jets needed a player to play they’d take Seth Griffith—a career point-per-game player at the AHL level with 79 games of NHL experience to his name—before Spacek.

So, why did the Jets decide on Spacek?

As Paul Maurice explained at a media availability with reporters just hours after the Jets brought the 5’11 forward up from the minors, Spacek was recalled because the Jets needed a spare body for their upcoming Florida road trip - not someone to play in an NHL game. Maurice went on to explain that Spacek was a guy that Moose coaches spoke fondly of for a consistent basis. With that in mind, it appeared the Jets opted to utilize their 13th forward spot as an extension of their player-development program. Spacek got to compete against NHL regulars on a daily basis in practice, get a grasp for how much work he has left to do before being capable of making the jump to the big leagues on a full-time basis. Oh, and he earned himself a nice holiday bonus with several weeks of NHL salary.

After being scratched for eight consecutive NHL games, the Jets re-assigned Spacek to the Moose on December 4th.

“I was excited, actually,” Spacek said of being back in the AHL . ”I could kind of feel [the demotion coming] for a little bit. I didn’t play for a long time.”

Considering he hadn't played a professional hockey game in nearly three weeks, the Moose knew Spacek’s game would be a bit rusty off the hop. They understood that going from spending weeks in a practice routine to being thrust into game-action would present some challenges.

To say Spacek struggled in his first five games back (no points, -3) in the minors would be an understatement. During that stretch, Spacek displayed his worst performances of not only this season, but arguably of his pro career.

His decision making was off. He held onto the puck for far too long. He’d carry the puck into heavily contested areas of the ice and for some reason would often times opt to retreat back into the D-zone with the puck, instead of making an effort to push the play into the attacking zone. He wasn’t moving his feet consistently, he lost virtually every one-on-one battle and he fanned on a couple of grade A chances, too. He wasn’t playing the way you'd expect someone that just had a taste of the NHL and is now on the quest for the full meal ticket. Something seemed off with Spacek.

Things reached a boiling point when Vincent scratched Spacek for four of the teams’ five games before the Jets’ AHL affiliate’s nearly week-long holiday break on December 22nd.

“Well there are certain things that we need to fix,” Vincent told reporters on December 21st after confirming that Spacek was a healthy scratch against the Rampage that night. “But everybody is equal here, so it’s a coaches decision.”

It’d be conventional wisdom for one to think a player in Spacek’s circumstance, who within a matter of weeks, went from getting an NHL promotion to becoming a healthy scratch at the AHL level, has written off their chances with the Jets. And there’s a very good chance that’s true. Especially when you consider the Jets’ plethora of depth forwards.

But the Moose aren't going to voice their disappointment. They’re not looking to beat down Spacek’s confidence, as their number one priority is to get him back to his fullest capabilities. The team is more focused on how Spacek has fared since returning to the Moose’s lineup on December 29th, recording 3 points in his last 4 games. Unsurprisingly, they are looking at the glass half full as opposed to half empty.

“We all have a different path,” Vincent explained. “How we deal with adversity or what not - we’re all different. [Spacek] and I speak on a consistent basis and we’re working together to help him improve.”

Manitoba seems poised to make a lengthy playoff run this spring and for that to happen, the Moose will need to be loaded with depth from top to bottom. Spacek has proven to be a solid AHL contributor and if he continues to excel, he could give the Moose some valuable secondary scoring down the stretch

“When he moves his feet, he can be a real dangerous asset for us,” Vincent insisted after the teams’ 1-0 loss to the Colorado Eagles on Friday night.

But while all parties seem to be looking forward, there are a lot of red flags in this case that deserve a second look.

Did Spacek really just seal his fate with the Jets? And if he did, can Winnipeg get any sort of asset for him? Was Spacek’s healthy scratches a product of a poor decision by the Jets to bring him up in the first place, or is the onus on the player in this case for not being able to take an opportunity like that in stride and adjust quickly?

Finally, is there more to this story than we’re lead to believe? Maybe.

One thing we do know, though, is the clock is ticking on Spacek to prove, to the Jets and the league's other 30 teams, he’s worth signing to an NHL contract.