Position: D, Shoots: R
H/W: 6-foot-1, 194 lbs
Date of Birth: 2008-06-07
Goljer is a right-shot defenseman who has built a strong case as one of the more reliable defensive prospects in his class. He played meaningful minutes against men in Slovakia, averaging 20+ minutes a game in the second half of the season. He spent the whole year with Dukla Trenčín in the Slovak top tier league, even getting some powerplay minutes. He also made the Slovak U20 team at the World Juniors as one of the youngest players on the roster and didn´t leave a bad impression. His WJC play helped him to climb up in the rankings. He captained Slovakia at both Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the U18 Men´s World Championship, helping his team to win silver at the U18s as one of the backbones of the team. He was also named best defenseman of the tournament.
Goljer projects as a two-way defenseman at the NHL level. He won´t stand out with flashy plays, but he´s consistent, smart and plays a simple game. He´s confident with the puck, can create plays and defends well. He moves pucks well even under pressure. There´s potential for him to become a top-four defenseman, or at least he has a realistic path to being a No. 4 or No. 5 in the NHL. The combination of size, mobility and skills makes him an appealing option even without a high-end ceiling.
On the other hand, he doesn´t have a standout elite tool, which is always a bit of a warning sign. Another downside is that Goljer measured at 6´1” at the NHL Scouting Combine, which is significantly lower than 6´3”, where he was listed at throughout the whole season. Being 6´1” or 6´2” is not a problem at the NHL, however, his profile would be more projectable and attractive for NHL teams if he was a couple of inches taller. Nevertheless, he remains a relevant candidate for a 1st round pick and there is clear interest from NHL teams. He could hear his name called late in the first round. He´s a versatile right-handed defenseman who lacks a major weakness to his game.
Skating
Goljer is a good skater for his size, with solid mobility and ability to cover space effectively. He moves well and can adjust his positioning to stay in front of the attacker. His skating allows him to defend effectively, he´s also able to support the offense and join the rush when needed. However, he can struggle against faster players, especially when they change the pace quickly, or when they are highly agile. Goljer is a solid skater, but not an exceptional one.
Good shift by Goljer, who reads the situation well. As soon as the opposing defenseman takes the puck and wants to start the attack, Goljer realizes who´s his man and where the pass should go. He uses his feet to stay close to his forward, gets in front of him and strips him of the puck. Then he fakes going behind his net, so he lures away the forechecking forward, goes to the other side and can create a play for his team.
Goljer is able to attack the zone as a one-man threat. As we see in this clip, he´s not the fastest skater and he never will be, but he uses his strides effectively and has a smooth style. He´s able to dodge an attacking forward and keeps his distance to defending opponents, then he takes a shot and helps to stay in the zone.
Goljer is able to gain some serious speed in this clip from overtime, he moves the puck to the offensive zone and tries to create a play. When it doesn´t work out and the opposing team gets the puck, Goljer immediately heads back and prevents a potential breakaway. He stays in front of the net and wins the puck once again, but instead of trying going to the offensive zone again, he keeps it safe and calls for a change.
Goljer may have some problems with faster and elusive forwards, in this clip, he´s able to go toe-to-toe with the American forward, but his opponent is far more explosive and at the end of his shift. Goljer is able to win the puck in this situation with the help of his teammates, but agile speedsters can cause some problems to him. He needs to rely on his reach and strength more.
Grade: 55
Shot
His shot is not a major part of his game. He has the size and strength to generate power, but it´s not used consistently as a weapon. He was used as a PP1 defenseman at the point with the U18 team and had some good looks there, but he wasn´t much of a threat when playing against men when it came to shooting. Goljer has never been a high-end shooter, his offensive contribution comes more from passing than shooting. He can get pucks through from the point, but accuracy and power are still average. However, there is some potential if he becomes more confident and involved offensively.
Goljer gets a ton of space on the 5-on-3 powerplay, identifies the place to shoot from and the timing is also correct. He has no problem scoring on goalie who´s getting screened by his own teammate.
Goljer scored twice from this spot in the game against Latvia at the U18 World Championship. The placement of the shot is good, but the power is not exceptionally strong and he´s not being attacked, so there is no pressure.
Goljer is able to get into scoring chances by supporting the rush. He´s in an ideal spot in this 3-on-2 breakaway, the backchecking forward is far away to distract him, but he doesn´t capitalize on this chance. He needs to be more lethal when given the opportunity to score.
The point shot from Goljer is more or less average, but it does cause some problems to the goalie and it helps his team to stay in the offensive zone and create more pressure on the opponent.
Grade: 50
Skills
His overall skill level is solid, but not high-end. He handles the puck well enough to make clean plays and can execute difficult passes when needed. His breakout ability is one of his stronger tools, consistently moving pucks out of the zone with control. He likes to join the rush, but it´s not a major part of his game. His offensive toolkit is limited compared to more dynamic defensemen in this class. This sometimes leads to mistakes and puck losses as he was used as the No. 1 offensive defenseman in Slovak U18 teams, but typologically, he´s more of a two-way D and doesn´t have the finesse of smaller, offensive defensemen. The focus is more on efficiency rather than creativity. In defense, Goljer uses his stick well and battles for the puck hard.
Goljer showed his confidence with the puck in this clip. He retrieves the puck behind his own net and sees he´s being chased by one forward on his back and other one from the front. He makes a quick turn and avoids the opposing forward, then sends a backhand pass to his teammates who can start a play.
Good defensive stick by Goljer, who steps up in the right moment and hits the opponent´s stick with his stick, as he receives the puck, which makes him lost it.
First, Goljer makes a small mistake when his backhand pass is intercepted by a Latvian forward, but he wins the puck back, when he uses his stick and reach and strips the opponent of the puck along the boards. Simple and elegant play which helps his team gain puck possession again.
Goljer has no problem taking the puck to the offensive zone on his own. He gets the puck behind his own net, maybe thinks of a drop pass, but continues with the puck, even nutmegs the opponent with a nice move and enters the zone with ease. He´s very confident with the puck and has decent puck-moving abilities.
Grade: 55
Smarts
Goljer shows strong defensive awareness and reads the game well in his zone. He uses his stick effectively and his positioning is strong, he can anticipate plays. He can make plays under pressure, however, there are moments when his decision-making could be quicker as it may lead to losses. This is something he needs to work on if he wants to play in the NHL. He keeps things simple with the puck and doesn´t try to overcomplicate things. He is at his best when he plays a simple, smart game, which is something he´s definitely capable of.
Goljer correctly identified the opportunity in this video, he sees there are too many opposition players stuck in their offensive zone, so he joins the rush to support the teammate and create a 2-on-1. It´s executed well, Goljer doesn´t let the backchecking forward get ahead of him, he finds the ideal spot for a pass and scores on the opportunity.
A very good play by Goljer, who retrieves the puck and notices the signal from his teammate, so he sends him an accurate breakaway pass. The whole play ends up in a goal and Goljer gets an assist.
Goljer sometimes gets stuck out of position in his own zone. In this clip, he gets stuck defending nobody and doesn´t notice a forward behind his back who goes down to the net for a great pass and scores. Goljer must be more active and aware of his surroundings in these situations.
Grade: 55
Physicality/Compete
Goljer plays with a solid effort, he uses his size and reach to defend, but he could definitely be more physical and stronger. He is willing to engage, but the additional kilograms would help him in board battles and in front of the net. He can be more aggressive, he usually lacks the meanness in his game, which is something he can work on. His defensive commitment is strong, but I´ve seen him disconnect from plays when he lost the puck which is something that definitely cannot happen. Adding more edge to his game would be beneficial, he definitely has the frame.
Good and simple play by Goljer, who uses his body and times the check well, easily makes the opponent lose the puck and Goljer´s teammate is able to retrieve it and create something.
Goljer controls the situation well, stays with the attacking forward the whole time and pushes him to the boards, cleanly stripping him of the puck.
Goljer was able to withstand contact even when playing against grown men in Slovak top tier league. He´s well-built and didn´t have much trouble when it came to physical play. However, it would be beneficial for him to gain more muscle, to be more effective in board battles and stronger in shutting down forwards.
This is a play I personally hated. Goljer goes for the puck behind his goal, but it gets stuck. He loses it very quickly to a Finnish forward and does absolutely nothing to fight for it back. Then he tries to get to the slot and defend, but again, does absolutely nothing and Slovakia concedes.
Grade: 55
OFP: 54.5
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.