Grand Rapids Griffins Central Logo

Home
Roster
Depth
The System
Transactions
Message Board
History
Contact Us
Archive
Training Camp
RSS Feed
#5 Jakub Kindl
Pos: Defense
D.O.B.: 02/10/87
From: Sumperk, Czech Republic
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 199
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 1st Rnd 2005 draft by Detroit (NHL)
Acquired: Signed ATO 4/17/07
Personal:
Plus: Excellent All-Around Defenseman... Top Notch Offensive Skills... Moves Puck Well... Great Vision and Soft Hands... PP Quarterback with a Good, Low, Heavy Shot... Smooth, mobile skater with fluid stride...
Minus: Needs to Improve Defensively... Lack of Intensity... Undisciplined in His own zone... Notorious slow starter... Doesn't always make the safe play... penchant for being rushed into making bad decision...
Organizational Comments: "Jakub is turning pro this year after making the OHL All-Star Team last year. He was the runner up to Marc Staal as the best defenseman in the OHL, and he captained the Czech World Junior team. After a good camp here last year, he had a strong season for Kitchener. He played well for Grand Rapids in the playoffs. We have high expectations for him." Wings Asst. GM Jim Nill
What GRC says: 2009-10: Jakub overcame a rough patch to play some of his best hockey as a pro down the stretch drive. The speedy rearguard started to gain some success in his puck moving ability and found that a good offense is a good defense. He started to be aggressive in getting the puck up ice instead of making mistakes in his own end. Late in the season when paired with Brian Lashoff, he raised his game another notch and was actually a difference maker for the first time in his career. He will graduate to the NHL this summer and begin the next set of lessons in Detroit.
2008-09: Kindl may have been the biggest disappointment of the second half as the organization's top defensive prospect took a big step back in his development. His offensive game and his confidence dried up in January, followed by a string of poor decisions on the ice leaving some to question his hockey sense. Jakub was a turnover machine in the latter stretches of the season, making the same mistakes over and over again. He will need to come out of the gates strong to avoid being passed over on the depth chart.
2007-08: The good news is that he got better as the season went on, but the rookie rearguard still struggled mightily over the second half of the season. He is a nice package of skills, skating, passing, shooting, etc., but so far the mental portion of the game has not caught up. Kindl makes poor decisions and can be hurried into making mistakes especially one on one. He does not have the confidence in his offensive skills yet to create scoring chances or quarterback the powerplay. He has not started to use his size yet, and while he did drop the gloves a few times, he always came out on the downside. A fresh start next season with a year under his belt should produce better results for one of the organization's best prospects.
2006-07: Kindl was up and down in his only action of the season during the playoffs. He logged a lot of ice time especially with the man advantage, where he was pretty good at moving the puck and showed off a hard, accurate shot. He has a little work to do defensively, but seemed to recover quickly, using his mobility well.
Fall 2006: Jakub almost made the Wings out of camp, but was returned to Junior where he turned in a dominant season. Kindl needs to work on some things in his own zone, but he is a combination of size and talent who should be quarterbacking a powerplay in the NHL soon.
Role: Offensive Defenseman
Projection: Top Two Defenseman

Statistics:
Season Team Lge GP G A PTS PIM +/- GP G A PTS PIM +/-
2002-03 HC Pardubice Czech 1 0 0 0 0
HC Pardubice Cze U17 3 0 3 3 10
HC Pardubice Cze Jr. 27 0 3 3 46
2003-04 HC Pardubice Cze U17 2 0 1 1 6
HC Pardubice Cze Jr. 48 4 14 18 108
HC VCE Hradek Kralove Cze2 1 0 0 0 0
2004-05 Kitchener Rangers OHL 62 3 11 14 92 12 12 00 0 22 -6
2005-06 Kitchener Rangers OHL 60 12 46 58 112 7 5 1 0 110 -5
Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 3 0 1 1 2 -1
2006-07 Kitchener Rangers OHL 54 11 44 55 142 23 9 2 9 118 -3
Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 7 0 2 2 0 1
2007-08 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 75 3 14 17 82 -34
2008-09 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 78 6 27 33 76 -14 10 2 1 3 2 -2
2009-10 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 73 3 30 33 59 -4
Detroit Red Wings NHL 3 0 0 0 0 -2
Griffins Totals 229 127284219-5317 2 3 5 2-1

Transactions
4/7/06 Signed ATO with Grand Rapids (AHL)
4/7/06 Signed three-yr contract with Detroit (NHL)
5/7/06 Released from ATO
4/17/07 Signed ATO with Grand Rapids (AHL)
7/1/07 Released from ATO
9/25/07 Assigned by Detroit (NHL)
4/12/08 Recalled by Detroit (NHL)
10/3/08 Assigned by Detroit (NHL)
5/8/09 Recalled by Detroit (NHL)
7/23/09 Signed three-yr contract extension
9/27/09 Assigned by Detroit (NHL)
12/2/09 Recalled by Detroit (NHL)
12/8/09 Assigned by Detroit (NHL)
12/23/09 Recalled by Detroit (NHL)
12/24/09 Assigned by Detroit (NHL)
4/12/10 Recalled by Detroit (NHL)