Cedar Rapids RoughRiders’ unsung hero? That’s David Nemecek

CEDAR RAPIDS — You know what Ross Colton has done this season. Hugh McGing has been huge for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

Cal Burke does a little bit of everything. Jack Ahcan is the top-scoring defenseman in the United States Hockey League.

Ben Blacker has emerged as one of the USHL's top goaltenders.

But who is the unsung hero for a club that goes into its weekend double-header at Youngstown with the most standings points in the league? That was a question posed to RoughRiders head coach/general manager Mark Carlson.

Second-year defenseman Mitch Reinke was one of his answers. The other was first-year defenseman David Nemecek.

'He's a big, strong guy, 6-5, and can get pucks out of the zone,' Carlson said. 'He has done what we expected him to do for the most part. As I'm looking through the league, he's up there (in plus-minus rating). That's pretty good.'

Nemecek, 20, was a late-round draft pick of the RoughRiders last year from Plzen, Czech Republic. He has two years of major junior in Canada under his belt and played last season in Finland.

The RoughRiders knew someone who knew someone who knew of Nemecek's desire to return to North America. His ultimate goal is to play pro hockey in the United States or Canada next season.

That's not unprecedented. Winger Jiri Fronk, a fellow Czech, was with the RoughRiders last season and signed an American Hockey League deal this season with the Manitoba Moose, the main affiliate of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets.

'It would be real nice to play pro hockey here in North America,' Nemecek said. 'I would love to play in the AHL next year. But we'll see. I have to concentrate on each game, every day, every practice, do my best. If I work hard, the success will come. So pro hockey here, or else I'll have to go back to Europe. We'll see. I'm trying not to think too much about it right now. Concentrate on this season.'

Nemecek is the stereotypical defensive defenseman. He uses his size to try and clear the crease and take opponents out of the play.

He does feel his all-around game has improved here. He has a goal and five assists in 42 games and has a very good plus-minus rating of plus-12.

'The practices are hard. The conditioning, the skating side, I'm getting faster, better,' he said. 'I've also been working on breakouts. I think I'm getting better, and that's a good sign. The coaching staff, my teammates, the level of hockey here is really helping me improve.'

Nemecek said he has been surprised by the level of hockey in the USHL. That's in a good way.

'Obviously, the USHL is a very hard league to play in,' he said. 'Every day, every game, every practice is a challenge. You've got to work hard. I think the whole league is underrated by the hockey world. They (talk about) the Canadian leagues. But I played there, so I can compare. This is a really hard league to play in, a league full of really good players. It's a challenge.'

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