In an NHL draft class studded with defensive stars, Radim Mrtka stands among the best.
The 6-foot-6, 207-pound rearguard is a projected top 10-pick after a breakout season with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
NHL Central Scouting has ranked Mrtka fifth among all North American skaters, while TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button projects the Czech standout at ninth overall.
Not too shabby for a young man who didn’t see a long-term future in the game until a few seasons ago.
“I didn’t really watch it a lot,” Mrtka said of the building hype around his game. “But just an amazing feeling that it gets there. The lot of hard work that you just put into hockey, it’s moments like this where you are proud of yourself.”
Originally selected by the Thunderbirds with the 71st overall pick in the second round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft, Mrtka was already a champion at the Czech U17 and U20 levels when he landed in Washington state in early December.
Still, the team was surprised by just how quickly he began thriving on North American ice.
Mrtka tallied three goals and 32 assists for 35 points and a +10 rating in 43 regular-season games, highlighted by a pair of five-game point streaks and eight multipoint efforts.
“Things happen quicker on this ice surface, and his skill set allowed him to excel in that environment,” Thunderbirds Head Coach Matt O’Dette said. “He can make plays under pressure, can escape out of traffic and find plays to make on the breakout. So he took to it right away. Fit in with the guys right away. Guys love him and really like being around them. And what endeared me to him is that he really cared about the team. He was really interested in the team, the history and the players that came before him. You could feel the sense of pride that he had to be a T-Bird.
I think we’re going to see you know him using his frame a little bit more. Taking guys off the puck physically, playing a little bit meaner. He does have that element to his game. We did see it evolve as the season went on, but he’s not afraid to play with some bite and be harder to play against.”
Mrtka finished second on the Thunderbirds in assists and plus/minus and fifth in points, playing in all situations- including quarterbacking the powerplay and locking things down on the penalty kill.
Thunderbirds Captain and fellow top NHL prospect Braeden Cootes believes Mrtka was one of the biggest factors in Seattle’s impressive run from last place in the Western Conference to clinching a berth in the 2025 WHL Playoffs.
Mrtka added three assists in six playoff games, where the eight-seed Thunderbirds put up a valiant fight against the regular-season champion Everett Silvertips.
“He’s so competitive and hardworking,” Cootes said. “He skates so good for a guy that’s 6-foot-6 and, you know, right-hand shot. There’s so many times I could take a clip of him making a nice escape move, or beating the guy off a forecheck, me going down the wall and him hitting me with a 50-foot stretch pass and then going down and scoring, or somebody else scoring. He’s so good at breaking out the puck and defending with his stick.”
Cootes also got a taste of what it’s like to go up against Mrtka when Canada clashed with Czechia at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship and 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Mrtka collected a silver medal at Hlinka Gretzky but bowed out in the quarterfinals at U18s in Texas, though he picked up a goal and three assists in five games and got to show off a flashier side of his game.
“We were in the position where I could be more offensive,” Mrtka explained. “In Seattle, we have to play really smart, because we were like, 10 points behind the playoffs.”
The 18-year-old could be the highest-drafted European WHL skater since the Edmonton Oilers drafted star forward Leon Draisaitl (Kelowna Rockets / Prince Albert Raiders) with the third-overall pick in 2014.
Twenty-three NHL teams met with Mrtka at the NHL Combine in early June.
“It was only good memories,” Mrtka said. “It was great to compare with the best guys from your year, and it was great to talk with NHL teams. It was amazing.”
After some time back at home in Czechia, Mrtka is ready to hop across the pond again, with his dad, Miloš, mom, Helena and brother, Patrik, in tow as they wait to see who will select Radim at the 2025 NHL Draft.
Round One begins on Friday, June 27, with Rounds 2-7 following on July 28 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
