Stepan Cerny

Player Overview Stepan Cerny is a 19-year-old Czech defenseman who spent the 2025–26 season in the USHL, a circuit that draws consistent NHL Draft attention for its concentration of draft-eligible talent. His age relative to USHL peers and his Czech nationality place him among a broader group of European prospects gaining North American exposure ahead of June.

Current Production Over his last 10 games, Cerny recorded 1G and 6A for 7 points at a plus-3, a rate that signals legitimate offensive involvement from the blue line. The assist-heavy nature of that line suggests a distributor first, with quarterback instincts rather than a shoot-first mentality.

Key Attributes Cerny's production distribution — six assists against one goal in a ten-game stretch — points toward a defenseman who moves pucks efficiently and reads offensive-zone structure well enough to generate sustained possession. His plus-3 rating over that same window indicates he is not generating offense at a defensive cost, suggesting reasonable positional discipline at both ends. The Clark Cup contention context for Czech players in this draft class adds competitive relevance to his regular-season numbers.

2026 Draft Outlook Cerny projects as a mid-to-late round candidate, with his exact placement dependent on how scouts weigh USHL defensive competition against European draft classes. Before June, he needs to demonstrate consistent physical engagement and defensive-zone reliability, areas where the available data offers no confirming evidence yet.