Kostalek is a two-way blueliner who factors in all aspects of the game. He’s a smooth skater who transitions well, has good balance and has solid multi-directional mobility. He keeps his feet moving and uses his speed to defend as well as move the puck on transition. He plays the game with lots of energy. He also possesses decent hands but is not a naturally creative puck mover. He shows good patience with the puck and does not panic when pressured by a strong forecheck. He’s adequate at waiting for his options to open up before delivering a pass. Not a rush the puck from end-to-end type, but Kostalek is more of a carry the puck until he finds a good option for a pass. He has a good shot that he consistently gets on net. It’s not a howitzer or anything but throws it on net and looks for deflections or rebounds. He’s very physical and likes to put a hurt on guys when he can. He throws some very impressive devastating open-ice hits for a guy with his size limitations. He squeezes out his man effectively along the boards and will get into a hack and whack game if his opponent wants to. He’s also not afraid to defends his teammates and has a good sense for his position and plays it well. He plays a little dirty at times which you like when he is on your team. Defensively, he keeps good gaps and is hard to shake for even the biggest of opponent. (May 2013)