2008 WJC: Russian Revolution

Unlike previous years, the Russians were not considered an obvious contender for the World Junior gold medal coming into this tournament. The decision by coach Sergei Nemchinov to leave highly touted goaltending prospect Semen Varlamov back home raised many eyebrows before the tournament – but in the end, goaltending did not cost the Russians a spot in the final.

Once accepting this was not the well-oiled Russian junior machine compared to the days of Alexander Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin, one would find an energetic team who enjoyed playing the game of hockey and gave their best every night by competing hard to win.

Keeping in line with the Russian hockey heritage, the team did of course display a few extremely individually talented players – the standouts being the 2008 eligible winger Nikita Filatov and All-Star-Team inductee Viktor Tikhonov – grandson of the legendary coach with the same name.

Those players stole the limelight a bit from last year's sensation, Alexei Cherepanov, although he certainly held his own quite well during his second WJC appearance.

Alexei Cherepanov (NYR), LW, Omsk

Cherepanov made his second consecutive WJC appearance and seems to have further developed his strengths but not so much his shortcomings .. is still an elite sniper, with a natural nose for the net .. his positioning around the net and ability to anticipate what is going to happen in that area, could be almost uncanny .. has a very quick and accurate wristshot and showed in the tournament that he could find the net using the slapper as well .. his vision and soft hands also gives him a strong passing game and he can set up nifty little plays in the offensive zone .. his skating is still slow though, as the straightaway speed, first strides, and overall acceleration are merely average .. his lateral movement is good, making him surprisingly slippery in the corners .. questionable defensive commitment, but has the tools to be a solid player in his own end as well, due to his strong hockey sense. Stats: 6-3-3-6

Nikita Filatov (2008), RW, CSKA

If Alexei Cherepanov is something other than your typical Russian winger, Filatov fits the bill to a tee .. the young, English speaking, CSKA Moscow winger looks almost like a cross between Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov in terms of playing style .. Filatov is a lethally quick skater, with amazingly fluid first strides and an excellent top gear, allowing him to fly past almost anything .. has a vast array of stickhandling moves at his disposal and he can execute his dangling at high speed as well .. is still undersized, but moves quite well in high traffic areas and is not afraid of attacking the net .. is not afraid to battle in the corners and plays with a high intensity level at all times .. has a quick wristshot and knows how to find his sports when firing away .. is very creative and has a good playmaking eye making him difficult to read for defensemen .. is obviously a very offensive-minded player, but does what is required defensively and does not just float. Stats: 7-4-5-9

Viktor Tikhonov (2008), RW, Cherepovets

Like many other Russians on this team, Tikhonov was overlooked in the last two NHL drafts, but is obviously worth another look this year .. not an explosive skater like Niktita Filatov, but he has a very smooth stride, is very shifty and generally accelerates well .. is a tremendous stickhandler and executed highlight-reel moves at a frequency no other player managed in this tournament .. tried a little too much dangling at times, at the expense of using his linemates .. did however, display the passing game and vision to do so at other times .. has a wicked wristshot with elite accuracy, but should have used it even more, as he tended to go for the extra deke instead of shooting the puck .. his defensive positioning is a bit sub par, but at least he makes the effort to backcheck .. looks slightly uncomfortable in heavy traffic at times and does not display much of an aggressive game. Stats: 7-5-2-7

Artem Anisimov (NYR), LW, Hartford

Anisimov was arguably the most developed player physically for the Russians, but he was not given the amount of icetime needed for him to truly shine offensively .. his skating stride can look somewhat choppy, but his top speed is above average and his overall strength makes him hard to knock off the puck when in motion .. isn't quite as flashy a stickhandler as many of the other Russians, but he handles the puck well and has good vision on the ice, passes the puck with care and is creative enough to set up plays .. he works hard, can throw an occasional hit and is diligent at everything he does…has a quick wristshot, but his accuracy could certainly be improved .. has an average defensive game and does not look lost in his end. Stats: 7-1-3-4

Maxim Chudinov (2008), D, Cherepovets

One of the top, 2008-eligible defensemen in this tournament, who plays with a level of intelligence well beyond his years .. a swift, mobile skater who accelerates fairly well, but should work a little with his top speed .. plays a very smart positional game and rarely is beaten in his own end .. has strong puckhandling skills and delivers crisp passes…has good vision of the ice and finds good passing lanes with ease .. his slapshot is merely average, but his mobility and passing skills make him quite suitable for a powerplay role .. does not rely on aggressive hitting in his defensive game, but knows how to battle in his own end and is not one who backs down either .. has a strong overall hockey sense and keeps his cool under pressure. Stats: 7-0-1-1

Vadim Golubtsov (2008), LW/C, Khabarovsk

A smooth skating, offensive-minded player who can be used both on the wing and down the middle .. has a very fluid stride, but lacks elite top speed, although he accelerates well .. a strong stickhandler equipped with equally strong vision of the ice .. passes the puck well and can set up some nifty plays .. his overall hockey sense is quite good as well, as he plays a sound positional game and makes smart decisions .. he lacks a committed physical game all around the ice and his shooting ability is average .. clearly prefers finding a passing play rather than finishing plays off. Stats: 7-1-2-3

Maxim Mamin (2008), C, Magnitogorsk

An underrated centre with a good set of intangibles .. Mamin is a very loyal and defensively responsible player, but with limited offensive upside .. decent skating ability, fairly smooth and good lateral movement, but lacks a top gear .. good puckhandler, but is not a dangler .. has good hockey sense and a well-developed passing game .. knows how to distribute the puck and uses his linemates, but lacks the offensive creativity to be a top-line playmaker .. average wristshot and he rarely attacks the net .. the defensive game is Mamin's main strength, as he has a strong positional game, is a diligent backchecker and plays his man very well .. works well along the boards and in the corners and could be aggressive when opportunity arises. Stats: 7-0-3-3

Yuri Alexandrov (BOS), D, Cherepovets

As a slightly younger player, Alexandrov could have terrible off nights and be very mistake prone in his passing game .. this is something that he clearly has worked a lot with and now he is a more steady presence on the ice .. played a steady defensive game this tournament, as his smooth skating allowed him to move swiftly on the ice - combined with a good ability to read the game…plays a reliable physical game and can deliver hits when needed .. has a crisp outlet pass and finds his passing lanes well .. possesses a strong slapshot, but rarely showed it off in this tournament, as he was kept in a stay-at-home-kind-of role. Stats: 7-0-1-1

Evgeny Bodrov (2008), LW, Togliatti

Another overlooked, slick-Russian winger .. moves with a fluid stride and has good top speed, although not quite elite .. a good dangler and has a playmaking eye, as he can make slick passes and set up nice plays in the offensive zone .. is reluctant to shoot the puck and does not thrive in high traffic areas at all, as he needs to shape up his physical game .. does not respond well to adversity, as his intensity level drops off when things do not go his way .. his defensive game is somewhat erratic and can seem rather lost in his own end at times. Stats: 7-1-3-4