2011 WJAC: Russia

Andrei Vasilevski (2012), G, Russia

First and only Russian goalie ranked on Central Scoutings' Preliminary list .. one of the few bright spots for this incarnation of Team Russia .. has the ability to come in cold and not look rusty .. splendid puck awareness .. terrific size (6-foot-3, 205-pound frame) and stays big in the net .. is surprising agile for his size .. boasts good feet, kicking rebounds out of harm's way .. stays square to the shooter .. moves and handles the puck well .. has a competitive spirit and wears his emotions on his sleeve .. doesn't give up on any play .. arguably the best goaltender at the World Junior A Challenge other than Oscar Dansk.

Highlights::

Selected Player of the Game (Canda East & USA).

Club Team: Tolpar Ufa (Rus)

Points: 3gp, GAA 3.29, Sv% 0.926 (WJAC)

Andrei Ermakov (2012), D, Russia

Played on the powerplay, yet under pressure had troubles handling the puck at the point .. boasts some zip to his wrist shot .. 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame .. showcases an ability to deliver bone crunching hits to players driving to the net with their head down .. loses focus at times and will lose his check in front of the net .. must move the puck with more accuracy .. played on the penalty kill .. .. partnered with Arseni Erokhin .. not a prospect for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Club Team: Spartak Moscow (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-1-1 (WJAC)

Stanislav Gareev (2012), D, Russia

Stickhandles well and boasts some imagination with the puck .. generally does a nice job keeping puckcarrier to the outside .. good puck pursuit and has the ability to stay with a check .. closes down time and space .. elusive skater, makes forecheckers miss .. sports a heavy slapper .. we would like to see him play with more jump as well as displaying more determination when going back for a puck .. some of his passes end up in teammates feet .. at his best when displaying poise, however can be pressured in to turning over the puck behind the net .. plays on both special teams .. listed at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds.

Club Team: Zlin Jr (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-0-0 (WJAC)

Valeri Vasiliev (2012), D, Russia

Wore an A .. solid on his skates, taking out the opponent of the board .. shuts down time and spaces .. does a nice job fending off a lot of pressure at the point and finding open teammate .. good first pass .. agile skater and blessed with nice feet .. did not show much strength determination stopping puck carrier to the net .. tried to deliver a massive hit and delivered but took the worst of it and didn't play next two games .. listed at 6-foot-1, 205-pound.

Club Team: Spartak, Moscow (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-0-0 (WJAC)

Egor Malenkikh (2012), D, Russia

Boasts the skating skill one-on-one to keep a puckcarrier to the outside, although he can still get beat by quick forwards .. sports an active stick and can strip an unsuspecting player .. has the ability to deliver long breakout passes right on the tape .. displays good puck pursuit, especially given his impressive 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame .. looks a bit disinterested at times .. can be guilty of over committing defensively and thus taking himself out of the play .. at times his gets distracted and loses his check in prime scoring areas .. takes the odd lazy penalty .. played on the penalty kill .. has the tools, but looks like he will give coaches fits.

Club Team: St. Petersburg (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-0-0 (WJAC)

Damir Galin (2012), D, Russia

Large bodied blueliner tries to use his massive 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame to his advantage, however not always with success .. wore an A .. sometimes takes himself out of the play by going for the big hit .. usually closes the gaps well, but puckcarriers that can dangle are able to back him off and create extra time and space .. not bad at delivering a breakout pass .. plays on the PK.

Club Team: Bars Kazan (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-1-1 (WJAC)

Nikita Lisov (2012), D, Russia

Must bear down harder clearing the puck .. listed at 6-foot-0, 175-pound frame .. needs to use his body better to box out the opposition from getting to the net.

Club Team: CSKA 2 (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-1-1 (WJAC)

Damir Musin (2013), D, Russia

He lacked the agility and foot speed to maintain positioning on a one-on-one and thus got badly beaten .. played on the power play, but displayed some nerves under pressure and can be forced in to turnovers .. not eligible for the NHL Entry Draft so he has time to add size and strength to his smallish 5-foot-11, 150-pound frame.

Club Team: Bars Kazan (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-0-0 (WJAC)

Arseni Erokhin (2012), D, Russia

Doesn't read the play well and is generally slow to react .. needs more awareness in the defensive zone .. shows good top speed, but lacks the ability to stick handle at a better than average level .. listed at 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame .. not a prospect.

Club Team: Perm (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-0-0 (WJAC)

Arseni Khatsei (2012), C, Russia

Has the wheels and the vision to always be around the play .. gives and takes the pass well .. at his best when he plays with determination .. drives to the net without the puck and puts himself in good scoring areas .. sports some imagination and knows where to find the holes in the defensive coverage .. although he can dangle, he too often he tries to do too much and the play ends up dying with him .. prone to unforced errors .. has good hands and can finish off a scoring chance .. plays on the power play .. a 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame.

Club Team: Spartak 2 (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 2-0-2 (WJAC)

Bogdan Yakimov (2013), C, Russia

Big bodied (6-foot-3, 225-pounds) is extremely strong on his skates .. lacks agility, as he can look a bit stiff out of the blocks .. pretty decent skater once he gets going .. regular on the penalty kill and knows where to position himself .. good on the faceoff .. showcases surprising imagination and confidence with the puck .. thanks to his size and strength can back off defenders and will drive hard to the net with or without the puck .. a beast in traffic .. loves to drill a one-timer from the slot .. displays poise in pivotal moments .. although not yet draft eligible, was a real leader on Team Russia and not surprisingly was wearing an A .. gets himself in open areas to accept the pass .. boasts nice vision .. has an active stick and can close down passing lanes .. selected player of the game versus the Czechs in a preliminary game .. overall was one of the Russians best players in the tournament.

Club Team: Nizhnekamsk (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 2-1-3 (WJAC)

Alexei Filippov (2012), C, Russia

Terrifically skilled pivot is blessed with exceptional speed .. at his best when he pushes the pace .. uses his strength and body positioning to fend off checkers .. displays imagination with the puck .. can be a bit gritty, sometimes crosses the line .. can pick the holes and boasts some zip to his wrist shot .. poised, plays with a high intensity level .. drives the net to create scoring chance .. won't give up on a play .. takes passes well .. splendid stickhandler at top speed .. supports the puck .. plays on the power play .. gets back on defence to cover his man .. is hard to shut down in tight spaces .. still has room to add some beef to his 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame.

Club Team: Chelyabinsk (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 1-0-1 (WJAC)

Alexei Kudreman (2012), RW, Russia

Agile skater who can really dangle at top speed .. boasts a dangerous shot and is able to drill it upstairs on a goalie .. nice hand-eye coordination as he was able to retrieve a pass that was off the wall without breaking stride .. finishes checks with some zest .. was made to look back in his defensive coverage and must learn to play the man and not the puck .. a bit lazy with some of his clearing attempts on the PK .. 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame.

Club Team: Moscow (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 2-0-2 (WJAC)

Ilya Yamkin (2012), LW, Russia

Moves well and showcases a terrific burst out of the gate

.. can really dangle with the puck .. at his best when he is moving his feet, however can be guilty of floating at times

.. will take the shot when it is available and displays good accuracy - is able to find the goalie's holes .. works hard with the puck in the dirty areas .. displays vision with or without the puck and will close down passing/shooting lanes .. nice hand-eye coordination .. needs to get stronger and not get knocked off his skates as easily .. 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame.

Club Team: Nizhny Novogorod (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 1-0-1 (WJAC)

Leonid Avtomov (2012), C, Russia

Mediocre pivot is a good backchecker .. will go down to block a shot .. saw some power play time .. at 5-foot-11, 165-pounds is not an effective hitter and generally lacks the physical tools at this stage in his development to have much success versus the big boys.

Club Team: St. Petersburg (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-3-3 (WJAC)

Vyacheslav Osnovin (2012), C, Russia

Wore the C for the Russians and played hard each and every game during the tournament .. keeps his feet moving through heavy traffic .. will drive the net with or without the puck .. scored his lone goal of the WJAC by pouncing on a rebound and knocking it home .. might not be blessed with the most talented prospect around, however has a good motor .. workmanlike with the puck and usually makes the high percentage play .. not opposed to laying a bit of lumber and will take the odd bad penalty .. uses his top notch speed and quickness to put pressure on the forecheck .. can get caught watching the play in the defensive zone .. a regular on the PP .. solid 6-foot-0, 190-pound frame.

Club Team: Chelyabinsk (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 1-1-2 (WJAC)

Damir Zhafyarov (2012), RW, Russia

Talented little pivot displays good vision and can usually find and deliver a crisp, clean first pass to the open man .. can dangle with the puck, however lacks the elite speed and strength to intimidate .. unlikely to get drafted with a 5-foot-9, 150-pound frame and lacking any one excellent attribute.

Club Team: Novokuznetsk 2 (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-1-1 (WJAC)

Daniil Yunyshev (2012), LW, Russia

Boasts a nice fluid stride, helping him easily to keep up with the play .. shows good determination fighting for loose pucks along the wall .. accurate shooter and can score even from bad angles .. not overly imaginative with the puck around the net .. takes the pass well through a crowd .. needs to play with more determination when clearing the puck out of the defensive zone .. will sacrifice his 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame to block a shot .. played on the PP.

Club Team: UFA 2 (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 1-0-1 (WJAC)

Alexander Barabanov (2012), RW, Russia

Pint-sized (5-foot-9, 170-pound frame) pivot is relatively elusive .. finds the open man and moves the puck crisply .. uses his speed well and sports good puck pursuit .. hard worker, but simply lacks the power to make up for his lack of size.

Club Team: St. Petersburg (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 1-1-2 (WJAC)

Valentin Zykov (2013), LW, Russia

Sports decent jets .. will dump and chase .. drives the net with or without the puck .. was overshadowed by some of his other teammates eligible for 2013, however Zykov is still a prospect with some upside .. listed at 6-foot-0, 210-pounds.

Club Team: CSKA Moscow (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-2-2 (WJAC)

Valeri Nichushkin (2013), C, Russia

Big power forward has all the skill necessary to make the leap to the pros .. strong on the puck and uses his size well to out muscle opposition players .. not afraid to drive the net .. finds the open man in prime scoring areas .. displays determination and doesn't give up on a play .. can chip the puck nicely to his teammate to start a rush .. skates with a purpose and uses his sizes well .. uses body well to shield the puck .. more of a power forward than a playmaker and is extremely hard for checkers to handle one-on-one .. will go into the dirty areas and if he staples an opponent along the wall they'll know it .. can over handle the puck .. uses his feet well to recover misplaced passes .. sports a heavy shot .. good prospect as long as he continues to work hard at his craft .. dangles surprisingly well for a prospect listed at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds.

Club Team: Chelyabinsk (Rus)

Points: 4gp, 0-0-0 (WJAC)