Draft Notes: Russia - Part II

Second installment includes in-depth notes on five Russian draft-eligible prospects including Evgeni Malkin, Kirill Lyamin, Dmitri Vorobiev, Konstantin Makarov and Roman Voloshenko.

Evgeni Malkin (2004)

Mature, crafty centerman is always one of the more visible players out on the ice .. a smooth, well-balanced skater with sound top speed and effortless acceleration .. fast, but requires further work on his take-off to get to loose pucks quicker .. a playmaking wizard with excellent vision, instincts and top-notch timing .. poised and calm with the puck, makes crisp passes right on the tape and is not afraid to thread the needle long distance .. confident with no-look passes .. does not snooze and prefers to stay in motion, even after complicated feeds, which is a rare pro trait for a player of his age .. makes informed plays with the puck at full speed and can fire the puck accurately at full flight .. possesses a snappy, powerful slapshot with excellent precision and a quick release .. has a nose for the net at all times and does not sulk at a failed play, but will simply go back, get the puck back on his stick and try-try again until he succeeds .. above-average at the faceoff circle, but needs to gain upper-body bulk to win close, physical draws .. somewhat lanky for his height and although not incredibly physical, he takes his punishment and can dish out a hard, timely hit .. very good lower body strength, gets on the puck and won't let it go .. strong along the boards, sturdy and a yeoman on the puck .. nice, long reach which he uses to dig out pucks with multiple bodies around .. dependable defensively, intercepts passes, does not float and never looks intimidated .. many of his offensive instincts, especially use of the stick is pro quality .. an outstanding, intuitive player.

Kirill Lyamin (2004)

Competitive, physical rearguard .. smooth but not elusive skater who moves well laterally and backwards .. polished puckhandler, capable receiver with a hard, accurate first pass out of the zone .. at times looks a bit rushed and intimidated with the puck with big crowds around .. hard, low slapshot can be a weapon but does not utilize it consistently to his advantage .. good anticipation, an above-average one-on-one player who picks off loose pucks quickly .. smooth lateral mobility allows him to fill open holes in the back end .. nice reach, knows how to use his stick to strip pucks .. tough, a strong hitter makes well-timed body checks .. hard-nosed with some meanness .. knows how to tie up his man, but despite pretty good size is pretty lanky .. must add major bulk, especially to his lower body .. excellent poise, impressive overall work habits and work ethic .. all in all, not a spectacular player, but very mature and well-rounded for his age.

Dmitri Vorobiev (2004)

Mature, but an unspectacular defensively-aware rearguard .. an above-average skater forward and backwards, although not elusive at top speed .. pretty good first step, gets to loose pucks quickly and moves side-to-side effectively .. decent hands with adequate puck skills .. strong on the puck and can take it up the ice .. precise, but not very powerful slap shot .. capable of crisply distributing the puck, but struggles to pinpoint long lead passes .. a smart player with poise and doesn't overhandle the puck .. calm, makes safe, informed decisions and does not panic in traffic .. reads plays well and uses stick effectively to knock down pucks .. an intelligent defensive player with strong positioning .. handles opponents very well one-on-one, reads the opposing attack well .. regularly plays the PK .. good size, okay strength, but lacking requisite bulk to overpower .. can take the body, but it not a physical player per sé .. fights for the puck near the boards, but must learn to utilize his size better to discourage opposing forwards .. strong and instinctive, but lacks a real mean streak.

Konstantin Makarov (2004)

Inconsistent but talented winger baffles scouts with erratic play .. fast, penetrating skater who must improve his take-off quickness .. soft hands and plays strong on the puck, but doesn't always know what to do with it .. strong legs, hard to steer off course and can be a sturdy body along the boards when motivated .. at most times, however, not a factor physically and doesn't involve himself much in traffic at all .. solid shooting skills, including a well-honed, crisp wrister, but has to shoot more and quicken his release .. likes to score goals, but will dish the puck off to linemates, although doesn't see the ice as well as we would like .. when on his game looks like a first-round caliber talent, but too often floats and looks disinterested, often seemingly devoid of an essential sixth sense offensively .. a bit of an enigma at the moment.

Roman Voloshenko (2004)

A physical forward with pretty good finish .. an involved participant along the boards, likes to take the body and plays strong on the puck .. good puck mover along the boards and doesn't avoid crowds .. not the smoothest skater, struggles with his first step and falls behind in rushes .. straight-away speed is okay .. needs to improve his stride, but is strong on his skates with above-average balance .. must improve his skills with the puck, especially at top speed .. loses handle on the puck too often, once he gets it he doesn't go very far with it .. prefers to find appropriate shooting zones in the offensive end and waits for the feed .. excellent shooting skills, including a crisp, accurate wrister with pro-quality release .. loves to shoot and attacks the net effectively .. a prototypical finisher who likes to hang near the crease and can score in numerous fashions, from all angles and on the rebound .. must improve vision and share the puck better .. average creativity, but a hard-working, sturdy player who has been a successful goal scorer at every level he has played .. will have to prove he can produce in situations where game speed is much more advanced.