Prospect Watch: Vladimir Tarasenko

McKeen's correspondent Alessandro Seren Rosso has notes from Russia with the following profile on Russian prospect Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko, who is eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft had an impressive season in the KHL.

One player to watch for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft is Russian prospect Vladimir Tarasenko, a late 1991-born. Tarasenko is a product of the Sibir hockey school. It is not comparable with the Moscow schools in terms of players produced, but Tarasenko is a raw gem already worthy of a spot on the main team. Playing in Russia at a young age isn't easy, as the teams usually are stacked with veterans, especially near the end of the season because of the title hunt. However, he managed to play and to score at the tender age of 17.

Tarasenko is not only good in the KHL, which is already quite an achievement for a minor-aged player, but he is also a regular on the first line of the Under 18 national team skating shoulder-to-shoulder with Kirill Kabanov, another promising prospect for 2010. The two click well together as they displayed in the last 5 nations tournament in Sweden where they combined for seven goals in four games. As everyone can expect from a young Russian player, Tarasenko's technique is excellent, as are his skating abilities, but he stands over others thanks to his work ethic, defensive play and willingness to compete. He has all the tools to be picked in the first two rounds, even if the latest events can somewhat dissuade some teams from picking up another Russian, who seems to not want to rush his way toward America.

"I'd say that I will conduct the next season in Russia", Tarasenko said when asked about any plans for the future, thus probably meaning that he won't join any CHL team, unlike his linemate on the national team, Kirill Kabanov.

Tarasenko's first KHL season has been a bit up and down. In the 38 games he played with Sibir, he logged just under 10 minutes of icetime, scoring seven goals, three assists and posting a plus-2 rating. Unfortunately, Sibir did not qualify for the playoffs, as they concluded the regular season as the 19th seed, where only the first 16 qualify for the postseason. Even if he won't taste the pressure of the playoffs, Tarasenko is now awaiting the opportunity to play a big role in the next WJC Under 18, scheduled in the USA from April 4th to 14th.

For a player of such age surely it wasn't easy to adjust to the life of a pro-hockey player.

"Summer 2008 has been the hardest moment of my career: I participated for the first time in the preseason training camp of Sibir and additionally I earned the first call from the Russian junior national team".

Both things meant a lot, especially the participation to the main team's training camp. To play in the KHL as a junior is not a little achievement, let alone scoring multiple goals in a season. Further, he did it and in style, as he scored his first pro goal in his KHL debut against the famous Dynamo Moscow.

"My partners made a beautiful combination. I could hardly do something in that situation, I only had to finish."

Tarasenko put the biscuit in the basket another six times, and even though these numbers might not seem top notch, they are actually very, very good for a player of his age. Gifted with excellent technique and impressive skating abilities, Tarasenko dismantles the stereotype of the Russian one-dimensional player. He works hard at both ends of the ice and even if he's not a defensive specialist he's always one of the first players skating deep in his own zone and bravely goes down to block shots.

There are two things he must improve however: his physical play and his shot. The first factor is not unusual in young players and in Russians in particular, and with a bit of seasoning he can improve. His shot is a little more concerning. Although he has a very good nose for the net and natural scoring abilities, he doesn't possess a quick shot necessary to break in the next level, but he's improving.

"I think that I'm improving. After all the trainers trusted me throughout the whole season and let me play."

At one point in the season, his trainer was an important person for him that being Andrei Tarasenko, his father. Native of Novosibirsk, Andrei had a successful career on many Russian teams, including Sibir, where he was the league's top point scorer in 1994 and 1995. Now 41, his career highlight was being a member of 1994 Russian Olympic team. After his retirement, he coached Sibir's junior farm team. It was Andrei who introduced Tarasenko to hockey, of course.

"My dad played hockey, and I used to watch his games. Gradually I liked this kind of sport more and more. Therefore I started pleasantly to play in the hockey school".

Despite his success at a young age, Tarasenko seems to be a laid-back guy, as confirmed when asked about his best weapons on ice.

"Let the others tell about that, I have to work a lot to overcome my minuses".

However, as he said himself, "the season isn't over yet, there is still the World Championship [U-18]", where he will play on the first unit with top prospect Kirill Kabanov and center Sergei Chvanov.

"I have very good partners and I am glad that the trainer plays me in a unit with them. We don't have a definitive style of play. We try to play combinational hockey."

For more info on Russian hockey prospects please visit www.Russianprospects.com