Rus: Alexander Drozdetsky Review

Alexander Drozdetsky - Philadelphia Flyers

Alexander Drozdetsky enjoyed a very productive season with Ak Bars Kazan. The young forward signed with the wealthy Super League club after his best, though inconsistent, season with CSKA Moscow.

No longer in the role of a leading scorer, Drozdetsky played with more consistency and delivered a career season. He is a fast, versatile forward with impressive finishing skills, but who does not play the physical game and tends to over handle the puck and not passing it enough. Drozdetsky also needs to work on his discipline, as he had a few run-ins with the referees this season for talking back, and other minor disciplinary violations.

The young forward is becoming a dominant force in the Russian Super League and he has lately peaked the interest of the Philadelphia Flyers, the NHL club that drafted him in 1999. However, there is still a lingering concern whether Drozdetsky can adapt to the smaller North American ice surface and whether his slight physical build can stand up to the rigors of an NHL season.

Regardless of the concerns, the young forward has a wealth of talent and a Kazan hockey expert close to the Ak Bars organization phrased it quite well: "Besides minor discipline issues, Drozdetsky is truly the son of his father Nikolai Drozdetsky, who was one of the Soviet Union’s greatest hockey players."

Concerned with the impact of the lapse in the agreement between the NHL and Russia after June 2004, the Flyers may sign Drozdetsky to a contract before the agreement’s expiration, allowing him to continue to play in Russia in the case of the lockout.

article courtesy Evgeny Belashchenko and RussianProspects.com