Russia: U-16 Analysis
Robert reviews a Russian select Under-16 team consisting of 1989-born players. Among the standouts are rearguard quarterback Mikhail Churlyaev and the skilled but greedy Sergei Korostin.
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Skates well for a big man but is rough on his turns and laterally .. good straightaway speed and agility .. a puck-carrying rearguard with a mind for the attack .. fluent passing skills .. makes crisp, accurate passes at short distance but seldom goes long distance .. fluid moves with the puck .. makes use of his reach to pinch the puck off opposing players .. frequently used as a pp qb .. decent slapper but misses the net often .. tends to fall back behind the play on occasions, forcing a forward to return back .. At times passive in his own end; needs to develop better responsibility in that regard .. average in his aggressiveness and use of the body .. should punish players in front of the net with greater intensity considering his physical tools .. shoots right.
Team Russia's captain for the u16 selects .. a deceptively quick skater with okay agility and foot speed .. has to work on his balance .. offensive-minded rearguard who often jumps into the play and likes to rush the puck .. good puck skills .. makes fast, accurate passes, short and long distances .. possesses a very accurate shot from the point with average hardness .. good vision and anticipation skills .. decent positionally; has to further improve his defensive zone coverage .. needs to gain more bulk in order to be more effective in the defensive end .. willing to throw his body along the boards and to clear the crease but gets outmuscled.
Average sized with good wheels .. a decent backwards skater with nice lateral moves .. top-end speed is only so-so .. shows promising poise with the puck on his stick but prefers to stay back rather than take charge offensively .. average puck skills; hands are nothing special .. defensively he shows the upside to be very dependable .. very reliable with minimum potential of risk .. sound positional play, but not very aggressive .. relies on smarts and vision .. alternate captain of the Russia squad.
Decent skater - stride doesn't impress .. top-end speed is okay with good agility and lateral quickness .. defensive-minded and sturdy positionally .. stays with his man conscientiously .. diligent and willing to sacrifice his body to block shots .. willing combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. joins the rush only when defensively goings-on are safe .. average puck skills .. at times overhandles the puck .. average vision, thus limited offensive upside .. shot from the point is not hard but he gets it through.
Ivan Gulyaev, D
Average skater with a gangly stride .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. must upgrade his foot speed .. balanced with good lower-body strength .. first steps lack crispness; tends to fall behind the play on occasion .. not a difference maker offensively; tries to support the offense at times but tends to overlook some passing lanes .. accuracy is an issue with his slapshot but he isn't afraid to let it go .. stays with his man and plays with an edge .. likes to play the body .. often loses position when making the hit.
Quick crafty skater with some terrific dangle .. skates with a short fluid stride .. reaches top speed quickly in just a few steps .. excellent change of pace .. skinny in his lower body and not yet very well-balanced .. nifty puck skills and dekes .. willing to get involved in traffic with the puck but gets knocked off possession too easily .. dangerous man-on-man threat but mostly prefers to share the puck .. keen awareness of linemates .. wrister and snapper are oft-used shots to his repertoire .. plays a finesse style .. returns to help out the defense but needs to gain more strength to be effective in more physical situations.
Sergei Korostin, RW
Smooth-skating winger impresses with a fluid stride and swift acceleration .. possesses above-average agility and first-step quickness .. balance and lower-body strength should be upgraded .. quick, fine hands on the puck .. handles even the most difficult feeds effortlessly .. greedy in puck possession; plays a selfish style and shoots the puck often .. excellent variety of shots; quick and accurate slap shot .. needs to be more physically assertive; not using his body to his advantage .. must make significant strides in his defensive play as he is willing to return back but is not particularly effective on the backcheck.
Egor Averin, RW
Effortless skater reaches top speed with only a few of his long, effective strides .. nice agility, good balance but lower-body strength needs to improve .. has a strong pair of hands that control the puck smoothly .. excellent offensive instincts; sneaks through opposing defenses due to his savvy and slippery moves .. always dangerous when the puck is on his stick, especially man-on-man .. willing to play in traffic but is not physical .. above-average finisher; consistently looks for breakaway opportunities .. unleashes a precise wrister and snapper .. intensity off the puck drops off .. commitment to defensive play wanes.
Playmaking forward does not play afraid but bounces off bigger opponents .. good footspeed and acceleration .. skates with a fluid stride; above-average agility .. deceptive, nifty puck skills but isn't very effective with the puck in traffic .. effective at finding the open man .. has a quick release on his wrist shot .. must improve hardness of his slap shot .. solid defensively; plays with energy and dedication on the backcheck .. blocks opposing lanes .. asset on both specialty teams units .. severe lack of size is an issue.
Creative playmaker .. skates well with a choppy stride .. nice change of pace and good top-end speed .. very smooth and polished on the puck .. very good vision and hockey sense .. makes savvy plays at top velocity .. prefers passing to shooting .. quick wrist shot, strong slapper but is underused .. not overly committed to the defensive end of the ice; sometimes hesitates to return and help out .. could show more toughness and aggressiveness .. needs to show more persistence around the goal area.
Skilled but gets pushed out of scoring areas .. fluid stride, sharp agile moves and good top-end speed .. sub-par lower body strength .. gets overpowered in one-on-one battles .. very creative with the puck .. loves to have the puck on his stick to dangle and move it around the ice .. on the downside he tends to overhandle the puck .. strong hand-eye coordination .. loves to fire a wrister top shelf .. average defensively; slow at marking his man .. struggles at the faceoff circle .. shoots right.
Ruslan Bashkirov, LW
Slippery and sneaky .. flashy, quick and always keeps his feet moving .. agility and acceleration are strengths .. burns defenders with twists and turns .. crafty with very good hand-eye coordination .. doesn't pass often .. shooting skills need work, though his wrister is accurate .. does not play a physical style but worked in the corners .. smallish frame .. wanders in his own end.
Solid-footed, well-framed stance .. more of a butterfly-style goalie .. relies on good raw skill but needs to develop better fundamentals .. very quick, strong down low with flexible legs .. adequate glove hand .. good quickness and lateral movement in the crease .. does not get intimidated by traffic in front of him .. goes down too early at times .. rebound control is a raw area .. consistency is an issue - a world beater in one match, weak in the other .. does not move the puck very often and struggles when he is at it.
Robert Neuhauser's top 5:
1. Sergei Korostin
2. Denis Trakhanov
3. Egor Averin
4. Vitaly Karamnov
5. Mikhail Churlyaev