U18 Junior Cup: Russia

It is never a dull moment when Russian juniors step on the ice. This year's team at the Junior Cup event sagged mid-way through the event and lost the final two games to finish out of the podium position. McKeen's correspondent Robert Neuhauser tells you everything you need to know about key names like Alexander Vasyunov, Vladimir Zharkov, Maxim Gratchev and Andrei Popov.

Yuri Alexandrov (2006), D

Notes: tied with Ryabev, Zharkov and Glavatsky on the team with two goals .. excellent against Finland with steady, mistake-free play at both ends and showcasing a hard point shot .. at his least impressive against the Americans .. rebounded with a solid effort versus the Czech Republic .. probably the most dependable defensive defenseman for Russia in the tournament and shows flashes of offensive flair.

Scouting: good skater is fluid and smooth in all directions, though must still refine his backwards quickness .. doesn't get beaten by speed .. nice pivots and cuts .. willing to stay back and support the defense but likes to get involved when given the freedom by the coaching staff .. has puckmoving sense and good hand-eye coordination .. distributes accurately and smartly all around the ice .. was an asset on the powerplay unit, impressive with a hard, accurate slap shot; really loves to get into position and test the goalie .. decent positional play; able to stay with his man all the way and is tough to beat one-on-one .. needs to get stronger but has an above-average frame .. not tough but threw the occasional hit with some physical diligence that is quite good for his age.

Maxim Mamin (2006), C

Notes: tied with teammate Popov with three assists and led team in penalty minutes with 12 .. probably the brainiest player on the team .. average against the Slovaks before really picking up his game against the United States, creating consistent offensive chances .. creative playmaking force versus the Czechs and Finns .. surprised in the shadow of more high-profile players and really made a name for himself.

Scouting: short stride with above-average agility and foot speed .. must get stronger on his feet and improve his balance .. very deft with the puck; likes to have it on his stick and makes crafty feeds .. does slow down at times when making a play .. good playmaking vision .. maybe a little bit too unselfish .. quick, deceptive wrister and snap shot .. returns back to help the defense .. works hard on pk units .. stealthy influence in traffic with smart positional sense .. doesnèt get rattled when taking a hit but needs to give out more .. manoeuvers nicely in tight spaces.

Alexander Vasyunov (2006), LW

Notes: this draft year's primadonna special .. led Russia with three goals (four points), though all came against Slovakia .. was hard working, buzzing and getting everyone excited in that game, which indicated a potentially breakout tournament .. dangerous on every shift then, but became a one-dimensional floater the rest of the way, must to the chagrin of everyone but his opposition .. refused to get involved defensively and seemed to lose interest offensively as well .. undisputable elite offensive potential spoiled by a lackadaisical approach.

Scouting: a fine skater; strong, agile, fast .. getting stronger on his feet but can't drive through guys yet .. very good hand-eye coordination and impressive stickhandling trickery .. loves to shoot the puck; quick, sharp wrist shot and a solid slapper .. shares the puck well, showing good vision .. very one-dimensional with contempt for defense .. doesn't pick his spots well, takes odd shifts off .. floats, devoid of intensity in his own end .. skinny; has to add bulk pronto to develop on par with the best of his peers .. shoots right.

Vladimir Zharkov (2006), RW

Notes: amassed two goals as did teammates Ryabev, Alexandrov and Glavatsky .. blazing speed is his true weapon .. when Vasyunov turned into a shadow, he began to emerge really stealing the show against the Americans with his solid play in traffic and mobility .. strong all the way through .. strong and threatened to go end-to-end against the Czechs and Finns .. just a rare mix of size, speed and skill who raised his stock a few notches.

Scouting: powerful, elusive skater .. accelerates effortlessly with fine agility for a big man .. explosive first step stands out .. velvet hands, smooth on the puck .. operates through traffic seamlessly .. just dances around opponents with grace and confidence .. knows how to use the boards to his advantage when in possession .. very good understanding of the developing play .. has real playmaking potential with calmness and timing .. has vision and shows good in-close finishing skills .. quick wrister and snap shot .. does not back down from physical challenges .. raw defensively but came back to help out okay.

Maxim Gratchev (2007), LW

Notes: missed the opener against Slovakia .. hi-octane, energy effort against USA .. just flies on his skates with nifty dekes .. hockey sense took a while to sink in, but he showed that he has above-average offensive instincts .. tenacious pest has grit and mobility.

Scouting: effortless with great acceleration and foot speed .. sharp cuts, above-average agility .. feet are always in motion .. pretty good strength and balance .. soft hands and very good hand-eye coordination .. shows exciting dangle in traffic .. consistently involved on the forecheck .. vision is not elite; has to react a bit quicker at times .. plays bigger than his size .. spirited, energetic, spunky .. battles for the pucks in the corners and in traffic .. quick wrister with a sharp release .. slap shot lacks accuracy .. still learning the ropes defensively .. late 88-born.

Other players

Semen Varlamov (2006), G

Notes: starting Russian netminder faced a heavy workload, starting all but one game .. experienced but didn't look outstanding .. didn't make any glaring mistakes but didn't carry the team .. best showing came against Slovakia in the opener .. has work to do on a number of facets of his game.

Scouting: smallish, butterfly-style netminder .. makes up for lack of size with good reflexes and athleticism .. fine skater moves well side-to-side .. challenges the shooter, relying on his quick feet .. lively glove hand .. nice flexibility, recovery skills and rebound control .. adequately anticipates developing play .. needs to improve handling of hard initial shots .. odd goal goes through the five-hole .. occasionally gets caught deep within the net, thus the vulnerability on initial shots .. average puckhandling abilities.

Yakov Seleznev (2007), D

Notes: the only underager on Russia's squad .. filled a strictly defensive role alongside the creative Yuri Alexandrov .. after a good start in the opener he struggled to read plays against the US and was hampered by average mobility .. hurt by game speed against the Czechs .. more solid and reliable against Finland but did not turn heads.

Scouting: lacks smoothness and first step quickness .. heavy feet just don't move well enough to keep speedy forwards ahead of him .. pretty strong with good balance however .. defense-minded blueliner is a good combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. can make a stiff check but tends to lose position when doing it .. willing to sacrifice his body to block shots .. pretty learned positionally but could react to changes in pace better .. makes some odd pinching decisions at times .. doesn't have the vision to do much on offense .. at times hesitant to make a quick outlet pass .. tends to dump the puck when under pressure .. heavy slap shot needs better accuracy .. 89-born.

Igor Zubov (2006), D

Notes: not a factor against Slovakia .. attempted to jump into plays but was ineffective .. smooth with the puck but doesn't have a firm grasp on how to support the offense .. not afraid to get involved physically against bigger US forwards .. some erratic plays with the puck against the Czechs and the Finns, but saw regular duty on power play units .. above-average amongst Russian defenders, but nothing special.

Scouting: gifted but undersized rearguard with deceptive quickness and good speed .. needs to get stronger on his feet .. very gifted hands and nifty moves with the puck .. point shots lack velocity and timing but aren't bad .. battles in the opposing slot .. shows a tendency to try to do too much with the puck, leading to giveaways .. knows how to use his frame but could be more aggressive .. smallish and has to fill out to be truly effective .. shoots right.

Ivan Boldyrev (2006), D

Notes: after a strong start against Slovakia he faded into obscurity for the rest of the tournament .. couldn't support the offense effectively and had trouble reading developing plays in his own zone.

Scouting: agile, quick skater, but isn't particularly fast .. decent hands but is an inconsistent passer with erratic timing .. lacks focus and vision .. accurate point shot but doesn't get much on it .. positionally raw and struggles to keep his man in front of him .. must work harder down low and clear the crease with some determination .. doesn't show much attitude or personality to really stand out.

Alexei Ishmametyev (2006), D

Notes: third-pairing defender has decent offensive skills but did not stand out in any games .. doesn't show a facet at which he excels .. some flashes of belligerence against the US .. played some at the point but joined the rush less as the tournament progressed.

Scouting: not a beautiful skater but this isn't something that is hurting him .. decent pivots, with acceptable agility and acceleration .. works hard in his own end but should spot his man quicker .. has a stocky frame that he can use to hit guys along the boards, but he lacks balance to do this effectively with consistency .. showed willingness to clear the crease but still got outmuscled .. for a puck moving guy he is too lacking in imagination and playmaking instincts to have a future in North America.

Pavel Doronin (2006), D

Notes: fourth liner did not show enough life to stand out .. tried to focus on playing mistake-free hockey but wound up looking tentative .. not physical enough to be a valuable checker .. has some playmaking gifts and confidence did rise in matches against Czech Republic and Finland.

Scouting: lacks size but skates exceptionally well .. a little weak on his feet but skates effortlessly with nice bursts of speed and sharp changes in pace .. pretty good stickhandler can make plays from both sides of the stick, but vision can be questioned .. willing to shoot the puck; has a hard slap shot .. has to be more airtight when playing the man on defense .. doesn't show enough attitude and confidence physically .. has to get stronger.

Andrei Popov (2006), LW

Notes: a name on every scout's to-see list but did not live up to expectations .. showed the odd slick move against Slovakia but didn't look interested .. not much improvement in subsequent games .. enigma.

Scouting: lackadaisical and soft but tremendously skilled .. fluid skater with good agility .. not strong enough on his feet quite yet .. great pair of soft hands that can work magic with the puck .. can undress the defender with graceful moves when the puck is on his stick .. lacks strength and motivation to be anything more than pedestrian in traffic, when in traffic .. uses his stick instead of his body in tight spaces .. accurate passer, but doesn't read the plays well .. doesn't shoot enough to be a dangerous scorer, which is a shame as he has a sharp wrister with a quick release .. without the puck he is a complete non-factor with no defensive conscience .. very slow at marking his man and is often out of position entirely.

Anton Glavatsky (2006), RW

Notes: flashy waterbug was slippery and elusive but was unwilling to operate in traffic .. really flew against the US but was defensively irresponsible .. similarly one-dimensional versus Czech Republic and Finland .. doesn't show the energy and offensive consistency of a guy like Grachev.

Scouting: choppy stride with quick, penetrating feet .. burns defenders to the outside with excellent hesitations .. a pretty good pair of hands with the puck .. quick wrist shot with a sharp release .. has trouble positioning himself in the slot because he is way too hesitant to take a beating, and his shooting skills go for naught .. smallish, slight frame is a non-factor physically .. stickwork is his only way to tie up an opponent .. takes some shifts off and is seldom seen at full intensity .. speed allows him to recover well to his own gaffes but he's still largely irresponsible positionally .. his head has not caught up to his feet.

Artem Anisimov (2006), C

Notes: played pivot to Vasyunov but went into hibernation right around his erratic linemate's disappearance .. showed all-around promise and contributed with assists against Slovakia .. reacted slowly and stopped moving his feet against the US .. completely behind the pace against the Czechs .. better against the Finns.

Scouting: decent skater with good balance on his skates .. good stickhandler with gifted hand-eye skills .. strong and poised enough in traffic to stay on his feet and complete the play .. pretty good vision; made some sharp long-range feeds .. not really a finisher, but possesses a strong slap shot .. doesn't drive hard enough to the net and seems unwilling to score the dirty goal .. doesn't battle enough for pucks and lost some key draws .. hampered by inconsistency all the way through.

Alexander Ryabev (2006), RW

Notes: the lone bright spot on the elite Russian line (with Vasyunov and Anisimov) .. worked hard all the way through, while linemates floated .. actually got better as the tournament went on, showing diligence and creativity in matches against the Czech Republic and Finland .. solid prospect.

Scouting: honest player surprises with moments of craftiness .. decent skater with deceptive acceleration and agility, but has to add bulk to his lower body .. doesn't have great hands, but was seen making some nifty moves with the puck, though struggled to corral some difficult passes .. can deke defenders .. fast wrist shot .. must drive the net harder .. above-average passer was tape-to-tape most of the time .. hard working in the corners but isn't particularly physical .. showed willingness to compete on all shifts.

Kirill Orlenko (2006), LW

Notes: slick energy performer against Slovakia with his quickness .. was on-and-off the rest of the way, mostly ineffective in traffic in other games .. got complacent right around the time most teammates did as well.

Scouting: diminutive but has some magic tricks .. excellent feet that move consistently when he's motivated and get him to areas before other guys can arrive there .. lacks some balance which he can upgrade with some strength training .. fine hands and penchant for stickhandling trickery .. succeeded in one-on-one situations due sharp bursts of speed and pretty good hands .. forechecked tenaciously early in the tournament .. a little impatient as a playmaker .. likes to shoot but doesn't have a great arsenal .. usually not soft in traffic areas but gets manhandled .. very green defensively .. shoots right.

Maxim Gordeyev (2006), C

Notes: playmaking centre made the occasional crafty pass and showed two-way awareness but had shifts where he was noticeably limited against elite opponents .. puck control in traffic but an issue against the US and was outmuscled by most opponents .. mediocre.

Scouting: good skater can execute at high velocity .. fluid stride, decent agility .. must strengthen his lower body to be effective .. pretty good pair of hands but they do them little good because he does get to execute with them anywhere near the net .. a bit fumbly because his arms aren't strong enough .. must be more willing to sacrifice his body physically .. shooting skills also leave something to be desired, lacking accuracy and jam .. could be more selfish with the puck, taking more shots .. returns back on defense but isn't a major factor .. willing to muck for pucks but not regularly.

Ilya Kablukov (2006), C

Notes: fourth line centre didn't show any real offensive attributes .. acceptable reliability at both ends but isn't a dangerous player .. reluctant to shoot the puck in most games, especially against Czech republic.

Scouting: big man skates pretty well for his size .. well balanced but lacks agility and first step quickness .. decent stickhandling abilities but doesn't fool the defender with his moves; he's pretty plain and predictable .. knows how to find his teammate, but vision isn't great .. defensively diligent and battles for loose pucks .. inconsistent work ethic and physical game .. looks surprised by physical contact on some shifts .. doesn't crash the net very much nor well for that matter.