U18 WJC: Russia

The Russians won the IIHF World U18 Championship in 2004, but this year they came up short with a fifth-place finish. Still, defenseman Vyacheslav Buravchikov led his tournament blueliner peers in points and RW Alexei Sopin had what may have been the best international tournament of his career. Our series on the U18's continues by looking at numerous Russian players, including the surprising 2006-eligible Igor Makarov.

TOP PERFORMERS

Vyacheslav Buravchikov, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the only player who regularly impressed with his play and boosted his stock as a NHL prospect .. started the tournament red-hot, supporting the offense with precise feeds while not giving up much of his defensive awareness and showing some of his nasty side .. Russian 'Player of the game' in the opener against Sweden .. seemed to run out of steam in the quarterfinal game, where he couldn't deliver his usual two-way prowess .. picked up his game again for the contest against Slovakia .. most productive defenseman in the entire tournament (7 points) .. finished seventh in tournament scoring .. tied for second with Alexei Sopin on Team Russia scoring .. tied with Ilya Zubov for third place among Russian goal scorers (3 goals) .. tied with Alexander Kucheryavenko for second-best Russian passer (4 assists) .. Russia's most frequent shooter (20 shots) .. All-Star member.

Scouting: a very good skater with above-average straightaway speed and a smooth stride .. solid agility and lateral movement .. doesn't get beaten by speed .. decent balance .. good offensive flair .. smart when moving the puck .. above-average vision and hockey sense .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a deft passer who knows how to find the open man .. capable of accurate outlet passes even at long distances .. shows enough confidence to make risky plays, but still can't avoid the odd mistake .. very good powerplay quarterback .. a hard shot from the point, but has to keep it lower on the ice .. needs to upgrade his play in his own zone .. can be caught out of position, but makes up for those lapses with his speed .. doesn't play afraid and is a decent hitter .. adequate crease-clearer .. versatile player who can play center as well .. conditioning seems to be an issue as he tends to run out of steam during consecutive games stretches.

Vitaly Anikeenko, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: got his final chance to prove himself against the top competition in his age group and succeeded to some extent .. was able to pull off a steady defensive showing with adequate hard-nosed play and reliability in his own end .. didn't stand out, but held his own in the game against Canada .. even if he wasn't one of the fastest skaters on the team, he took his man out of the play and patrolled the defensive zone with decent authority.. solid defensive force against both Czech Republic and Slovakia, but virtually buried any chance of him ever becoming a defenseman with noticeable offensive upside .. during most of the games made some erratic passes and his slow decision-making on the offensive blue line led to several mistakes .. most penalized Russian player (12 PIM's).

Scouting: an adequate skater for a player of his size .. solid balance and a powerful stride .. could use a better lateral movement and first-step quickness .. average backwards speed .. works hard down low and can be effective when he keeps things simple and focuses on his defensive role .. above-average strength and tenacity .. takes his man out of the play and is willing to finish his checks .. solid toughness .. a very limited offensive upside .. could use more hockey sense .. still prone to positional mistakes .. shows some trouble with keeping the play in front of him, but registered progress in that regard .. unleashes a booming shot from the point but needs to upgrade on accuracy .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. strong reach .. average puck-distributor who overlooks a passing lane sometimes and tends to make in-close passes .. sub-par creativity .. needs to play a safer style on the offensive blueline to avoid creating of odd-man rushes .. shoots right.

Alexei Sopin, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: played arguably his best international tournament ever .. no doubt about his skill set .. the tenacity and aggressiveness is simply missing in the smallish body of the waterbug forward though .. was deftly dancing around opponents with the puck at top speed and scored important goals for the Russian squad, all while not having to battle through traffic and play where it hurts .. the Canadian team almost neutralized him with the more physical style .. named deserving Russian 'Player of the game against Slovakia after an electrifying offensive showing .. is going to have quality success in European hockey .. finished fourth in tournament scoring (7 points) .. best Russian goal scorer and tied for second in tournament goal scoring with Swede Niklas Bergfors (6 goals) .. tied for second with Vyacheslav Buravchikov on Team Russia scoring .. highest shooting percentage of all Russian players (.4286) .. the only Russian to score two game-winning goals

Scouting: takes advantage of his burning speed and strong first-step quickness .. good agility and adequate balance .. releases a quick, accurate wrist shot, aiming often at the top shelf .. deft stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. decently accurate slap shot, but could use it to a greater extent .. isn't showing much of a commitment to the defensive aspect of the game and tends to be passive in his own zone at times .. good vision and is capable of solid crisp passes .. okay awareness of his linemates .. isn't a physical menace and likes the open ice way more than having to execute in heavy traffic .. avoids tight areas and doesn't hit opposing players .. the opponents can get under his skin with abrasive play, but they won't be able to hit him very often as his quickness and a flashy style will help him to avoid the bone-crunchers.

Igor Makarov, C/LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: the most delightful Russian surprise at forward .. made onlookers forget about his lack of feet and overall size with his ability to deliver a tenacious style and battle his way through traffic on a regular basis .. an average factor against Canada, but didn't get rattled much by the opponent's physical play and played fearlessly .. displayed a mix of grit and strong skills in both the quarterfinal and fifth-place games, making use of his speed and battling in traffic .. effective on the penalty kill .. proved strong instincts on scoring chances .. if it wasn't for his occasional off-shifts with that lack of effectiveness, he would have challenged Vyacheslav Buravchikov for the title of the Russian tournament MVP .. finished 13th in tournament scoring (5 points) .. second-best Russian goal scorer (5 goals) .. tied for fourth with Canadian Ryan O'Marra in tournament goal scoring

Scouting: a good skater with strong foot speed and acceleration .. effortless stride and an above-average agility .. okay balance for a smallish player .. deceptive puckhandling skills .. can dangle his way out of tight spaces regularly .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. knows how to get into a scoring opportunity .. a fast-release on his wrist shot .. needs to work on the hardness of the slap shot .. solid defensive awareness .. plays with lots of energy and is effective on the backcheck .. a tight forecheker .. decent defensive awareness .. blocks the opposing passing lanes and spots his man quickly .. can throw a decent hit, even on a bigger player .. a good asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units .. isn't a tough hitter, but doesn't play afraid .. tends to lose his temper at times .. a late 1987 born forward.

Denis Istomin, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: put a strong array of skills on display along with an ability to jump out at an observer, but the gritty, North American style of play was still missing .. emerged as the best Russian forward against Canada, but wasn't really effective behind his crafty puck dekes and fluid skating .. a good showing in the quarterfinal game against the Czech Republic by generating numerous quality chances for his linemates .. you had to hate his lack of inspiration and any kind of determination when the team competed for fifth place against Slovakia .. headed into the tournament as the top Russian draft-eligible player and with the emergence of Vyacheslav Buravchikov, the title looks to be changed to the top draft-eligible forward by now.

Scouting: a smooth skater who utilizes a fluid stride and good acceleration .. plays with solid agility and first-step quickness .. could use more lower-body strength .. can reach top speed in a few strides .. needs to be more balanced when battling in heavy traffic .. soft hands can handle the puck smoothly .. is a deft passer with a good portion of vision .. makes crisp, accurate passes on a regular basis .. forecheckes aggressively and forces the opposing players to make mistakes .. needs to be more physically assertive and stronger .. isn't using his body to his advantage .. can get knocked off the puck relatively easily .. a solid variety of shots, but tends to use his wrister more than his slapper .. needs to upgrade his defensive play as he is willing to return back, but isn't very effective on the backcheck .. lacks determination during some games and gets confused when the team doesn't play well.

OTHER PLAYERS:

Semen Varlamov, G (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: the underaged goaltender was a nice surprise with his intangibles and mature play .. appeared in two games .. the only Russian player to be selected 'Player of the game' twice for his good efforts in the games against Denmark and the quarterfinal game against Czech Republic .. shut the door on the Danish attacks with his quickness and his confidence took a rise .. played a solid quarterfinal contest with solid quickness and reflexive saves, but got hurt by serious mistakes of his defensemen .. learned a valuable experience for next year's Under-18 WJC.

Scouting: a smallish netminder .. doesn't cover a big space of the net, but makes up for this drawback with quality reflexes and athleticism .. an okay skater with a decent lateral movement in the crease .. moves quickly side-to-side .. adequate on the blocker side .. a solid and fast glove hand .. handles most of the rebounds well thanks to strong dexterity and flexibility .. adequate anticipation of the developing plays .. should concentrate on dealing with the hard initial shots .. tends to play too deep in the net, thus being vulnerable to the initial shots .. displays only average puckhandling ability and should work on his stickhandling .. an '88 born goaltender.

Ilya Proskuryakov, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: split duties with underager Semen Varlamov and didn't manage to keep the starting job .. appeared in four games .. started the game against Canada and pulled off a decent-but-not-convincing performance despite being named Russian 'Player of the game' .. didn't face many quality chances in the fifth-place game against Slovakia and played a solid game .. in general registered an average tournament and showcased that doubts about his playing style still exist .. finished seventh among tournament goaltenders with more than 120 minutes played in save percentage (.9053) .. ranked seventh among tournament goaltenders with more than 120 minutes played in GAA (3.00).

Scouting: a quick goalie with solid athleticism and dexterity .. good leg quickness and is tough to beat on the initial shot .. should leave less of a hole in his stance when moving side-to-side .. solid down low, but gets the odd soft goal through his five-hole .. covers the upper half quite well with his adequate glove hand .. quick to recover when he drops to a butterfly .. should stay square to the shooter in a better way .. doesn't show significant trouble with handling pressure .. shows problems when having to get his bearings with heavy traffic in front of him .. shows adequate focus .. needs to upgrade his puckhandling skills, but showed improvement by his willingness to handle the puck more often.

Andrei Zubarev, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: solid force on the Russian blue line didn't avoid off-games, but in general registered an adequate showing .. asked to fill a more conservative defensive role .. a decent start to the tournament with a defensive showing against Sweden .. tried to support the offense more in the game against Canada, but didn't stand out on either the offensive or defensive side .. broke down in the quarterfinal game against Czech Republic, where he created glaring defensive gaffes and positional mistakes .. recovered from this showing with a solid game against Slovakia, where he reduced his defensive lapses to a mere acceptable number .. proved that he possesses the intangibles to become a pro defenseman, but will need considerable patience to put them all together

Scouting: an above-average skater .. solid acceleration and agility .. adequate lower-body strength .. low center of gravity makes him a player with solid balance .. decent stickhandling skills .. adequate offensive upside, but is mostly used in a defensive role and hesitates to join the rush .. decent vision enables him to run the powerplay somewhat effectively .. needs to work on his lackluster slap shot .. can't get his slap shots through heavy traffic as they lack accuracy, although the shot has decent power .. okay snap shot .. solid aggressiveness .. willing to mix things up along the boards and clear the crease with good determination .. tends to lose position when making a hit .. a determined shot-blocker .. prone to glaring positional breakdowns .. needs to spot his man faster and stay with him all the way .. solid intangibles, but is still raw.

Igor Nikitin, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: better things were expected from the experienced rearguard .. played decent round robin games, but couldn't make use of his mobility in the game against Canada, where he struggled with the physical style and didn't read the plays of the opponent adequately well .. didn't show a noticeable improvement with his play in the playoff round .. didn't see much playing time in the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic and was only a very limited factor .. got particularly better in the fifth-place game against Slovakia, where he effectively used his mobility against the slower Slovakian forwards, but still didn't support the offense well .. is going to climb down the draft ladder based on this showing.

Scouting: a good skater with intense bursts of speed and sharp agility .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. his skating skills make up for his lack of size .. a solid stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick .. okay vision, but doesn't take enough advantage of this asset .. shows an above-average offensive upside .. prone to the odd mistake when distributing the puck .. likes to shoot the puck .. a good variety of shots, including an accurate slap shot .. on the defensive side, he suffers from the occasional positional breakdowns .. should improve his play in the defensive zone and spot his player faster .. needs to stay with his man all the way .. isn't really soft, but could use his body more when patrolling in front of his own net and along the boards .. an average crease-clearer .. needs to get stronger as he shows trouble with handling big opponents .. shoots right.

Anton Poleschuk, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: lacked quality offensive support in the tournament opener against Sweden .. not much of a factor in the contest against Canada, where he had trouble handling the bigger forwards .. served as a quality pointman for the Russian team and was willing to fire the puck often .. a good shooter in the quarterfinal against Czech Republic, but had his performance spoiled by ugly positional mistakes and misreading plays .. picked his game up against Slovakia, but still wasn't very reliable .. an okay physical force despite the modest size, but kept his mean streak hidden for too long, especially in the playoff games .. tied with Denis Pakhomov for the second-most penalized Russian player (10 PIM's)

Scouting: an above-average skater with a solid acceleration and agility .. adequate lower-body strength and balance .. a quality shooter who fires the puck often .. fires hard and accurate blasts from the point which go low on the ice and are tippable .. a solid stickhandler and a valuable asset to the powerplay units .. works effectively on the offensive blue line and can move his teammates with his one-timed passes .. tends to do too much with the puck which leads to bad giveaways .. is prone to the odd mistake when rushing the puck .. not very reliable on the offensive blue line .. can lay a solid hit on the opponents, but still needs to use his frame to a bigger extent .. smallish blueliner needs to show more of a mean streak to overcome the size deficiency that he still has .. positional play is a serious issue both on five-on-five and on penalty killing units .. tries to be 'everywhere' on the ice, which limits his effectiveness.

Denis Pakhomov, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: didn't stand out, but had a decent showing .. showed okay defensive reliability, but his usual offensive prowess wasn't evident in all games .. looked a bit rusty in the Russian tournament opener against Sweden .. held his own in the match-up against Canada, working hard in the corners and handling the big bodies adequately well thanks to a stocky frame .. an average factor against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, failing to support the offense with quality passes .. played a solid physical style against the Slovaks in the fifth-place game and improved his defensive reliability .. tied with Anton Poleschuk for the second-most penalized Russian player (10 PIM's).

Scouting: a good skater with an explosive stride .. above-average acceleration and foot speed .. solid lower-body strength and balance .. jumps into the plays and shows a solid offensive upside .. creative puck-carrier capable of accurate tape-to-tape passes .. crafty puckhandling skills .. okay offensive vision and timing of passes .. progressed in the number of times where he is willing to let his hard slap shot go .. decent positional play, but improvement is still advisable .. shows occasional trouble when having to make a fast decision under the tight forechecking of the opponent .. isn't physically dominating, but doesn't get out-muscled too often thanks to a stocky frame .. willing to throw open-ice hits .. prone to some undisciplined penalties .. a solid worker in the corners who can play bigger than his size.

Ilya Zubov, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the number of points amassed would indicate a terrific showing from the offensive forward, but he was a floater who scored the bulk of his points against weaker opponents .. played a good game against Germany, being named Russian 'Player of the game' .. solid in the match-up against Denmark .. a soft player against Canada and in the playoff rounds .. was able to out-skate most of the opposing defensemen, create scoring chances, display strong offensive instincts and unleash his lethal wrist or snap shot into the top shelf .. had his showing spoiled by drawbacks such as his regular tendency to float on the perimeter, his severe lack of aggressiveness and a penchant to dive considerably often .. finished third in tournament scoring (8 points) .. leading scorer of Team Russia .. best Russian passer and third-best on the tournament (5 assists) .. tied with Vyacheslav Buravchikov for third place among Russian goal scorers (3 goals) .. ranked second on Team Russia in shots (19).

Scouting: a good skater with a fluid stride and solid acceleration.. sharp agility and adequate top-end speed .. imaginative with the puck .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create plays .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. needs to learn to not over-handle the puck .. good stickhandler with above-average hand-eye coordination .. solid vision and hockey sense .. a lethal wrist shot, which he likes to fire into the upper net .. a hard slap shot with adequate accuracy .. strong offensive instincts .. useful on the powerplay units as both playmaker or finisher .. can play the point on powerplays .. solid defensive awareness .. more of a perimeter player .. doesn't play a physical style and tries to avoid rough going .. average in the face-off circle and needs work there .. prone to unnecessary penalties for retaliation or diving .. tends to throw some cheap shots at opponents during games.

Slava Trukhno, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: showed flashes of quality potential hidden in the big body with QMJHL experience even if toiling on the fourth line before being promoted to the second line for the playoff round .. adequate start to the tournament with an all-round performance against Sweden, but lacked prowess in the offensive zone .. withstood the physical style of the Canadian team adequately well .. seemed to fit into the role the coach put on his shoulders and delivered a solid, gritty style crowned by undressing several opponents with his ability to stickhandle in a phone booth, which was visible especially in the quarterfinal contest against the Czech Republic .. didn't stand out, but a bigger role would suit him better given the lack of heart showcased by several Russians on the top two lines.

Scouting: a solid skater for a player of his size .. decent agility, but first-step quickness still could be improved .. okay top-end speed and balance .. a smooth, coordinated stickhandler who can undress the opponents with nifty dekes .. still should upgrade his ability to deal with difficult passes .. okay hand-eye coordination .. solid passing skills .. aware of his linemates, but sometimes a little greedy in puck-possession .. should fire the pucks more often and drive the net with more determination .. a belligerent player who can make use of his size in the corner battles .. plays a diligent style and mucks for the pucks .. solid defensive awareness .. marks his man quickly and stays with him .. able to play well on both powerplay and penalty killing units.

Egor Zharkov, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a member of the Russian fourth line, used as a checking unit .. saw a little bit of playing time, but didn't make much of an impression on the vast majority of his shifts .. reduced to a more defensive role, but didn't throw many hard hits and occasionally didn't look prepared for physical contact .. hampered by a lack of puckhandling prowess in the offensive zone .. a little factor in the contest against Canada .. looked more tired as the tournament went on and was a lesser factor in the playoff round .. hardly made any use of his size in the fifth-place game against Slovakia .. tied with Igor Antosik for lead on Team Russia in +/- (+3).

Scouting: a solid skater for a big man .. effective stride with above-average acceleration .. well-balanced on his skates, but could use more agility in his play .. isn't afraid of executing in traffic .. willing to take position in front of the opposing net .. unimpressive stickhandler .. displays a solid defensive awareness as he shuts down the opposing offensive raids well either by using his frame or blocking the passing lanes with his stick .. a booming slap shot with decent accuracy .. should fire the puck more often .. could use better puckhandling skills .. an adequate passer, but doesn't have the vision of an good playmaker .. average hockey sense .. is willing to throw the occasional hit, but should be a more constant physical force .. can be pushed around while lacking intensity.

Alexander Bumagin, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: registered a solid start to the tournament with an offensive showing in the opener against Sweden .. played an okay game against Germany, but was hampered by a lack of effectiveness in traffic .. able to jump out on several shifts in the game against Canada, but his play went south when asked to battle heavy traffic and play where it hurts .. avoided physical contact in the quarterfinal game against Czech Republic .. jumped out with the odd quick puck move and burst of speed in the contest for fifth place against Slovakia, but always repeated his soft play and lack of physical involvement .. should play 60 minutes of intense hockey, but failed .. solid player for Europe, but his pro potential wasn't boosted by this showing.

Scouting: an effortless skater who can reach top speed by using just a few of his effective strides .. plays with above-average agility .. decent balance, but still should strengthen lower-body .. boasts an impressive pair of hands which control the puck smoothly .. utilizes his strong instincts and an ability to find the open man .. very good in one-on-one situations .. doesn't play a physical style .. lacks enough strength to be a quality traffic player .. uses his stick instead of his body in tight spaces .. should show up in front of the opposing net more often .. releases a precise wrist shot .. decent slap shot, which could be more accurate .. his intensity off the puck drops off .. doesn't show much commitment to the defensive play .. too slow at marking his man .. can be caught out of position in the defensive end.

Anton Krysanov, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a large disappointment in this tournament .. his size was the only appealing factor as he wasn't able to effectively use it against the opposing players and his offensive output was seriously hampered by lackluster puckhandling skills .. wasn't able to handle the passes .. an average player in the game against Sweden .. looked sluggish and non-physical in the game against the Canadian team .. wasn't able to pick his game up in the playoff round against the Czech Republic and Slovakia and continued to sleep-skate during his shifts .. skating skills didn't seem to improve over the season and he showed some trouble handling the pace of faster games .. hurt his draft stock with this forgettable showing.

Scouting: registered progress with his skating skills as he uses a more fluid stride and decent acceleration for a big man .. solid balance .. agility still needs upgrading .. adequate top-end speed .. a bad dangler who can't move the puck in traffic effectively .. sub-par hand-eye coordination .. adequate vision .. can use his linemates, but overlooks the odd passing lane .. performs on both powerplay and penalty killing units .. good defensive awareness and a knack for blocking the passing lanes of the opposition .. plays with adequate toughness, but his mean streak tends to have serious downs .. looks unprepared for physical contact on numerous shifts, where he gets out-powered even by smaller players .. should crash the net with more determination as he seems to head into the corners with the puck too often.

Igor Velichkin, C/RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: didn't accomplish anything in the tournament which would help him boost his draft stock .. decent start to the tournament against Sweden, but didn't stand out .. was asked to fill an all-round role on the team, but wasn't a really effective force .. virtually invisible in the game against Canada .. registered a slight improvement in his play in the quarterfinal game against Slovakia, but drew attention only on a handful of shifts by out-skating the opponents or blocking an opponent's pass .. a floating, disinterested player in the fifth-place game against Slovakia, where he lacked any determination.

Scouting: an effortless skater who takes advantage of his fluid stride and strong first-step quickness to penetrate through opposing defenses .. solid agility .. decent in-close finishing skills .. solid stickhandling ability .. an okay passer .. hard and accurate wrist shot .. solid, hard slap shot with average accuracy .. should release the slapper more frequently .. shows a decent commitment to defensive duties, but needs improvement in terms of blocking the opposing passing lanes more effectively .. an active player on powerplay units .. could use more vision in his play .. made strides in his commitment to physical play and is willing to perform in traffic, but isn't a physical menace .. prone to some cheap shots on opponents during games .. develops a bad penchant for having off-games with a serious lack of determination, where he isn't effective in any single area.

Igor Antosik, C/LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a member of the Russian fourth line, used as a checker .. was asked to fill his usual defensive role and met the expectations, but didn't show much past this ability .. his lack of skating skills, mainly elite speed and acceleration, was too evident in all games .. didn't throw many hard hits but didn't shy away from the physical going and showed solid balance .. not much of a factor in the contest against Canada, where he served solely as a role player .. an average factor in the playoff round with his lack of offensive prowess.. hardly made any use of his size in the game against the Czech Republic and the fifth-place game against Slovakia .. tied with Egor Zharkov for lead on Team Russia in +/- (+3).

Scouting: an average skater .. needs to develop better first-step quickness and agility .. average top-end speed .. decent balance on his skates, but still could improve on lower-body strength .. adequate vision .. knows how to use his linemates, but shows only average creativity .. doesn't impress with his puckhandling skills .. could use softer hands to be more efficient with the puck in traffic .. tends to be hesitant with the puck .. adequately hard wrist shot .. slap shot could use more accuracy .. above-average defensive awareness .. shuts down the opposing players effectively .. a diligent player in the corner battles, where he takes advantage of his size .. still needs to bulk up to avoid getting out-muscled .. should hit the opposing players more often .. average in the face-off circle.

Alexander Kucheryavenko, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a solid offensive player during the round robin games against European players, but traffic play was a constant issue .. the Canadian team neutralized him with a rougher style .. played a good game in the drubbing of the German team, delivering solid passes to his linemates .. delivered an adequate offensive showing against the underdog Danish team .. not much of a factor in the quarterfinal game against Czech Republic, failing to create anything and playing softly .. picked his game up against Slovakia, but didn't play the whole game at full intensity .. tied with Vyacheslav Buravchikov for second-best Russian passer (4 assists).

Scouting: a flashy skater who keeps his feet moving .. good acceleration and agility .. solid top-end speed which can burn defenders .. crafty puckhandler with above-average hand-eye coordination .. can shoot the puck well, utilizing his very good, accurate wrist shot with a sharp release, but has trouble penetrating to get to the scoring chances .. should use his slap shot more often .. doesn't play a physical style and isn't a significant force in heavy traffic thanks to his smallish frame .. shows a tendency to use his stick instead of his body .. tends to take odd shifts off .. doesn't play the games at full intensity .. his speed enables him to return to his own zone in time, but needs to play in position better .. shoots right.