U20 Four-Nations: Russia
The Russians boasted the most NHL drafted talent in the tournament and
were
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the favorites to place first, although few true stars were present.
Among
2005 draft-eligible players, Konstantin Makarov and Nikolai Lemtyugov
drew
the most interest.
After rolling to a nice start with wins against Finland and Sweden,
Russia
faced off against the equally unbeaten Czechs for first, but collapsed
incredibly. Suffering from a lack of cohesion, the talented bunch did
not
jell as most of the key players registered a miserable outing.
Skilled, underrated player was surprisingly passed up in last June's
draft
.. above-average skater with quick, constantly moving feet .. has a
deceptive first step and hits top speed in few strides .. exhibited
soft
hands and nifty puck skills .. there is upside in him as a scorer and
as a
passer .. fires a quick wrist shot with nice accuracy .. did not show
significant commitment to defense .. not a factor in traffic and was
neutralized by stronger opposition .. not big, but there are impressive
enough tools here to probably get him drafted the second time around.
Alexander Nikulin, F, Ottawa Senators
Earned top forward honours for his willingness to contribute at both
ends of
the ice .. not a blazing skater but is agile with good balance .. a
capable
set-up man; not typically a scorer .. crafty with soft hands and sound
positional instincts .. really impressed with timely feeds and
surprising
vision .. shows giddyup in his own end, but is still rough around the
edges
in that respect .. has bullish qualities, but is not nasty and has to
upgrade aggressiveness.
Undisciplined, but the pieces seemed to come closer together after a
horrendous 03-04 season .. a very good skater with a sharp first step
and
effortless top-end take-off .. not a great stickhandler, a little rough
with
the puck .. fires a hard wrister and a snappy slapper with good
accuracy ..
competed for the puck adequately along the boards .. hockey sense,
mainly
positioning-wise, is so-so; falls behind plays at times .. took several
undisciplined penalties due to inability to mark his man properly ..
tends
to dive a lot..
The disappearing act continues, though not one of his worst tournaments
..
an above-average skater with good speed but lacking a quick first step
and
lower body bulk .. does not share the puck with his linemates ..
intensity
in defensive zones wanes .. surprised by getting involved in traffic,
but
size negated any impact.
Mikhail Yunkov, F, Washington Capitals
A solid two-way force displayed excellent maturity, but still could
show
more productivity .. strong skater with nice speed and acceleration ..
a
conscientious forechecker .. sees the ice exceptionally well and uses
his
linemates wisely .. anticipates the play at an elite level .. has an
accurate wrister he fires well top shelf .. good at marking his man ..
did
not back down from physical play and got involved in traffic .. absorbs
hits
without trouble .. needs to drive the net more and be more selfish with
the
puck.
Top Russian scorer (3-1-3-4) was a pleasant surprise .. a fluid skater
is
quick, agile but not ultra-fast .. not very strong on his skates .. an
excellent stickhandler .. made nifty, crisp feeds to his linemates and
executed with the puck in traffic .. successful in one-on-one
situations ..
lanky and needs to add bulk.
Showed a spirited side and did not disappoint .. a deceptively quick
skater
with sound agility .. made accurate outlet feeds .. has a quick wrist
shot
with a strong release .. showed a bright mind, in such instances as
using
opposing defensemen as a screen .. does not use his slapper enough ..
has
size shortcomings, but did fairly well in traffic .. took punishment
but did
not punish .. tends to float in his own end .. intensity without the
puck
drops off big time.
Inconsistent, but occasionally eye-catching .. skates with a powerful
stride
and good balance and agility .. does not possess great top speed ..
smooth
on the puck, but rough in receiving .. a diligent player who works hard
along the boards .. got involved in traffic and made a few strong hits
..
strong on his feet in the slot .. effort was on and off .. has to
attack the
net with more meanness.
Alexei Emelin, D, Montreal Canadiens
Solid, reliable stay-at-home rearguard .. good skater moves well
forwards,
backwards and side-to-side .. tough to beat on turns .. moved the puck
accurately out of his own zone .. has a rocket shot from the point, but
did
not show great accuracy .. keeps play simple to minimize mistakes ..
shows a
mean streak and takes the body hard .. aggressive along the boards ..
initiates physical contact .. skated on the first defensive unit with
Denis
Ezhov.
Kirill Lyamin, D, Ottawa Senators
Not flashy, but efficient and a competitor .. very good balance and
accelerates well .. moves well to all directions .. adequate
stickhandler;
average hands .. a polished outlet passer, but makes mostly safe feeds
..
has a strong slapper he seems to be reluctant to use .. works hard
along the
boards and in front of the crease .. times hits well.
Nikita Nikitin, D, St.Louis Blues
Played well against Finland but was a mess against the Czechs .. a
rangy
rearguard with impressive agility and lateral movement, but has to work
on
his balance .. smooth with the puck and likes to be in possession .. a
creative outlet passer .. slap shot lacks sufficient power .. raw in
his own
end, positionally and in terms of using his body .. relies too much on
his
stick and is not willing to get dirty .. has to bulk up to outmuscle
the
opposition .. made some hits, but none made a lot of impact .. a lanky,
awkward kid, but is looking much more comfortable than ever before.
Denis Ezhov, D, Buffalo Sabres
Russian captain was the most noticeable defenseman in terms of
offensive
impact .. a quick skater with nice agility and strong moves at all
angles ..
moved the puck crisply at both short and long distances .. good poise
and
heads-up style .. exhibited accurate shooting skills from the point,
but
does not have a strong release .. played too deep in the offensive zone
at
times, but has the speed to return back to cover up for the occasional
snafu
.. surprisingly average physically, but not soft.
Dmitri Kosmachev, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Steady but limited .. adequate skater moves with good balance .. not
terribly quick and lacks smoothness laterally .. a decent backwards
skater
.. by all means defensive minded .. did not handle the puck very much
and
prefers to stay back .. average puck skills and very limited vision ..
surprised with a heavy shot from the point .. showed solid physical
traits,
including a noticeable hitting game, but did not lay out guys
consistently
enough .. strong enough to clear the crease and did it well ..
positionally
sound; did not make glaring miscues.
Anton Khudobin, G, Minnesota Wild
The possible number one goalie at the upcoming U20's did little to
instill
confidence, but has some upside .. plays a butterfly style .. a good
skater
is quick and light in the crease .. moves effortlessly side-to-side ..
decent reflexes; has a tendency to go down too early and leave the
upper
shelf yawning .. has to work on his leg quickness .. glove hand is
average
at best .. likes to challenge the shooter; not afraid to be aggressive
..
played the puck, distributing it to teammates, but isn't terribly
refined in
that respect, resulting in many nail-biting situations.