World U-18 Championship: Russia

Thanks to their dynamic group of 2010 eligible forwards, the Russians were a pleasant surprise at the tournament and finished with the silver medal. Kirill Kabanov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeni Kuznetsov, and Alexander Burmistrov are terrific prospects and McKeen's director of scouting Max Giese filed this report on them, along with the 2009 eligible defenseman Dmitri Orlov.

Kirill Kabanov (2010), LW/C, Spartak Moscow

A tall, world class player with gamebreaking talent .. skating like a gazelle, Kabanov is explosive on his feet with long and powerful strides .. nearly indefensible and is dangerous every shift .. loves to attack with the puck and has a knack for dangling pucks right in front of defenseman to draw them to him before dishing the puck off to an open teammate .. has a rangy and electrifying stick with the ability to bury shots up high from in tight .. not selfish and is equally dangerous as a playmaker or finisher, although he could use a bit more selfishness and shoot the puck more .. defensively, he has the speed to make plays on the backcheck and a long, strong stick to strip the puckcarrier off the puck .. guilty of taking wide turns away from the puck and he needs to begin to use stop and starts .. once he fills out his big frame, he will have Evgeni Malkin-type size .. has a good motor and attacks the dirty areas of the ice .. is a very special player and will challenge for the first overall selection at the 2010 draft.

Vladimir Tarasenko (2010), RW, Sibir Novosibirsk

Kabanov's running mate and the teams' alternate captain, Tarasenko is a versatile, industrious, and talented player in his own right .. crisply accelerates out of crossovers and is well stocked on his feet .. his soft hands enable him to unleash a real display of puckhandling wizardry .. capable of dancing around multiple defenders before cutting to the slot and burying the shot top shelf .. his shot is accurate, although it needs more velocity .. presents his stick well .. more of a playmaker than a finisher, Tarasenko is a gifted passer with a knack for shielding the puck in the trenches before finding the open man .. highly intelligent with the puck, sees the ice very well, and takes what's given .. protects the puck well and was better in traffic than most of his teammates .. builds a wall between himself and the puck before slipping away from the check .. impresses with his ability to maintain possession while getting checked and he'll compete to finish .. a valued penalty killer because he reads and anticipates the play well before getting into proper position .. committed to a team game and backchecks hard .. NHL teams will be clamoring to select him next summer.

Alexander Burmistrov (2010), C, AK Bars Kazan

A similar skater to Nikita Filatov, Burmistrov can jet and his speed is deceptive because he's so smooth and a technically flawless skater .. effortless with the puck and can slide it in and out of traffic while executing at full speed .. has supple hands and positions his stick properly, which stimulates his accurate one timer .. a fancy player that is fun to watch, but he doesn't always play with a purpose .. a stealthy playmaker with good vision and patience, as he likes to swing back and regroup if the play isn't developing to his liking .. is a good backchecker and his defensive marking made him a contributive penalty killer .. goes to the corners and absorbs hits adequately, but he's all finesse and didn't finish any checks .. occasionally took it end to end himself and was strong in the faceoff circle .. his polished skills will make him highly sought after by NHL teams at the 2010 draft.

Evgeni Kuznetsov (2010), C, Traktor Chelyabinsk

A pure goal scorer with undeniable talent and an innate thirst to score that drives him .. skates as if he's skiing down a slope in the way that he expertly utilizes his edges to carve the ice .. a natural around the net and is focused on scoring a goal every shift .. has beautiful moves when in alone on the goalie and his magnetic hands enable him to control the puck while at full extension .. has a polished finesse passing game and he can deliver some pretty touch passes when he's in the sharing mood, although he has a bug for overhandling the puck .. despite cherry picking and pouting about coming back to his own end when things didn't go well in the offensive zone, Kuznetsov was still on the penalty kill for his knack of slipping behind the oppositions defenses and getting prime scoring opportunities to the net .. he's slight and will need to get much stronger on his feet .. players with this electric goal scoring ability are rare to find and he should be a high pick in 2010.

Maxim Kitsyn (2010), LW, Metallurg Magnitogorsk

A promising combination of size and skill .. an upright, agile skater that is sturdy on his feet, although he does need to get a bit lower in his stride and he did lose his edge at times .. chokes up on his stick giving him that reach over his peers .. delivers catchable saucer passes with the best of them and his fast release doesn't give a goaltender time to get set .. currently, he has no defense to his game and he's lazy to get back to his own end .. has good size and is strong on his skates with a burgeoning power game .. drives to the net, although he needs to learn how to work off checks more proficiently .. if the defense and work ethic catches up to his skill, Kitsyn will be a high round pick in 2010.

Dmitri Orlov (2009), D, Metallurg Magnitogorsk

Very quick and agile on his feet, Orlov is a dynamic skater with the puck that is elusive and capable of exploiting his deep cuts to escape past multiple waves of opponents .. his most distinguishable asset is his big time pointshot, as his slapshot is an absolute bullet .. very talented and skilled puckmover that can quarterback the powerplay .. works the point well and his marked vision allows him to push the puck like he's a fourth forward .. makes a good first pass .. defensively, he requires work, as he's more of a puck stealing defenseman than a player that is difficult to play against .. was beaten wide despite his gifted skating ability and too often bought on stick fakes .. needs to get stronger, as he was knocked off his feet at times .. played on both special team units .. will be a top two-round selection at this year's draft.

Igor Bobkov (2009), G, Metallurg Magnitogorsk

A sizable and dexterous goaltender .. suffered from poor rebound control and for such a big kid, he didn't always fill the net well because he went down too early .. has a quick glove and he got it on a lot of pucks, but he didn't consistently trap them in .. his upright shoulders enable him to cover the upper portion of the net even while down in the butterfly .. the key to beating Bobkov is getting him to move before going up high with the shot .. his raw physical exploits make him worth a draft pick.

Nikita Dvurechensky (2009), RW, Dynamo Moscow

A technically efficient skater with enough speed to track down the puck, although his mobility isn't dynamic .. when in the offensive zone with the puck, Dvurechensky's options are limited, so to compensate he often just gives the puck to the point man .. his inaccurate shot often gets suffocated by traffic and never makes it on goal .. his game reading skills are undesirable, as he's constantly chasing the play instead of initiating it .. more of a checker that can kill penalties than a skillful scorer .. backchecked hard and displays good defensive marks.