| Ivan Smirnov | Almaz Cherepovets | MHL | R | D | 5’10” | 168 | Vologda, RUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Smirnov is a smooth skating defenseman in his draft year. He is very mobile and uses his agile edgework well to escape pressure and slip into space. He was calm with the puck under pressure and fired crisp breakout passes after cutting to space. He showed an active stick and poked the puck multiple times. He joined the rush at opportune times to help transition play. He fired a pretty weak wrist shot from the point and needs to learn to create through his passing in the offensive zone. Very unlikely to be drafted but some potential to become a skilled two-way defenseman with some more training.
| Daniil Kazulayev | Almaz Cherepovets | MHL | L | C | 6’3″ | 172 | Moscow, RUS | 2005 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Kazulayev is a late 2005 player who is eligible for the 2023 draft. He is a tall but skinny forward who needs to add a ton of weight to continue playing at higher levels. He is not a great offensive forward but his defensive and forecheck efforts were very impressive in this game. He can generate speed very quickly and used his feet to jump on every loose puck that he possibly could. He joined every battle and was able to win a majority of them with non-stop pressure and effort in the corners. With some more muscle on his frame, he could become a beast along the boards, able to box out opponents and dig pucks out of scrums. When the puck was on the stick of an opponent, he immediately kicked up his motor to apply harassing pressure and forced many mistakes due to his ability to stick with the play for multiple attempts to take the puck. He backchecked hard as well. He consistently fought hard to keep players from entering his zone. I would like to see him on a penalty kill unit for Almaz. He is still relatively new to the MHL, but I think he would be a very effective penalty killer. With the puck on his stick, he was able to escape pressure well with quick spins away from opponents. He kept his head up and attempted multiple passes to the front of the net while circling below the goal line. He picked up an assist in the second period by battling below the line, winning the puck against multiple opponents, then picking his head up and sliding the puck right onto the tape of a teammate camped in the crease. He also set up another dangerous chance earlier in the game where he spun away from pressure and began circling the cage. He saw a man open in front and fired a behind the back pass right onto the tape of his teammate for a chance in the crease. He showed off some great protection and playmaking on both of those plays. He rushed the puck up ice a couple times but had trouble when he ran into defenders. He is not very confident with the puck in 1v1 situations and slowed down before being poked. He needs a lot of work offensively but showed some signs of hidden talent waiting to be developed. I really liked Kazulayev’s energy in today’s game and I will check in on him soon to get a better picture of who he is.
| Fyodor Avramov | Kapitan Stupino | MHL | R | LW | 6’3″ | 190 | St. Petersburg, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Impressive game for Fyodor, picking up 2 points in a win for his team. He has great pace to his game and is constantly in motion. He picks up speed quickly with a couple of powerful strides and outpaced a majority of the players on the ice in this game. He stays in motion without the puck and does a great job working into open space to support play. He has very quick hands which he uses to beat defenders 1v1 and to work his way out of tight situations. He showed off impressive work on the forecheck, using his feet to win races and take away space from opponents. He finished his checks hard. Fyodor was very effective on the rush. He pushed play up ice with his feet and was able to work his way past defenders with his speed and quick fakes into space. He also showed off an impressive delay game. If he saw no way around defenders with his feet, he would slow up to take advantage of the space given to him and scan for open options. His goal opened the scoring in the first. After circling the top of the zone looking for options, he decided to fire a heavy wrist shot from distance into traffic, which made it through the sea of bodies and past the goalie. His assist came on an effort play in the second. He crashed the net and dug for the loose puck which ended up on teammates stick for a finish in the crease. While his motor was good tonight, I would like to see him apply some more effort in the defensive zone. Avramanov is currently a top line winger and a productive player on the first powerplay unit. I have a hard time seeing a future for him in the NHL, but he will likely become an effective player for Sochi of the KHL as he develops his game and adds some strength to his frame.
| Vladislav Khomitsky | Kapitan Stupino | MHL | L | C | 5’8″ | 154 | Moscow, RUS | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: 2007 born Khomitsky showed off some skilled hands and great pace in tonight’s game. He did not receive many minutes but was impressive when he did. He flew up ice with confidence and was able to pull off some impressive dekes with his quick hands to escape pokes and tight pressure from opponents. He adapted to pressure well and remained calm when opponents pressed him. He has a great pace to his game and a ton of confidence for a 16-year-old in the MHL. I’m excited to see what he turns into over the course of the next few seasons.
Scout: Henry Lawrence