| Timofei Zhulin | Irbis Kazan | MHL | R | C | 5’11” | 168 | Pavlovo, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C
Comments: The September 29, 2005 Zhulin plays at a very high pace and showed off some sick skill in tonight’s game. He has skilled hands and uses them to get into space and make multiple shot attempts. He uses skilled edgework in transition to protect the puck and push himself up ice. He had many rush attempts where he was able to enter the zone with speed but was unable to generate any chances or make it through defenders to get into the middle of the ice. He consistently lost the puck and was unable to beat defenders stepping up on him. He has a lot of speed and high end talent but has trouble using it to generate anything of substance.
| Kirill Kutuzov | Irbis Kazan | MHL | L | RW | 6’0″ | 163 | Kostroma, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: This was not a great game by Kutuzov’s standards but an October 2006, he is still a high level talent. His skating is ultra smooth. He uses heel to heel and changes in inside/outside edge to maneuver up ice and generate speed in the offensive zone. We liked his effort on the forecheck tonight. He hustled hard after loose pucks and earned inside positioning with his speed, then protected the puck with his body. He was much less noticeable on offense than he normally is but was still able to show off puck possession skill on a few plays. One in particular, he was behind the net in the offensive zone with tight pressure on him. He made a quick stick handle around one defender then opened his hips, flipped the puck off the boards around a second opponent and used his edges to circle around and pick it up on the other side. He is patient and holds onto the puck for enough time to find good plays. He also did a good job getting into space tonight without the puck. Not the best showing of his elite offensive talents but still a solid performance from the future superstar.
| Igor Bardin | Irbis Kazan | MHL | L | D | 5’10” | 161 | Chelyabinsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Draft eligible Bardin had a solid night and was very noticeable early in the game. He is a smooth skating two way defenseman and moves the puck around well with crisp hard passes to teammates in stride. He has a very smooth skating form which he used to join the rush on multiple occasions with and without the puck. He scans the ice well and is able to make smart decisions on when to activate up ice. In one particular example he saw that his teammates were changing and decided to jump up to give the puck carrier an easy option to pass to. He uses his mobile skating to stick with his man on the defensive rush and was able to break up a few plays with his stick and a block shot or two. He had a couple of times where he joined board battles and played hard, earning inside positioning then protecting the puck with his body. This effort was not consistent unfortunately. There was one example in particular where he stood flat footed in front of the net watching play and when the puck came to him, he missed an attempt to clear it out of the crease and was unable to stop a high danger chance from occurring due to the fact that he was standing straight up and not able to make a play. Overall we liked his game but he has to work defensively to apply consistent pressure and work harder to break up plays. Very unlikely to be drafted but we like his chances to become a pro player at some point.
| Alexander Shen | Khanty Mansiysk | MHL | R | LW | 6’0″ | 191 | Nizhnevartovsk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Draft eligible Shen was our favorite Yugry player from our last viewing of his team and with tonight’s performance he has climbed up our list even further. The non-stop effort that he showed all game was extremely important in his team’s victory. Without the puck on his stick, he applied tough and well timed pressure on opponents and forced many mistakes and turnovers. On both the forecheck and backcheck he dug deep to catch up to opponents and finished his charge with a heavy check into the glass. He played tight lockup defense and used his strong skating ability to stay in front of opponents and swallow up any space for them to make a play. Our favorite part of his game tonight was the fact that even late into a shift, he still applied the same effort and made sure the puck got up ice before changing. There were two times we noted where he had been on for 1.5 min+ and still applied pressure on opponents, forced a turnover, then carried the puck all the way up ice himself and dumped it in to ensure the offensive zone entry and a safe change. He is a work horse and is set on winning the puck for his team every time he hops over the boards. He has a very smooth and powerful stride that he uses to move his large frame up and down the ice. In the offensive zone he is not the most skilled player but is able to generate lots of chances with his effort and IQ. With the puck, he uses his body to shield defenders away and carries himself into space to move the puck. Without the puck in the offensive zone, he is very good at getting to open space and crashes the net hard on the rush for deflections and rebounds. He is a very confident player on both sides of the ice and the effort he shows shift after shift has earned him a lot of our attention in both games we have seen him in so far. We feel Shen should on every team’s draft list this season. If any team is willing to use a pick on him late in the draft, we feel they will not be disappointed.
Logo Courtesy of Irbis Kazan