| Andrei Krutov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | RW | 5’10” | 174 | Togliatti. RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Krutov started tonight’s game off pretty slow. He showed very little defensive effort and threw many pucks away without any thought. As the game went on, he began to break out a bit and showed flashes of a skilled offensive playmaker. He makes very quick passes and is able to set up teammates due to his scans that occur just before the puck gets to his stick. He was able to generate a couple of high quality chances due to his vision but a majority of these quick passes were to the closest teammate or attempts through a defenseman that were easily blocked. He showed flashes of some great puck handling ability as well. He pulled off a couple of clean body fakes where he angled his skates as if he was going inside then cut hard to the outside once the defender bit. He executed a couple of dekes by quickly snatching the puck away from incoming poke checks and tried to move himself into the slot. Krutov also attempted two spin-o-rama’s which he was able to pull off but immediately threw the puck away without looking on both occasions. He is pretty poor under pressure. When opponents got tight he coughed up the puck pretty quickly. The effort was his main issue. There were a couple of times where he picked up his motor and lifted sticks to win pucks but these were few and far between. He is very inconsistent in the amount of work he will put in each shift. Most of the time he coasted around and made a weak swipe towards the puck that never had a chance of succeeding. He showed flashes of skill and playmaking ability. He needs to work harder in all areas of his game to make his own plays successful.
| Lev Salnikov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | C | 6’6″ | 214 | Nizhny Novgorod, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: This was probably one of Lev’s best showings this season. He showed a lot of great effort when jumping into battles. He attacked sticks using his long reach and was able to shut down play in the DZ due to his high work rate. He finished checks hard, dropping two opponents with bone crushing hits in this game.The work is there but two main parts of his game really hold him back at this point in his development. He needs to add a lot of muscle. Although he is always in board battles, there were many times where he was easily pushed off the puck or an opponent was able to force the puck off of his stick by pushing harder. Lev has a lanky frame and it will be harder than most to add strength but it is a requirement to take his game to the next level. The second is his skating ability. He skates with a horribly awkward stride. He makes big pushes but his skates are not angled properly and he is barely able to generate any speed for how much he puts into his stride. He also tends to stand like a triangle and use his inside edges to cut around the ice. His knees and ankles bend inward and he is very easy to push off the puck. Skating is the main issue with his game and holds him back from getting involved offensively. He is easily caught up in the rush and is often stuck behind the play because he can’t keep up. Torpedo needs to give him skating lessons to help invest in his future. He works hard but there are basic mechanical issues holding him back from being a successful player.
Logo Courtesy of Nizhny Novgorod Chaika
Player Evaluations: Henry Lawrence